Squeaking noise from rear wheel while freewheeling (not the brakes, I think)



A mysterious squeaking noise has started emanating from my new bike (a
Trek Pilot 5.0 - carbon frame and bontrager race wheels). The squeaking
noise seems to come from the rear of the bike and occurs when I'm
riding any faster than about 8mph (becoming more rapid and higher
pitched the faster I go), and continues while I'm freewheeling, so I'm
guessing it's not the pedals, gears, or chain - it'd be great if it was
brake-scrape - but I don't think it is, as the sound persists even
after I've loosened the breaks using the brake quick release - they're
definitely not touching the wheel. I think that only leaves the wheel
itself as a possible source of the noise...

Unfortunately I've only be able to produce the sound while riding the
bike, not while holding the bike and walking/jogging, and not while the
bike is resting upside down with me turning the pedals by hand. I weigh
11st10 so I'm not giving the bike /that/ much grief from sitting on it.

The bike's only two weeks old, so obviously I'll be taking it back to
the place where I bought it for inspection! But can any wise old rider
take a guess at what might be the problem?

best regards,
Roberto
 
[email protected] writes:

> A mysterious squeaking noise has started emanating from my new bike (a
> Trek Pilot 5.0 - carbon frame and bontrager race wheels). The squeaking
> noise seems to come from the rear of the bike and occurs when I'm
> riding any faster than about 8mph (becoming more rapid and higher
> pitched the faster I go), and continues while I'm freewheeling, so I'm
> guessing it's not the pedals, gears, or chain - it'd be great if it was
> brake-scrape - but I don't think it is, as the sound persists even
> after I've loosened the breaks using the brake quick release - they're
> definitely not touching the wheel. I think that only leaves the wheel
> itself as a possible source of the noise...


Son's bike has a similar noise, which I finally traced to slight
rubbing between the hub and the conical rubber seal or dustcover over
the left hand cone (fixed to axle, doesn't rotate).

Brendan
--
Brendan Halpin, Department of Sociology, University of Limerick, Ireland
Tel: w +353-61-213147 f +353-61-202569 h +353-61-338562; Room F2-025 x 3147
mailto:[email protected] http://www.ul.ie/sociology/brendan.halpin.html
 
[email protected] said the following on 23/08/2006 10:11:

> Unfortunately I've only be able to produce the sound while riding the
> bike, not while holding the bike and walking/jogging, and not while the
> bike is resting upside down with me turning the pedals by hand. I weigh
> 11st10 so I'm not giving the bike /that/ much grief from sitting on it.


Seatpost? From what else you've said it seems unlikely, but creaks and
squeaks don't always behave logically. The clue was that it only creaks
whilst riding, but if it was the seatpost it would stop whilst you're
standing on the pedals - you haven't said if it does.

If the seatpost isn't greased, it should be anyway, so it might be worth
a go. (Thinks - does this actually still apply to carbon frames -
better check first.)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/
 
In article <[email protected]>
Brendan Halpin <[email protected]> wrote:
> [email protected] writes:
>
> > A mysterious squeaking noise has started emanating from my new bike (a
> > Trek Pilot 5.0 - carbon frame and bontrager race wheels). The squeaking
> > noise seems to come from the rear of the bike and occurs when I'm
> > riding any faster than about 8mph (becoming more rapid and higher
> > pitched the faster I go), and continues while I'm freewheeling, so I'm
> > guessing it's not the pedals, gears, or chain - it'd be great if it was
> > brake-scrape - but I don't think it is, as the sound persists even
> > after I've loosened the breaks using the brake quick release - they're
> > definitely not touching the wheel. I think that only leaves the wheel
> > itself as a possible source of the noise...

>
> Son's bike has a similar noise, which I finally traced to slight
> rubbing between the hub and the conical rubber seal or dustcover over
> the left hand cone (fixed to axle, doesn't rotate).
>

I agree that's the first thing to check - a drop (not a big squirt) of
GT85 or similar should resolve it.
 
Brendan Halpin wrote:

> Son's bike has a similar noise, which I finally traced to slight
> rubbing between the hub and the conical rubber seal or dustcover over
> the left hand cone (fixed to axle, doesn't rotate).


I had something similar the other week, only the rubber doobrie was rubbing
against the brake disc fixing bolts. But it squoke not, sounding instead as
though the brake was rubbing, or that some Skog(tm) was caught under the
mudguard.

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
Stop it! You're scarin' the Hippo...
 
On Wed, 23 Aug 2006 02:11:27 -0700, roberto.tyley wrote:

> But can any wise old rider
> take a guess at what might be the problem?


Had something similar a while back - wasn't so much a squeak as a creak
and turned out to be a loose spoke rubbing on it's neighbour.

Graham
 
> A mysterious squeaking noise has started emanating from my new bike (a
> Trek Pilot 5.0 - carbon frame and bontrager race wheels).


Could be the tyre rubbing on the frame - check the wheel is sitting in the
dropouts properly and the quick releases are ******* tight.