Technical advice sought please.

I'm getting a irritating ticking from my front wheel when I'm going
along. When I spin the wheel without any weight it doesn't occur. I am
suspicious that it may be the bearings. Can I just repack them with
grease, or do I need to replace the ballbearings? Any help would be
appreciated. Also, when I re-tighten the cones, how do you determine
the correct tightness? Thank you.

On Feb 13, 6:25 pm, "salmon" wrote:
I'm getting a irritating ticking from my front wheel when I'm going
along. When I spin the wheel without any weight it doesn't occur. I am
suspicious that it may be the bearings. Can I just repack them with
grease, or do I need to replace the ballbearings? Any help would be
appreciated. Also, when I re-tighten the cones, how do you determine
the correct tightness? Thank you.

There's probably a precise way to tighten them (e.g. torque wrench)
but I usually do them up tight then slacken them off just enough for
the wheel to spin freely.

Could the clicking be a loose spoke causing the wheel to deform
slightly when riding?

peter

"salmon" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm getting a irritating ticking from my front wheel when I'm going
along. When I spin the wheel without any weight it doesn't occur. I am
suspicious that it may be the bearings. Can I just repack them with
grease, or do I need to replace the ballbearings? Any help would be
appreciated. Also, when I re-tighten the cones, how do you determine
the correct tightness? Thank you.

Have you checked the reflectors are tightly in?! Honestly, happenend to me
once, looked a right berk when the mechanic diagnosed it. Still, took him at
least 15 minutes!

"salmon" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm getting a irritating ticking from my front wheel when I'm going
along. When I spin the wheel without any weight it doesn't occur. I am
suspicious that it may be the bearings. Can I just repack them with
grease, or do I need to replace the ballbearings? Any help would be
appreciated. Also, when I re-tighten the cones, how do you determine
the correct tightness? Thank you.

Have you checked the reflectors are tightly in?! Honestly, happenend to me
once, looked a right berk when the mechanic diagnosed it. Still, took him at
least 15 minutes!

"mb" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 10:25:51 -0800, salmon wrote:

I'm getting a irritating ticking from my front wheel when I'm going
along. When I spin the wheel without any weight it doesn't occur. I am
suspicious that it may be the bearings. Can I just repack them with
grease, or do I need to replace the ballbearings? Any help would be
appreciated. Also, when I re-tighten the cones, how do you determine
the correct tightness? Thank you.
My friends wheel was ticking while we rode along turned out to be a tack
stuck in his tyre causing a slow puncture which we found when his tyre
eventually went flat.

Martin

salmon wrote:
I'm getting a irritating ticking from my front wheel when I'm going
along. When I spin the wheel without any weight it doesn't occur. I am
suspicious that it may be the bearings. Can I just repack them with
grease, or do I need to replace the ballbearings?

Balls only need replacing if they look dull. Also inspect the cups and
cones for pits (dimples).

Any help would be
appreciated. Also, when I re-tighten the cones, how do you determine
the correct tightness? Thank you.

Have them only just tight enough for there not to be any play when the wheel
is fitted. Feel for play (lateral looseness) by pushing pulling wheel
sideways. Have the brake blocks well out of the way to save confusion.

Deliberately start off with some play, then tighten in small amounts until
it's gone.

With a quick-release wheel, the quick release when closed compresses the
axle, reducing the play slightly. So a properly adjusted QR wheel will have
some play when the QR is undone. If you want perfection, they'll be a trace
of play when the QR is *half* undone.

As well as minimising drag, good adjustment like this will make your hubs
last a long time.

Find "Cone Adjustment" instructions on www.sheldonbrown.com. The trick on
using two locknut spanners or two cone spanners at the same time to fine
tune is particularly brilliant and saves a lot of trouble.

Take care not to over-tighten the locknuts. The axle/nut threads will strip
fairly easiliy.

All the above assumes conventional type of bearings that Shimano and old
Campag use, for example. Cartridge bearings and modern-Chorus-type bearings
are very different.

~PB

"salmon" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm getting a irritating ticking from my front wheel when I'm going
along. When I spin the wheel without any weight it doesn't occur. I am
suspicious that it may be the bearings. Can I just repack them with
grease, or do I need to replace the ballbearings? Any help would be
appreciated. Also, when I re-tighten the cones, how do you determine
the correct tightness? Thank you.

Dear jvsalmon,

the only time I've had something similar, it puzzled me for weeks. The
cones were adjusted, there was nothing on the rim hitting the brake blocks,
nothing on the tyre. But.....going down a hill at 40+ the cause became
apparent: a spoke had come loose from the nipple, and on this descent, was
hitting the front forks! I stopped at the bottom of the hill, tucked the
loose spoke into the rest of them, and carried on, wondering what might have
happened.

Check the tightness of your spokes.


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Thanks for all the suggestions and good advice. I will check this out
tomorrow and let you know my findings.

Thanks again all who replied.

On 13 Feb, 18:25, "salmon" wrote:
I'm getting a irritating ticking from my front wheel when I'm going
along. When I spin the wheel without any weight it doesn't occur. I am
suspicious that it may be the bearings. Can I just repack them with
grease, or do I need to replace the ballbearings? Any help would be
appreciated. Also, when I re-tighten the cones, how do you determine
the correct tightness? Thank you.

I've got the same problem, my bearings are kncakered. Previously I've
taken them apart and found half the balls totally mashed up but the
cups and cones OK so it was a cheap and fairly easy job, but this time
the cups are worn and the rims are pretty worn too so its time for a
new wheel.
Worn bearings sound different from things stuck in the tyre etc.
because the sound is less regular. More of a ping ping
PINGpingping ... ping than a regular tick tick tick.
Lay the wheel flat and make sure you put something under the hub to
catch the balls if you take it apart (and when trying to put it back
together). Do not attempt it on the lawn or a sloping path next to a
drain.

POHB wrote:
I've got the same problem, my bearings are kncakered. Previously I've
taken them apart and found half the balls totally mashed up but the
cups and cones OK so it was a cheap and fairly easy job, but this time
the cups are worn and the rims are pretty worn too so its time for a
new wheel.
Worn bearings sound different from things stuck in the tyre etc.
because the sound is less regular. More of a ping ping
PINGpingping ... ping than a regular tick tick tick.

That's true, but sometimes worrying noises can come from hubs even though
the actual bearings are fine -- if the dustcap/seal isn't quite fitted
right, or something else equally (relatively) harmless.

Of course random noises can also come from stem & handlebars, seatpost, etc.
Eliminate these two by riding standing up and no-handed. Not necessarily
both together :-)

Lay the wheel flat and make sure you put something under the hub to
catch the balls if you take it apart (and when trying to put it back
together). Do not attempt it on the lawn or a sloping path next to a
drain.

Been there, done that, lost a ball on the lawn, missus. Daft indeed.

~PB