Ticking sound from Cateye Astrale pickup?

[Dave Stallard]

My new bike recently developed a slight ticking noise, on
the front wheel, once per revolution. It's drowned out by
louder ambient noise (cars, etc.) but in quieter conditions
can be heard and is annoying. Thinking it had something to
do with the rim, I brought the bike in to the guy who had
built it up. We looked at it and determined that the tick is
actually coming from the Cateye Astrale front wheel pickup.
The passage of the magnet (or whatever it is on the spoke)
activates a switch in there, which makes the noise. Arggh.

Has anybody noticed this phenomenon?

Dave

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
Dave Stallard <[email protected]> wrote:

> My new bike recently developed a slight ticking noise, on
> the front wheel, once per revolution. It's drowned out by
> louder ambient noise (cars, etc.) but in quieter
> conditions can be heard and is annoying. Thinking it had
> something to do with the rim, I brought the bike in to the
> guy who had built it up. We looked at it and determined
> that the tick is actually coming from the Cateye Astrale
> front wheel pickup. The passage of the magnet (or whatever
> it is on the spoke) activates a switch in there, which
> makes the noise. Arggh.
>
> Has anybody noticed this phenomenon?

Yes. Both my Cateye pickups do that. Not being either very
smart or having a background in engineering, I have thus far
assumed that the Cateye pickup uses a sprung reed switch
which you can hear closing when the magnet passes. That
closure presumably closes a circuit, which sends a pulse to
the computer.

I usually only notice that noise when I'm spinning the front
wheel while off the bike. Try not to let it drive you
completely crazy .

I get a louder noise when the sensor is misadjusted and hits
the magnet,
--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected]
http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine/wiredcola/ President, Fabrizio
Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

[David Damerell]

Dave Stallard <[email protected]> wrote:
>the guy who had built it up. We looked at it and determined
>that the tick is actually coming from the Cateye Astrale
>front wheel pickup. The passage of the magnet (or whatever
>it is on the spoke) activates a switch in there, which
>makes the noise. Arggh.

Er, the reed switch will always make a faint click. If it
bothers you, try moving the switch as far down the fork as
practical, unless you have a hub dynamo.
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> flcl?

 

[Mike Beauchamp]

Hmm.. I don't have a cateye astrale, but I've had cateye
computers and other computers and never noticed a clicking
sound. I always thought that the sensor was actually just a
coil of wire, and the magnet going through it produced a
small amount of voltage which the computer sensed. But if
there's a clicking noise, maybe they are using a reed switch
or whatever to complete the circuit. But even so, I'd never
be able to hear one of those click over while cycling. Odd..

--
Mike Beauchamp http://www.therevox.com - custom electro-
theremins and stuff. http://www.mikebeauchamp.com - mike's
personal site.

"Dave Stallard" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:2hels8FbvlcvU1@uni-
berlin.de...
> My new bike recently developed a slight ticking noise, on
> the front wheel, once per revolution. It's drowned out by
> louder ambient noise (cars, etc.) but in quieter
> conditions can be heard and is annoying. Thinking it had
> something to do with the rim, I brought the bike in to the
> guy who had built it up. We looked at it and determined
> that the tick is actually coming from the Cateye Astrale
> front wheel pickup. The passage of the magnet (or whatever
> it is on the spoke) activates a switch in there, which
> makes the noise. Arggh.
>
> Has anybody noticed this phenomenon?
>
> Dave

 

[Psycholist]

"Dave Stallard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> My new bike recently developed a slight ticking noise, on
> the front wheel, once per revolution. It's drowned out by
> louder ambient noise (cars, etc.) but in quieter
> conditions can be heard and is annoying. Thinking it had
> something to do with the rim, I brought the bike in to the
> guy who had built it up. We looked at it and determined
> that the tick is actually coming from the Cateye Astrale
> front wheel pickup. The passage of the magnet (or whatever
> it is on the spoke) activates a switch in there, which
> makes the noise. Arggh.
>
> Has anybody noticed this phenomenon?
>
> Dave

The Astrale is designed to have the pickup mounted on the
REAR wheel. The other pickup is for cadence and is supposed
to be mounted near the crank. If you have it mounted
properly and you can still hear that clicking over even mild
wind noise, then you must be AWFULLY slow. And if you're
obsessing about that kind of a little tick, you'll probably
go to pieces when you have a real problem.

Bob C.

