noisy Zipp 303...new thread



Bike4Him

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Oct 17, 2009
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My front wheel creaks when I stand or put torque on it.
I read the old thread that is identical but the info there did not help.

The noise is where the nipple meets the carbon rim.
Only nisy when I stand or put torque on the rim.
It's not the skewer, bearings, etc.
The rim is true and the spoke tension is very even.

When I loosen the skewer the noise goes away. Then the wheel can move slightly in the fork.
This takes the torque away from the rim by allowing the axle to shift. Quiet but dangerous.

I've tried truing the wheel with a looser tension and a tighter tension. Neither did anything.
Adding some chain lube to the nipple / carbon area made it quiet for about 50 yds.

Any ideas?
 
Which model hubs/303 do you have? Danfoz's advice is good, as would be calling Zipp to get their input. They're very helpful.
 
I've seen this same noise (or similar) attributed to stems handlebars shifters pedals cranks et al. by novice mechanics. My old Ksyriums demanded the grease after rain rides or the groaning/creaking/clicking would shortly ensue. If anything, it's an easy chore to knock off the troubleshoot list.
 
Originally Posted by danfoz .

I've seen this same noise (or similar) attributed to stems handlebars shifters pedals cranks et al. by novice mechanics. My old Ksyriums demanded the grease after rain rides or the groaning/creaking/clicking would shortly ensue. If anything, it's an easy chore to knock off the troubleshoot list.
I've tried cleaning and greasing the skewer. Running it loose, tight, replaced.
I know it's the front wheel because when I use a different one the noise stops.
If I loosen the front skewer the noise stops because the torque allows the wheel to move in the fork.
if I torque the wheel with my hand I can hear the creak at the nipple and I sometimes can make the spoke cause the creak by pushing on a single spoke.
I believe that it's the spoke nipple as it moves against the carbon.
Maybe I should loosen the spokes and clean the nipple carbon area and tyr to return it to how it was designed and built.
I'll also contac Zipp.
 
It could be from uneven tension in the spokes. You might consider having the wheel completely de-tensioned and then brought up to the spec tension evenly around the wheel, with the wheel being properly stress relieved in the process. Squeaky/creaky spokes are often the result of uneven tension in a wheel.
 
Originally Posted by Bike4Him .

My front wheel creaks when I stand or put torque on it.
I read the old thread that is identical but the info there did not help.

The noise is where the nipple meets the carbon rim.
Only nisy when I stand or put torque on the rim.
It's not the skewer, bearings, etc.
The rim is true and the spoke tension is very even.

When I loosen the skewer the noise goes away. Then the wheel can move slightly in the fork.
This takes the torque away from the rim by allowing the axle to shift. Quiet but dangerous.

I've tried truing the wheel with a looser tension and a tighter tension. Neither did anything.
Adding some chain lube to the nipple / carbon area made it quiet for about 50 yds.

Any ideas?
Sell it on eBay to Tony Zachery. He'll "police" your ad for technical and grammatical accuracy even before you've finalized the ad and then whined about it in his little sandbox thread. Tell him you rode it for 50 yards and it's fantasic but you need one in another shade of carbon.
 
Sell it on eBay to Tony Zachery. He'll "police" your ad for technical and grammatical accuracy even before you've finalized the ad and then whined about it in his little sandbox thread. Tell him you rode it for 50 yards and it's fantasic but you need one in another shade of carbon.

[COLOR= #0000ff]"Not with my money!"[/COLOR]

Now you've done it!


I've seen this same noise (or similar) attributed to stems handlebars shifters pedals cranks et al. by novice mechanics.

Ditto. I had an FSA stem/bar combo that only got quiet after I applied a thin film on silicone sealant to the stem/bar contact area. No amount of playing with torque settings or changing the tightening pattern would quiet the creaking joint down.
 
Originally Posted by swampy1970 .


Sell it on eBay to Tony Zachery. He'll "police" your ad for technical and grammatical accuracy even before you've finalized the ad and then whined about it in his little sandbox thread. Tell him you rode it for 50 yards and it's fantasic but you need one in another shade of carbon.
Ha ha.
I was actually wanting to sell them and buy a powermeter built into whatever I could afford with the proceeds.
I won't sell as is.

I think I'll go the proper rebuild route as suggested by Alienator.
 
Bike4Him said:
Ha ha. I was actually wanting to sell them and buy a powermeter built into whatever I could afford with the proceeds. I won't sell as is. I think I'll go the proper rebuild route as suggested by Alienator.
Now you can have them rebuilt onto a PowerTap rear hub. Bonus! There are PowerTap rear hubs aplenty on eFray.
 
Originally Posted by alienator .


Now you can have them rebuilt onto a PowerTap rear hub. Bonus! There are PowerTap rear hubs aplenty on eFray.
That's right. Good thing they creak.
It goes like this.
"Creaky wheels might be dangerous. I have to have them rebuilt anyway so I might as well get a powertap now and save money".
She'll understand. She saves money all the time when she goes shopping.
 
Originally Posted by Bike4Him .

That's right. Good thing they creak.
It goes like this.
"Creaky wheels might be dangerous. I have to have them rebuilt anyway so I might as well get a powertap now and save money".
She'll understand. She saves money all the time when she goes shopping.
Like when you get yer deviated septum straightened out might as well have 'em take a look at the bump while they're under the hood.