Squeaky PowerMate 2.4 equipped hub/wheel

[kopride]

Sorry to post here as opposed to the Cycling Equipment thread, but I figured that there are more PT users who regularly check this thread. My LBS (and I) was convinced that the squeaking was coming from my FSA compact crank so I swapped it for an Ultegra SL compact. (The crank was clearly working itself loose). Now that the crank noise has been eliminated, I can still hear noise coming from my rear wheel. None of my spokes are loose and the wheel is true. Anybody else having noises coming from the a PT equipped wheel. My '79 free spirit from Sears was quieter! It functions fine, but the noise is always with me.

 

[Steve_B]

None of my spokes are loose andw the wheel is true. Anybody else having noises coming from the a PM equipped wheel.

Do you mean Power Tap 2.4? Have you had the bearings checked and repacked?

 

[kopride]

Do you mean Power Tap 2.4? Have you had the bearings checked and repacked?

Correct, it is a powertap. And no, I haven't checked the bearings yet, but I assume that Saris uses "skateboard style" cartridge bearings as opposed to traditional cup and cone bearings that you can repack. As I said, I was so preoccupied by my crank related issues that I didn't look at the wheel bearings. When I have had cartridge bearings go bad before, the situation was pretty obvious (the wheel freezes and sticks). So I figured if there is a known problem with the PT 2.4 hub, it might reduce the trial and error process that comes with squeak elimination. Of course, the reason I replaced the crankset and bottom bracket, in part was because there was a known problem with seating my particular type of FSA crank that caused the left arm to loosen. So perhaps learning about a known problem isn't the answer and I should look at the obvious, which is the wheel bearings. Maybe only one of the whole bearing set is going bad.

 

[Steve_B]

Correct, it is a powertap. And no, I haven't checked the bearings yet, but I assume that Saris uses "skateboard style" cartridge bearings as opposed to traditional cup and cone bearings that you can repack.

I believe that they are cartridge bearings, though I don't know about the skateboard stuff. You can still apply some grease to them and see if it makes a difference or perhaps they just need to be replaced.

 

[PaulMD]

Sorry to post here as opposed to the Cycling Equipment thread, but I figured that there are more PT users who regularly check this thread. My LBS (and I) was convinced that the squeaking was coming from my FSA compact crank so I swapped it for an Ultegra SL compact. (The crank was clearly working itself loose). Now that the crank noise has been eliminated, I can still hear noise coming from my rear wheel. None of my spokes are loose and the wheel is true. Anybody else having noises coming from the a PT equipped wheel. My '79 free spirit from Sears was quieter! It functions fine, but the noise is always with me.

I have two SL 2.4 hubs but both don't make strange noises.

 

[kopride]

I have two SL 2.4 hubs but both don't make strange noises.

How many hours do you have on the hubs? The Saris website lists replacement freehub bodies at $60. I am assuming that it includes the bearings since I do not see where they are sold separately. For 60 bucks, I can't imagine that the bearings are super high quality so maybe 400-600 hours is the best we can expect from them. I just replaced my battery so I am assuming that I have over 400 hours on this wheel, probably closer to 600 hours. In any event, I am going to replace the bearings/hub body and see if it works.

 

[PaulMD]

How many hours do you have on the hubs? The Saris website lists replacement freehub bodies at $60. I am assuming that it includes the bearings since I do not see where they are sold separately. For 60 bucks, I can't imagine that the bearings are super high quality so maybe 400-600 hours is the best we can expect from them. I just replaced my battery so I am assuming that I have over 400 hours on this wheel, probably closer to 600 hours. In any event, I am going to replace the bearings/hub body and see if it works.

Both hubs have approx 2500-3000kms. So that's less than 100 hours.

 

[Felt_Rider]

If it is bearings and you have to replace here is another source, but I don't about price comparison. I have used Boca Bearings to replace on standard wheelsets using cartridge bearings and they were reasonable and helpful over the phone.

Link

 

[Steve_B]

How many hours do you have on the hubs? The Saris website lists replacement freehub bodies at $60. I am assuming that it includes the bearings since I do not see where they are sold separately. For 60 bucks, I can't imagine that the bearings are super high quality so maybe 400-600 hours is the best we can expect from them. I just replaced my battery so I am assuming that I have over 400 hours on this wheel, probably closer to 600 hours. In any event, I am going to replace the bearings/hub body and see if it works.

Well, they are not ceramic bearings so I wouldn't say that they are not tip-top highest quality however, they seem to be good enough (IMO) and an upgrade over the old Pro bearings. I doubt that I ever got 400 hours out of one of the bearings on my old Pro before the bearings started crunching and making noises. I've had my SL for over two years now and it's been fine, though I am fortunate to have two PT wheels to train on so I share the load among the two wheels.