Clunking noise is driving me mad

Rita1 · 29-05-2012 10:18PM #1

Hi all,

I have a clunking noise coming from the front of my bike :mad:

It only happens when I'm out of the saddle when climbing.

I have tightened the bearing on my 4 months old Mavic ksyrium elite wheels

Also checked for loose spokes and botton bracket

I have changed the 2 bearings in the heatset as well

Did anyone have this problem or know what the hell is happening, its driving me mad.

The bike is a Full Carbon Ridley Noah with alu bars(cheap bars)

This is a pic of the bike
picture.php?albumid=1998&pictureid=11860

picture.php?albumid=1998&pictureid=11860

Thanks for reading this.

Shane

seamus · 29-05-2012 11:03PM

"clunking" - wild guess, the magnet for your speedometer is knocking off the sensor as your wheel flexes. Or your rim is hitting off your brakes.

Is it a regular clunk-clunk-clunk or just a random rattling? And is it an actual clunk or more of a clicking or ticking?

route66 · 29-05-2012 11:14PM

Have a look here: www.jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html

I can add a new source to the list above. Out for a cycle tonight and heard this terrible noise coming from the front/middle of the bike. Was it the headset bearing crushed? The bottom bracket? The front wheel?
Naw. I'd filled the bottle with ice and water. The noise was the ice rattling over the bumps. Doh!

Rita1 · 29-05-2012 11:18PM

Hi there,

It is a clunk and my speed sensor is on the back wheel, but a good thought

I don't think its the rim is hitting off your brakes.

LOL about the ice, I will have a look at your link.

Cheers folks

nilhg · 29-05-2012 11:21PM

Another link for ya, though it's about clicking rather than cluncking...

http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/2012/05/22/me-bike-is-clickin/

Mycroft H · 29-05-2012 11:23PM

Rita1 wrote: »

Hi all,

I have a clunking noise coming from the front of my bike :mad:

It only happens when I'm out of the saddle when climbing.

I have tightened the bearing on my 4 months old Mavic ksyrium elite wheels

Also checked for loose spokes and botton bracket

I have changed the 2 bearings in the heatset as well

Did anyone have this problem or know what the hell is happening, its driving me mad.

The bike is a Full Carbon Ridley Noah with alu bars(cheap bars)

This is a pic of the bike

Thanks for reading this.

Shane

Read this and come back to us

http://sheldonbrown.com/creaks.html

el Bastardo · 29-05-2012 11:24PM

For me, it was a slightly loose headset/stem interface that clunked; vertically rather than radially or horizontally. There's really not much else on the front of a road bike that can clunk.

mp31 · 29-05-2012 11:28PM

Is the frequency of the clunk related to the pedalling frequency or to the speed of the bike?

Rita1 · 29-05-2012 11:36PM

It happens when i'm out of the saddle throwing the bike from side to side, It's not on the pedal stroke, its when the bike goes left then right but depends on hard I push on the handlebars.....I will check the headset and stem tomorrow.

Cheers for the comments

mp31 · 29-05-2012 11:39PM

Do you have internal cable routing ... if so could it be the cables knocking against the inside of the tubes.

AIR-AUSSIE · 29-05-2012 11:43PM

I would guess something to do with the front fork.

Perhaps your bearings or spacers are lose. I had lose spacers before and took my fork apart and stuck it back together to fix it. It didn't make noise though.

Rita1 · 29-05-2012 11:47PM

I had the bearings replace because of the noise, but its still there and all in tight.

The bike does have internal cable routing but its a loud clunking noise which i think the cable couldn't make...but maybe i'm wrong.

dermur · 29-05-2012 11:51PM

Some things to check...

magnet on the wheel for speedo (I had this happen to me)
front cables knocking each other?
any front spokes crossing over each other - might need some oil?
valve loose & knocking against rim (I had this happen to me)
bottle cage bolts

Rita1 · 29-05-2012 11:56PM

Some things to check...

magnet on the wheel for speedo (I had this happen to me)
front cables knocking each other?
any front spokes crossing over each other - might need some oil?
valve loose & knocking against rim (I had this happen to me)
bottle cage bolts

Hi Dermur,

I have checked all of these, I have bought new handlebar a few days ago because I thought it may be them....:rolleyes:

Also the next thing I have to do is take out the front quick release, pull off both axle caps and grease the inside surfaces....

