noises from spokes

Jim Higson <[email hidden]> wrote:
| When I push hard on the pedals (standing to go uphill) I'm getting a twangy
| noise from my rear wheel spokes, similar to if something was gently
| touching them as they go round, although nothing is.

Are you sure nothing is? I've just cured a similar pinging from
her indoors' better bike which was caused by the derailler just
clipping one spoke when in its lowest-front-lowest-back gear and
under load. Pootling around the yard with almost no tension on
the chain caused no noise at all. The flexing of the frame may
be enough to make a difference. The limit screw on the derailller
was a bit further out than it needed to be, and the slack caused
by wear and ageing was just enough to clip a spoke every now and
then. (I was amazed at how flat the dishing of that wheel is,
and how close the derailer runs to the spokes, but.)

The previous mysterious wheel noise I cured was a once-per-rotation
ticking noise in a wheel which (if you put all your weight on the
bike and wheeled it ever so slowly through the point of the tick)
revealed itself to be a brief creaking at the join in the rim, and
was cured by fixing the uneven tension in the spokes.

Geraint Jones said:

Jim Higson <[email hidden]> wrote:
| When I push hard on the pedals (standing to go uphill) I'm getting a
| twangy noise from my rear wheel spokes, similar to if something was
| gently touching them as they go round, although nothing is.

Are you sure nothing is? I've just cured a similar pinging from
her indoors' better bike which was caused by the derailler just
clipping one spoke when in its lowest-front-lowest-back gear and
under load. Pootling around the yard with almost no tension on
the chain caused no noise at all. The flexing of the frame may
be enough to make a difference. The limit screw on the derailller
was a bit further out than it needed to be, and the slack caused
by wear and ageing was just enough to clip a spoke every now and
then. (I was amazed at how flat the dishing of that wheel is,
and how close the derailer runs to the spokes, but.)

Pretty sure.

It happens not just in the lowest gear, also with it a few up from that,
which puts the derailleur quite far from the spokes.

Btw, the wheels are Campagnolo Neutrons.

--
Jim

Jim Higson said:

Any ideas what this sound could be, and if it is a problem?

Possibly not a cure for your immediate problem, but may be of help to
someone else:

1) Often odd sounds appear to come from one place but actually come
from another. If the noise is once-per-wheel-turn, check the front
wheel. If it turns out to be once-per-pedal-turn, check front
deraileur, chainwheel, etc.

2) My lad's bike was making a funny noise. Turned out to be the
speedometer sensor and magnet (just) hitting each other, solved with a
little tweak.

PhilD

--
<><

In article <[email hidden]>, Jim Higson
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

When I push hard on the pedals (standing to go uphill) I'm getting a twangy
noise from my rear wheel spokes, similar to if something was gently
touching them as they go round, although nothing is. The wheels are Campy
Neutrons.

They don't seem loose, and there is nothing visibly wrong with the wheels.

Any ideas what this sound could be, and if it is a problem?

Is there crud between the spokes where they cross, or between the spokes
and the hub flanges?

PhilD said:

Jim Higson said:

Any ideas what this sound could be, and if it is a problem?

Possibly not a cure for your immediate problem, but may be of help to
someone else:

1) Often odd sounds appear to come from one place but actually come
from another. If the noise is once-per-wheel-turn, check the front
wheel. If it turns out to be once-per-pedal-turn, check front
deraileur, chainwheel, etc.

The noise is very distinctive as being a "spoke noise" - like a quiet
version of them being twanged.

It is very quiet, I only noticed it when riding out in the country. It is
roughly coinciding with the downstroke on the cranks, but if I turn my feet
in a circle a bit more I can get it to make the noise for the whole
revolution of the crank.

Quoted message said:

2) My lad's bike was making a funny noise. Turned out to be the
speedometer sensor and magnet (just) hitting each other, solved with a
little tweak.

I have a magnet on the back wheel, but it is plenty far from the sensor. In
fact, it is on the other side of the spoke.

Rob Morley said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Jim Higson
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

When I push hard on the pedals (standing to go uphill) I'm getting a
twangy noise from my rear wheel spokes, similar to if something was
gently touching them as they go round, although nothing is. The wheels
are Campy Neutrons.

They don't seem loose, and there is nothing visibly wrong with the
wheels.

Any ideas what this sound could be, and if it is a problem?

Is there crud between the spokes where they cross, or between the spokes
and the hub flanges?

No on the first count.

On the second count, the flanges aren't directly exposed on this kind of
hub, but I can take a look.

Do you think that could cause this kind of problem?

