Ticking noise from wheels

I have a "ticking" noise coming from one of my wheels - still can't tell
which one, but I _think_ it's the front. I'm having trouble finding out
what is causing it.

This is a new touring bike with 36 spoke "Ambrosio Evolution" wheels
and Veloce hubs. The noise only occurs when I'm riding, and it happens
whether or not I'm peddling. It definitely sounds like spoke noise to
me, but I checked and all the spokes seem to be tight. The sound seems
to occur once per wheel revolution. Can anyone tell me how to find the
cause of this, and how to stop the noise? Thanks for any help.


-Keith

Keith Boone wrote in message e.rogers.com...
I have a "ticking" noise coming from one of my wheels - still can't tell
which one, but I _think_ it's the front. I'm having trouble finding out
what is causing it.

This is a new touring bike with 36 spoke "Ambrosio Evolution" wheels
and Veloce hubs. The noise only occurs when I'm riding, and it happens
whether or not I'm peddling. It definitely sounds like spoke noise to
me, but I checked and all the spokes seem to be tight. The sound seems
to occur once per wheel revolution. Can anyone tell me how to find the
cause of this, and how to stop the noise? Thanks for any help.


-Keith

Here are a few suggestions that you may have already tried,
but which might help others who hear a noise that seems to
be independent of pedaling, appears to coincide with each
spin of the wheels, might be coming from the front or the
back, and is driving you crazy.

Try to determine which wheel causes the noise by spinning
each wheel by hand after flipping the bike upside down or
suspending it in a workstand. This is also good time to
check that it really isn't the rim ticking against a brake
pad, a slightly off-round rear tire nicking the excess cable
from the front derailleur, or a front tire scuffing a bent
fork, to name a few of the more embarrassing explanations.

If hand-spinning doesn't re-produce the noise, then the
problem may appear only under normal loading, which suggests
bearings, cones, spokes or even a strangely defective tire
and rim combination.

To test each wheel separately under a normal load, swap the
front wheel onto another bike and see if the noise follows
it to the new bike. If not, try swapping the rear wheel to
another bike. You can probably skip any careful adjustments
of the brakes or gears. You just need to be able to roll
along on a flat, quiet, safe place with your weight on the
wheel that you've isolated.

If the noise comes from the front wheel when spun by hand, a
speedometer may be the culprit. The spoke magnet may be
physically ticking the fork sensor, or the sensor itself may
have become louder than usual. (Many sensors emit a faint
but audible noise as they trigger.)

If the noise comes from the rear wheel when spun by hand, a
plastic spoke protector may be causing it. A 36-spoke wheel
uses a round guard that is held in place with only three
tiny prongs. If any prong breaks or cracks, the plastic disk
may make odd noises. A 32-spoke wheel is a little more
robust because it uses a 4-prong guard.

Another source of rear wheel noise can be a derailleur that,
due to wear or damage or weak springs or mis-alignment, just
barely ticks against a spoke when running the chain over the
largest rear cog.

Patience will eventually isolate the noise. Before sticking
a playing card in the spokes to cover it up, console
yourself with an example of an odd noise that no bicycle can
match: a rare congenital anomaly of the muscles that move
the human eye can cause a faint clicking noise when the
patient looks to either side as one muscle slides over
instead of under the other. The patient is often unaware
that eyeballs do not normally click, while the doctor is
often relieved to hear the faint clicking through a
stethoscope pressed against the perfectly sane patient's
temple.

Harborfreight.com and most auto-supply stores will happily
sell you a mechanic's stethoscope whose end is better suited
to diagnosing inanimate ailments.

Keith Boone wrote in message e.rogers.com...
I have a "ticking" noise coming from one of my wheels - still can't tell
which one, but I _think_ it's the front. I'm having trouble finding out
what is causing it.

This is a new touring bike with 36 spoke "Ambrosio Evolution" wheels
and Veloce hubs. The noise only occurs when I'm riding, and it happens
whether or not I'm peddling. It definitely sounds like spoke noise to
me, but I checked and all the spokes seem to be tight. The sound seems
to occur once per wheel revolution. Can anyone tell me how to find the
cause of this, and how to stop the noise? Thanks for any help.


-Keith

Since your bike is new, I forgot an obvious possibility. Search
for "rust" and "nipple" and "Jobst Brandt" in rec.bike.tech
and you'll find his brief, excellent explanation about rust
at the nipple-rim junction causing crunchy noises. Your bike may
be new, but new parts can rust quickly.

Do you have a wireless computer fitted? Mine (a VDO C10+) "ticks" every
time the fork-mounted part sends an impulse to the handlebar unit.



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kboone- I have a "ticking" noise coming from one of my wheels - still can't
tell
which one, but I _think_ it's the front. I'm having trouble finding out
what is causing it. BRBR

Oil each nipple as it goes into the rim.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

"Keith Boone" wrote in message
.rogers.com...
| I have a "ticking" noise coming from one of my wheels - still can't tell
| which one, but I _think_ it's the front. I'm having trouble finding out
| what is causing it.
|
| This is a new touring bike with 36 spoke "Ambrosio Evolution" wheels
| and Veloce hubs. The noise only occurs when I'm riding, and it happens
| whether or not I'm peddling. It definitely sounds like spoke noise to
| me, but I checked and all the spokes seem to be tight. The sound seems
| to occur once per wheel revolution. Can anyone tell me how to find the
| cause of this, and how to stop the noise? Thanks for any help.
|
|
| -Keith
|

Common sources of "ticking" noise at wheel that haven't been mentioned so
far:
--- crud/junk inside the rim
--- a loose retaining nut on the inner tube's stem


Jean

(Qui si parla Campagnolo) wrote in message ...
kboone- I have a "ticking" noise coming from one of my wheels - still can't
tell
which one, but I _think_ it's the front. I'm having trouble finding out
what is causing it. BRBR

Oil each nipple as it goes into the rim.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

In a posting from 1999, Jobst Brandt also suggests the nipple
oiling cure for clicking, but adds that it's temporary. In a
similar posting that I recall but failed to find, I think that
he explained in more detail that water soon displaces the oil,
leading to more rust. Below is the post that I found:

From: Jobst Brandt )
Subject: Well used rim "clicking"
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Date: 1999/05/06

Chuck Anderson writes:

Over the last few months I've noticed a "click" every time the front
wheels goes around. I repacked the bearings and checked all kinds of
things, but to no avail.

This is typical of rust. If the steel eyelets are rusty, as they
easily can be after nipple motion has removed the protective plating,
they will click. This can be temporarily be fixed by a drop of oil on
the interface but it will probably continue to click after any wet
riding. This is also a clear indication that this joint frets and is
not a static junction. This is why aluminum nipples sometimes break.

Jobst Brandt

Nick.Marshall wrote:
Do you have a wireless computer fitted? Mine (a VDO C10+) "ticks" every
time the fork-mounted part sends an impulse to the handlebar unit.



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Yes, I do have a wireless computer attached. It's a Specialized...
can't remember the model number. I never thought the computer
sensor could make a noise - that's very strange. (It's not the
magnet on the spoke - I checked for that.)

I guess the quickest way to for this would be to simply remove
the magnet - then nothing will activate the sensor.