Bought my first road bike, second hand and just built it out the box.

Very short ride up the street and the front wheel makes a grating click once every turn, seems the same place on the wheel and only under load, nothing if I de weight it, and nothing off the bike spinning it.

Any ideas?

deflecting sideways and skimming the brakes ?

(I assume the bearings run smoothly)

Is your headset properly tensioned ?

Would it not skim the brakes just spinning? Wheel looks very true.

Checked headset and feels ok, and bearings feel smooth mmmmmm

Oil / grease on the holes where spokes connect the hub sorted mine out.

Do a basic stress relieve of the spokes – grab pairs of spokes with your hands (easier with thick gloves on if you want) and squeeze them together. You might hear an odd ping or the same noise you’ve been hearing. A bit of grease might do the trick as above.

Also check that the inner tube valve lock but is done up tight (or removed completely!).

You could undo the QR on the brake and take a careful trip round the block to ensure that isn’t the issue – could be poorly tensioned wheel causing it to rub on brakes but the description of the noise doesn’t sound like it.