Jim Higson said:

When I push hard on the pedals (standing to go uphill) I'm getting a twangy
noise from my rear wheel spokes, similar to if something was gently
touching them as they go round,

Perhaps being totally silly but is the actuating cable (the spare bit)
really long and dangling in the spokes?
Maybe normally it is JUST away from the spokes but when you go to
mash uphill the frame flexes and the cable JUST twangs of the spokes

--
www.cheesesoup.myby.co.uk

Jim Higson said:

When I push hard on the pedals (standing to go uphill) I'm getting a twangy
noise from my rear wheel spokes, similar to if something was gently
touching them as they go round, although nothing is. The wheels are Campy
Neutrons.

They don't seem loose, and there is nothing visibly wrong with the wheels.

Any ideas what this sound could be, and if it is a problem?

I had a noise like that develop out on a ride with an old bike I'd got
from e-bay and it turned out to be the rear-mech jockey cage knocking
against the spokes - it got progressively worse until the smaller
sprockets were un-usable.

Must have been a relaxed spring or worn out something or other because
no amount of H-L tweaking would sort it out. Replaced the mech an
entry-level Shimano Sora for about £15-20 and it's been fine since,
not that I ride it much though.

Regards,

Duncan

In article <[email hidden]>, Jim Higson
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Rob Morley said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Jim Higson
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

When I push hard on the pedals (standing to go uphill) I'm getting a
twangy noise from my rear wheel spokes, similar to if something was
gently touching them as they go round, although nothing is. The wheels
are Campy Neutrons.

They don't seem loose, and there is nothing visibly wrong with the
wheels.

Any ideas what this sound could be, and if it is a problem?

Is there crud between the spokes where they cross, or between the spokes
and the hub flanges?

No on the first count.

On the second count, the flanges aren't directly exposed on this kind of
hub, but I can take a look.

Do you think that could cause this kind of problem?

It's the only thing that doesn't involve spokes hitting something else
or the sound being transmitted from somewhere else. I'd also check the
freehub and cassette are tight, the hub and bottom bracket bearings are
healthy and properly adjusted, and that the chain, chainrings and
sprockets are all good.

soup said:

Jim Higson said:

When I push hard on the pedals (standing to go uphill) I'm getting a
twangy noise from my rear wheel spokes, similar to if something was
gently touching them as they go round,

Perhaps being totally silly but is the actuating cable (the spare bit)
really long and dangling in the spokes?

Not silly, but it is cut really short and couldn't hit the spokes even if I
push the wheel as far as it would go to the side

Quoted message said:

Maybe normally it is JUST away from the spokes but when you go to
mash uphill the frame flexes and the cable JUST twangs of the spokes

Duncan Smith said:

Jim Higson said:

When I push hard on the pedals (standing to go uphill) I'm getting a
twangy noise from my rear wheel spokes, similar to if something was
gently touching them as they go round, although nothing is. The wheels
are Campy Neutrons.

They don't seem loose, and there is nothing visibly wrong with the
wheels.

Any ideas what this sound could be, and if it is a problem?

I had a noise like that develop out on a ride with an old bike I'd got
from e-bay and it turned out to be the rear-mech jockey cage knocking
against the spokes - it got progressively worse until the smaller
sprockets were un-usable.

No, nothing is touching the spokes. Even if I flex the wheel as far as it
will go to the side, nothing touches them.

Quoted message said:

Must have been a relaxed spring or worn out something or other because
no amount of H-L tweaking would sort it out. Replaced the mech an
entry-level Shimano Sora for about £15-20 and it's been fine since,
not that I ride it much though.

Regards,

Duncan

In article <[email hidden]>, Jim Higson
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I have a magnet on the back wheel, but it is plenty far from the sensor. In
fact, it is on the other side of the spoke.

Some sensors have a reed switch which can make a quiet, but audible tick
when the magnet passes, even if the two do not touch.

--
John

John said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Jim Higson
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I have a magnet on the back wheel, but it is plenty far from the sensor.
In fact, it is on the other side of the spoke.

Some sensors have a reed switch which can make a quiet, but audible tick
when the magnet passes, even if the two do not touch.

Indeed. My specialized computer did that. The Cateye one on this bike
doesn't though.

So... the spoke twangy noises remain a mystery, but at least nobody is
claiming they are dangerous. If this was a dangerous symptom I think
someone would probably be warning about it.

By the way, my favourite theory at the moment is it is caused by a twisted
spoke slowly un-twisting itself. Maybe the wheel will go a little out of
true over the next few weeks and need looking at.

--
Jim

Sorry I've missed the start of this thread - what's the hub like?

On my front wheel there's something odd going on and the plastic bits
covering the cones turn with the wheel (as expected) but at one point they
stop, then continue. I've had the bearings and cones out to clean and put
back but it's still happening and it results in a change in the "whirr" but
not a pinging noise.

I magine if there's a damaged bearing or an imperfection in the hub the
bearings might go "bump" every now and then as they spin.
--
peter

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naked_draughtsman said:

Sorry I've missed the start of this thread - what's the hub like?

Sort of round in the middle of the wheel I expect. Could be black or shiny.

Jon