I have an annoying creak from the rear wheel. Need ideas.

[Areone]

I recently developed a creaking noise from my rear wheel that is quite annoying. There’s no functional loss. No brake rubbing (disc). The creaking is only there when I’m on the bike. If it’s sitting in a stand or upside down there’s no noise. In fact the noise is only there when pressure is applied and the wheel is in certain point of it’s rotation. It sounds very much like the spokes rubbing against each other. I had some grease that I applied between all the spokes where they contacted each other and I thought the noise had lessened however after today’s ride the noise is back again. Anyone have any ideas what kind of solution there is to an issue like this?

[GTXC4]

Is there any side to side play in the wheel or hub? I usually keep my rear skewer (feed thru) lightly greased as well. Not sure if this will help you. Hope you figure it out. Take care.

-GT

[schwim ✓ supporter]

When you pedal the bike, does the cadence of the creak match the rotation of the wheel or the rotation of the crank? (1 or 2 times per revolution of the wheel or crank)? You can put a piece of colored tape across a point on your tire to help determine whether it’s in time with the wheel. Does it happen you are both sitting down and standing up while you pedal?

The thing about creaks is they’re sneaky. They often sound like they’re coming from something other than the actual source. Not to say you’re wrong, just that we may need to expand our fix-it list to rule out the common offenders.

[Areone]

I don’t even have to be sitting or standing on it. If I press down on the bike seat while slowly moving the bike forward or backwards (no crank rotation when going backwards) I can find the exact spot of the creaking sound. It’s definitely the rotation of the tire at on specific point. Wondering if something like loose spokes can cause a creak but if that were the case, wouldn’t the tire not be true or round? It definitely quieted down after greasing where spokes came in contact with each other but the sound was still there then progressively got worse through the ride. Appreciate the help BTW. Hate noises that don’t belong.

[schwim ✓ supporter]

If it’s just one or two spokes that are loose, your wheel could stay true. Have you checked the tension on the spokes? Just slowly rotate the wheel while plucking the spokes like the strings of a guitar. If you find any that are of a different tension(sound different and move more) then you’ve likely found your culprit.

[Areone]

Cool. I’ll try that when I get home from work. Is there a rule of thumb to follow when tightening them or should I make them feel about the same while making sure wheel stays true?

[schwim ✓ supporter]

If you’re trying to straighten a wheel, there’s a pretty strict method to follow when tightening the spokes but if you’re bringing one or two loose spokes into line, you simply want to tighten them to similar tension.

If you find the wheel out of true, find the point that it’s farthest out and start about two spokes away in both directions and tension toward the center point in increasing increments. Use small adjustments as it’s very easy to overdo it and end up chasing a changing problem.

[Areone]

Thanks for the help, schwim. When I was lubing the spokes the other day I had noticed a couple felt looser than the rest which seemed odd to me but I didn’t want to do anything to do them at the time. Maybe they are the culprit.

[GTXC4]

It’s good to run your finger over spokes once in a while to check em out, Every now and then I need to tighten them up. Like schwim said, it’s one thing to tighten and another to true. Hopefully, you get it figured out. Post us back. It’s always good to hear what people figure/work out. Take care.

[Areone]

Well yesterday I went into the shed to work on the bike since it was pouring rain around here and I was greeted by a flat. I seriously just need to go tubeless. Found a few spokes that were definitely loose compared to the rest and tightened them up to match the rest (by feel). May buy myself one of those Park Tool TM-1s and either make or buy a truing stand. The wheel could definitely use some adjustment because it is not entirely true but not that out of whack. Today I hope to get back out on the trails to see if tightening those spokes resolved my issue.

[gar29]

Couple suggestions for you. I have this truing stand, it’s fairly cheap and folds up nicely. And you should pick up a set of these spoke wrenches. I personally have always preferred the Park wrenches.

[Areone]

Thanks. That stand looks like a good price. I saw one on Amazon (would have to find the link again) for like 50 bucks but I’d rather have one people have used and recommend. Maybe I’ll order the one you linked instead. I already have a bunch of different sets of spoke wrenches, including the Park ones. One things for certain, if I ever lose any, I’ll have plenty to spare. It’s one of those things where I misplace them, then just buy a new set cause they are relatively cheap, then find the old set.

[Areone]

Just wanted to post a thank you to everyone. After some suggestions I ended up tightening a few loose spokes and today I got the chance to go for a nice ride in the woods. Not one single creaking noise from that back tire so it was definitely the loose spokes. So there’s yet another thing for people to check out when they are trying to track down noises. Still need to true the wheel. There’s some slight deviation but it’s not bad at all. Certainly not noticeable when riding. Now to post up a new location and some GPS info for people. Thanks again.

[schwim ✓ supporter]

Awesome deal man! Go have a blast on the newly quiet hoop!

[Dustin Gaddis]

Keep an eye on that wheel, depending on how long the spokes were at too low of a tension, you’ve likely got some broken spokes in your future.

[Areone]

It was fine since I last posted here but the other day I started to get a slight creak again. The rim really needs to be put on a truing stand but even if the wheel takes a crap it’s warrantied so I’ll definitely be taking it back. It’s also only a little over a month old. I ride it pretty hard and I’m not a light guy so it’s taking abuse which is why I assume I’m having issues. That or there’s something wrong. Is it unheard of to use a light thread lock on spokes?

[Dustin Gaddis]

"Areone" wrote

I ride it pretty hard and I’m not a light guy so it’s taking abuse which is why I assume I’m having issues. That or there’s something wrong. Is it unheard of to use a light thread lock on spokes?

Not unheard of at all, Stan’s does it on all their wheels. It’s a bandaid fix for a bigger problem though. It won’t stop the spokes from going slack, but it will keep the nipples from backing off. So the wheel will stay true, BUT, it’s still going to break spokes. I’ve rebuild several sets of Stan’s wheels that had this issue, they stayed true for a year or so, but then started breaking spokes regularly. A full rebuild with new spokes is the only way to fix it.

[Areone]

Thanks for the insight. Like I said, the wheel in question is only about a month and a half old. It’s warrantied. If things start to break or get too crazy I’ll just take it back repeatedly till the warranty is up.

[Author]

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