Name that clonk…

[V1nce Fox]

Ok, put new front tyre on my old commuter yesterday, refitted wheel, brakes, everything torque set, etc.

I’m out today scrubbing it in, very gentle riding and there’s a rotational speed based clunk at the front.

Checked everything, is it possible the front wheel bearings have suddenly failed? Never experienced this on a bike before.

Place your bets.

[Dan-k]

I bought a bike the had a tumbling noise at slow speed but stopped at above 15 mph turned out to be the bit of the valve that sits inside the rim inside the tyre.

[trickywoo]

Did you do the bouncy, bouncy realignment procedure?

[V1nce Fox]

trickywoo said:

Did you do the bouncy, bouncy realignment procedure?

The whatnow?

I’m reckoning i’ve disturbed or knackered a wheel bearing during reassembly.

[airsafari87]

Put the wheel back in, tighten everything up a bit more than fingertight, lower the front wheel to the ground, bounce the front end so that everything settles to where it wants to be, torque everything up.

[the cueball]

As well as the bouncy bouncy, have you also allowed the calipers to align themselves?

You don’t just stick them back on and torque them up.

Calipers on
Bolts finger tight or just above.
Spin the wheel and hit the front brake a few times.
On the last spin, hold the brake on and then torque up the bolts.

You kind of need 5 hands at first, but get used to it.

[bgunn]

A rotational speed based clunk? As in knock knock knock with a higher frequency as speed increases? Or increases in amplitude at higher speeds?

[V1nce Fox]

Increases with road speed.

Will dry off a bit then reset all bolts on ground.

Tbh it could also use new wheel bearings anyway.

[tvrolet]

Knackered wheel bearings tend to grind rather than clonk. If you rotate the wheel off the ground you’ll feel roughness and potentially play. Had my share of goosed wheel bearings and none have clonked or knocked as the wheel rotated.

[V1nce Fox]

Just jacked front off ground, significant play between spacers and bearing outer faces. Will be unbolting and rebolting everything.

So i’ve just been out in pishing rain, sidewinds and scrubbed in a new tyre on a bike i didnt put the front wheel back on properly.

fk it, i’m buying a lottery ticket.

[V1nce Fox]

Ok so in case anyone else ever cant suss this…

When i put the axle through the first time i felt a bit of resistance and rather than check, i lightly tapped it to get it through.

It had drifted a bearing race a couple of mm out so it wouldn’t pinch the axle up even though the axle bolt was correctly torqued.

Silly bks.

Edited by V1nce Fox on Sunday 6th November 18:30