My front wheel has developed a small tapping noise. It happens perfectly cyclically, on every rotation, and it's driving me mad.
Sounds exactly like something other than the pad is catching on the rotor, like when the caliper itself is making very slight contact. But I've adjusted it and this isn't it.
It's also not the pads themselves, as the noise remains unaffected when I'm braking. Nor can I see anything else making contact.
As it only happens when I'm on the bike, not at all when I just spin the wheel, I thought perhaps there's some shard of glass or something in my tyre. But I see nothing anywhere.
Nor can I see anything that will flex and only make contact when weighted. And the noise remains when I weave around, so the direction of weighting does't seem to matter.
I thought it could be a loose spoke nipple, but that should make a noise all the time, not just when I'm on the bike. And all the spokes feel tight anyway.
I've yet to take the tyre off to have a look inside, but I've no hypothesis as to how that will help...
Ideas please, to save what's left of my sanity (which was depleted long before this issue, I should say.)
I’d vote for valve tapping on the rim when under pressure. Tubs do it quite often, I normally just stick a bit of tape around it to stop it moving.
I had similar noise with a Conti tyre. Turned out to be an excess bit of rubber on the bead that came into contact with the tape when there was weight (me) on the wheel.
I have something very similar on my plus tyred tubeless hard tail.
Mine sounds the same - sort of a tinkle sound once per revolution - and only with me riding and above walking pace.
Had the tyres off, checked brakes and spokes and never found out what it is.
Most annoying.
Wheel is a Hope pro 4 hub with Arc 40 rim and 2.8" Nobby Nic.
Have you got an endurogaurd type thing and newish tyres? The moulding spurs on my trail king catch the guard ( it’s a bit bent out of shape from being put in the cat with the steerer turned ) if I don’t do up the axle rally tight.
Hub bearings?
Spoke flexing. Especially if they are laced traditionally. I had one clicking where 2 spokes crossed. Found that one by taking the wheel off. Lying it horizontally on the floor and flexing the wheel.
Rotor hitting the caliper adaptor mount?
I've had a similar noise that was the rim joint flexing every time it was at the bottom of the wheel.
Are your rims pinned or welded?
Mine sounds like a bit of grit Inthe tread. Doesn't happen if you spin the wheel or do a test ride up the street. Happens after 1/4 of a mile . Also makes the same noise in mud so it can't be the tyre.
DT hub with the caliper removed ,noise still there.
Loose lock ring on the valve?
Pad retaining spring catching the rotor?
Hmm, it could be spoke flex, or the rim flexing.
It's an Race Face Arc 24 (so similar to Twonks), welded though I think, so I guess it would have to be rim damage...
Could also be something in the bearings, but it's a very strange sound if so, and again weird no noise is there when just spinning it.
It's there even when my mudguards not on so that's not it. And I'm as sure as I can be that it's nothing to do with the brake caliper, though I need to do something else to completely rule this out.
Is it definitely the wheel? Sounds on the bike seem to migrate a bit. My recent 'front wheel' noise was the bottom bracket.
I had exactly that with a Raceface Turbine R front wheel. Don't know if they use the same rims, but a big old squirt of GT85 into the rim drain hole sorted it out. I think it was a known issue with their first batch and was due to a leftover bead of metal from manufacture.
I did initially get in touch with Silverfish, and they were willing to exchange it, albeit with a long turnaround time. The noise went away so I forgot about it.
Caliper/spoke interface is a candidate. I had this when using a 160mm disc on the front on one bike. Only happened under load (braking, in my case) because the spokes flexed. If you have one loose spoke it could be pushed outwards by the others that are in tension.
I also was riding with SaxonRider when his front wheel started doing it, but it got worse very quickly as the seal on the bearing disintegrated.
Otherwise the pad springs can do this. Sometimes they break and a bit sticks out that touches the edge of the disc in one high spot. But that usually happens when it's in the stand as well as on the trail.
It's probably the little bit of metal in the rim joint that has come loose.
Globalti +1
Go for a ride with the disc off, calliper off, whole brake off to rule out those parts.
On mine, it's more often than not a stone stuck between 2 side nobbles of a Highroller II that's hitting and wearing out the chain stay.
On friends bike after 3 days of "what is that click that's exactly once per wheel revolution?" I followed very closely whilst rolling on smooth road, and spotted that it was a loose brake disc bolt. Except when he got multitool out to tighten it up, it turned out to be 3 missing bolts, 1 tight(ish) bolt, and 2 that were ready to drop out at any moment!
It’s probably the little bit of metal in the rim joint that has come loose.
had this on a Stan's rim recently - pumped some silicon sealant into adjacent spoke holes to hold it in place.
Would a loose bit of metal in the rim not make a noise just spinning the wheel?
+1 bottom bracket
a loose bit of metal in the rim not make a noise just spinning the wheel
mine needed to be shaken quite a bit to make the noise happen - spinning held it in place.
Count yourself lucky, I've got a steering wheel stuck between my legs.
My money's on a spoke rubbing on another spoke, not a lot you can do other than try and get everything clean or wheelie. I'd check the rotor bolts as suggested above though. And maybe check the hub for cracks etc.
I had exactly that with a Raceface Turbine R front wheel. Don’t know if they use the same rims, but a big old squirt of GT85 into the rim drain hole sorted it out. I think it was a known issue with their first batch and was due to a leftover bead of metal from manufacture.
That makes sense to me (although I still would have thought this would make a noise when spinning the thing) or...
My money’s on a spoke rubbing on another spoke
I hope the hub's not cracked... It's a reasonably new Hope Pro 4, and has only done road/easy off-road gravelly stuff. I'll check though.
+1 Globalti
Mavic rims used to do this. No real issues just annoying when going slow.
Valve stem tapping in the valve hole when the tyre pressure drops a bit, had it on my Giant Advanced when I first got it-nearly drove me nuts. if it does it again, just pump the tyre up and re-tighten the valve lockring to see if it goes.
As it only happens when I’m on the bike, not at all when I just spin the wheel
Similar happened to me a long time ago. I kept jumping off the bike, couldn't replicate it, trying again, until I almost fell off while riding and trying to see what the ticking was.
It was my jacket, tied around my waist. A metal click-fast button was knocking against the rim as I pedalled.
Similar to IdleJon, I've also had an annoying noise that I traced back to a metal zip on my bag just tapping on itself as I pedalled along. It obviously stopped every time I got off the bike to find out what it was! 🙂
until I almost fell off while riding and trying to see what the ticking was.
I fear this will soon be my fate...
I've been driven demented by zips tapping on themselves, the lanyard from my front light tapping the top-tube, and worst of all the wee emergency whistle on my rucsac strap catching the wind and making a sound exactly like something stuck in my mudguard...
Outside edge of the disc hitting the caliper body, requiring your weight to compress everything very slightly? Should see some scratches to the inside of the caliper body if this is the case and maybe a shiny portion of the disc edge.
Would probably be more scrape or tinkle than tap though.
Is there a little orange warning sticker on your rotor? Could it be that?