Why are our wheels "ticking"?

[Louis Balfour]

2021 Specialized Allez and I noticed this morning that as I coast there is a "tick, tick, tick" that sounds like the front wheel. If you lift the bike and spin it, there is no noise.

So I borrowed my wife's Allez front wheel and put it in my bike, still ticking. Which made me look at the rear wheel - nothing untoward there.

However, when I test rode my wife's bike after putting the wheel back in, it was ticking too. So, I think that both bikes have the same issue. I think both front wheels have a "tick" once per revolution.

The front wheels on those bikes don't have crossing spokes, by the way.

Any ideas chaps please?

[Maximus_Meridius101]

Q.R. Skewer needs a lube up. Check the springs aren’t broken.

[Louis Balfour]

Maximus_Meridius101 said:

Q.R. Skewer needs a lube up. Check the springs aren’t broken.

Interesting. Why would that make them tick?

[tvrfan007]

Loose spoke can do this, but would be odd to have it after a wheel change so its also a look at the qr from me.

[Louis Balfour]

tvrfan007 said:

Loose spoke can do this, but would be odd to have it after a wheel change so its also a look at the qr from me.

The spokes don't seem loose. Though I did manage to get a little bit of noise from one or two nipples when I flexed the spokes.

[Jimbo.]

If it were mine I’d be looking at the QR skewers as above and making sure the valve locknut is tight.

[Louis Balfour]

Jimbo. said:

If it were mine I’d be looking at the QR skewers as above and making sure the valve locknut is tight.

I suspected the locknut. It is tight.

The bike is only a month old, by the way.

[the tribester]

Put some lube on the spokes where they cross and touch, something that'll remain in situ and be effective.

[Louis Balfour]

the tribester said:

Put some lube on the spokes where they cross and touch, something that'll remain in situ and be effective.

Did that on the rear wheel. The front one doesn't have crossing spokes.


Tomorrow I shall try lubing the skewers, tape round the valve stem and then lubing the spoke nipples.

[lllnorrislll]

Schrader Valve nut needs tightening up?

[gazza285]

lllnorrislll said:

Schrader Valve nut needs tightening up?

Presta valve nut.

[Louis Balfour]

gazza285 said:

lllnorrislll said:

Schrader Valve nut needs tightening up?

Presta valve nut.

Neither needs tightening up. I've checked.

[Louis Balfour]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It's raining so things will have to wait. I have a hunch that it is when the valve is at the bottom. I say this because I noticed that the "tick" was when the logo on the tyre was near the bottom and the logo will be lined up with the valve (if it isn't I am sending the bike back to Specialized).

[Top Banana]

has the bike got disc brakes ? - seen this with a disc that's not perfectly true just rubbing slightly on a pad

can usually be fixed by either re-centering the brake caliper or tweaking the disc straight

[mcelliott]

Jimbo. said:

If it were mine I’d be looking at the QR skewers as above and making sure the valve locknut is tight.

Gonna be this, with a drop of lube.

[Louis Balfour]

mcelliott said:

Jimbo. said:

If it were mine I’d be looking at the QR skewers as above and making sure the valve locknut is tight.

Gonna be this, with a drop of lube.

Why would a skewer click once per revolution of the wheel? No rotating parts surely.

[Jimbo.]

Louis Balfour said:

mcelliott said:

Jimbo. said:

If it were mine I’d be looking at the QR skewers as above and making sure the valve locknut is tight.

Gonna be this, with a drop of lube.

Why would a skewer click once per revolution of the wheel? No rotating parts surely.

In all the bits clamped together, under tension, flexing etc etc, there’s always _something_ that makes a noise. Just one of those things. I’ve found that whipping the QR skewer out, cleaning everything (inc. in the hole through the hub for said skewer), giving the skewer a small smear of grease and putting it all back together helps 9 times out of 10.

On that 1 occasion out of 10, I just turn the music up. Might explain why my hearing in my left ear is ruined!

Edited by Jimbo. on Tuesday 11th May 17:05

[stargazer30]

My rear wheel picked up a metallic style tick or click once per revolution too. It had me baffled as I ruled out rubbing pads, the cassette, spokes, the wheel or tyre hitting the frame, everything I could think of.

It turned out to be the brake disc rotor contacting the inside of the calliper body. I took the calliper off and in between the pads you could see a bit bare metal where it had rubbed the calliper. The rotors are not a perfect circle so this little flat spot was just catching once per turn. Just needed a spacer washer on the calliper to lift it up a bit.

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

Louis Balfour said:

tvrfan007 said:

Loose spoke can do this, but would be odd to have it after a wheel change so its also a look at the qr from me.

The spokes don't seem loose. Though I did manage to get a little bit of noise from one or two nipples when I flexed the spokes.

Were you in a supermarket yesterday?

[Louis Balfour]

take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:

Louis Balfour said:

tvrfan007 said:

Loose spoke can do this, but would be odd to have it after a wheel change so its also a look at the qr from me.

The spokes don't seem loose. Though I did manage to get a little bit of noise from one or two nipples when I flexed the spokes.

Were you in a supermarket yesterday?

Go on.