 

[Tooly]

"Dave Stallard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> My new bike recently developed a slight ticking noise, on
> the front wheel, once per revolution. It's drowned out by
> louder ambient noise (cars, etc.) but in quieter
> conditions can be heard and is annoying. Thinking it had
> something to do with the rim, I brought the bike in to the
> guy who had built it up. We looked at it and determined
> that the tick is actually coming from the Cateye Astrale
> front wheel pickup. The passage of the magnet (or whatever
> it is on the spoke) activates a switch in there, which
> makes the noise. Arggh.
>
> Has anybody noticed this phenomenon?
>
> Dave

yea, I've heard that too. Concluded that there was slight
aerofoil action on my flat spokes and so adjusted the pickup
out a little more from spoke. No more click.

 

[Dave Stallard]

Ryan Cousineau wrote:

> Yes. Both my Cateye pickups do that. Not being either very
> smart or having a background in engineering, I have thus
> far assumed that the Cateye pickup uses a sprung reed
> switch which you can hear closing when the magnet passes.
> That closure presumably closes a circuit, which sends a
> pulse to the computer.

Thanks for the confirmation. FWIW, it didn't start right
away. It only started after a few hundred miles. The Cateye
on my old bike didn't have it at all.

> I usually only notice that noise when I'm spinning the
> front wheel while off the bike. Try not to let it drive
> you completely crazy .

I'll try. Given that I now know it's not something
mechanically wrong or subpar on the bike itself, I may be
more able to convince myself that it doesn't bother me.

Dave

 

[Jeff Starr]

"psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

>
> The Astrale is designed to have the pickup mounted on the
> REAR wheel. The other pickup is for cadence and is
> supposed to be mounted near the crank. If you have it
> mounted properly and you can still hear that clicking over
> even mild wind noise, then you must be AWFULLY slow. And
> if you're obsessing about that kind of a little tick,
> you'll probably go to pieces when you have a real problem.
>
> Bob C.

Hi, the Cateye Astrale 8, which is the current model and
most likely is the one that would be installed on a new
bike, is designed to have the speed pickup mounted on the
FRONT wheel. I just took a look at the instruction manual,
to verify this. For all we know, the OP could be WONDERFULLY
fast, he didn't say that he heard it all the time. I have
had mine on the bike for close to 2000 miles and have never
heard it. For the OP, if it really bothers you, contact
Cateye, maybe they can send you out a new harness. Or talk
to your LBS, if you just bought a new bike, maybe they will
exchange the harness.

Life is Good! Jeff

 

[Psycholist]

"Jeff Starr" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
>
> >
> > The Astrale is designed to have the pickup mounted on
> > the REAR wheel.
The
> > other pickup is for cadence and is supposed to be
> > mounted near the
crank.
> > If you have it mounted properly and you can still hear
> > that clicking
over
> > even mild wind noise, then you must be AWFULLY slow. And
> > if you're obsessing about that kind of a little tick,
> > you'll probably go to pieces when you have a real
> > problem.
> >
> > Bob C.
>
> Hi, the Cateye Astrale 8, which is the current model and
> most likely is the one that would be installed on a new
> bike, is designed to have the speed pickup mounted on the
> FRONT wheel. I just took a look at the instruction manual,
> to verify this. For all we know, the OP could be
> WONDERFULLY fast, he didn't say that he heard it all the
> time. I have had mine on the bike for close to 2000 miles
> and have never heard it. For the OP, if it really bothers
> you, contact Cateye, maybe they can send you out a new
> harness. Or talk to your LBS, if you just bought a new
> bike, maybe they will exchange the harness.
>
> Life is Good! Jeff

Really? They made it a front pickup? I always bought the
Astrale because it was a rear pickup and you could use it on
the trainer and keep track of your speed/avg./etc. I've got
about 3 old ones on various bikes and I just keep swapping
out for the one that has the right wheel measurement in it
or has the best batteries.

My apologies.

I still can't see being bothered by that little ticking
noise, though.

I've gotta go straighten a crooked picture.

Bob C.

 

[John Everett]

On Mon, 24 May 2004 13:04:09 -0400, "psycholist" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>The Astrale is designed to have the pickup mounted on the
>REAR wheel. The other pickup is for cadence and is supposed
>to be mounted near the crank. If you have it mounted
>properly and you can still hear that clicking over even
>mild wind noise, then you must be AWFULLY slow.

Or awfully fast. Have you ever noticed how quiet it gets
when riding with a 20 MPH plus tailwind.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net
http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3