I hope one of these sort it.

mp31 · 30-05-2012 12:03AM

Try wiggling the bike side to side whilst stationary - with similar force when riding.
Also, what happens when you are out of the saddle but not throwing the bike from side to side?

ryan0380 · 30-05-2012 12:06AM

Cones on the front wheel loose maybe??? I have a noise from front of bike on rougher roads and was convinced it was the headset or spacers that were loose but cones had come loose and was causing a knocking type noise.

Rita1 · 30-05-2012 12:07AM

Try wiggling the bike side to side whilst stationary - with similar force when riding.
Also, what happens when you are out of the saddle but not throwing the bike from side to side?

Two very good comments,

There is no sound when I'm off the bike and wriggling the bike side to side.

And also no sound when out of the saddle not throwing the bike from side to side.

But don't have to throw the bike very far to get the sound.

Cheers

Rita1 · 30-05-2012 12:09AM

Cones on the front wheel loose maybe???

Maybe a stupid question but what is the cones???

smacl · 30-05-2012 07:18AM

Just an idea, but put the bike on a turbo and see if you can still generate the noise. If you can, get someone else to listen for where its coming from while you're cycling.

dermur · 30-05-2012 10:27AM

For the sake of your sanity maybe you have a local bike shop where you can let them take a look?

Mycroft H · 30-05-2012 10:54AM

Rita1 wrote: »

Cones on the front wheel loose maybe???

Maybe a stupid question but what is the cones???

The cones are the bearing race that apply adjustable pressure on the innear bearing surface of the wheel hub. Too little pressure and the wheel will have an obvious lateral play which can be tested by rocking the wheel left and right.

gaffmaster · 30-05-2012 11:13AM

I had a clunking noise like this last year. I had the headset tightened on too much.

Have you lubed your spacers?

Taken from Nilhg's link:
“My bicycle is an 2007 Raleigh Competition, which is equipped with an Easton EA70 carbon fork. The bike came with a stack of 5 5mm headset spacers beneath the stem. I replaced them with a single 25mm spacer from Chris King. My creaking noise came when I would get out of the saddle on steep climbs. I went through many potential causes and fixes with no change. Then one evening the old light bulb went off. Surely, I thought, there must be some amount of deflection in the fork steerer tube when I stand and climb a steep grade. Could this deflection be causing the noise? Solution: I removed the stem and spacers and lightly lubed the steerer, and each contact surface as I reassembled. I also snugged the assembly down a bit more than I had in the past, being careful not to preload the bearings too much. And YES, the noise has gone away!”

Rita1 · 30-05-2012 11:26AM

The cones are the bearing race that apply adjustable pressure on the innear bearing surface of the wheel hub. Too little pressure and the wheel will have an obvious lateral play which can be tested by rocking the wheel left and right.

Thanks for that BX 19....great to get the knowledge

I had a clunking noise like this last year. I had the headset tightened on too much.

Have you lubed your spacers?

Taken from Nilhg's link:
“My bicycle is an 2007 Raleigh Competition, which is equipped with an Easton EA70 carbon fork. The bike came with a stack of 5 5mm headset spacers beneath the stem. I replaced them with a single 25mm spacer from Chris King. My creaking noise came when I would get out of the saddle on steep climbs. I went through many potential causes and fixes with no change. Then one evening the old light bulb went off. Surely, I thought, there must be some amount of deflection in the fork steerer tube when I stand and climb a steep grade. Could this deflection be causing the noise? Solution: I removed the stem and spacers and lightly lubed the steerer, and each contact surface as I reassembled. I also snugged the assembly down a bit more than I had in the past, being careful not to preload the bearings too much. And YES, the noise has gone away!”

This could solve my problem....it sound like it make sense....going to my LBS to purchase some lube.

Cheers

kincsem · 30-05-2012 11:27AM

I had a rattling noise from the front of my bike a couple of years ago. I thought it was the front wheel. It was often quiet, then it would start to rattle. I noticed it was bad when I was going down the hill into Enniskerry from Kiltiernan.

I brought it into Joe Dalys in Dundrum. As I was walking across the shop wheeling the bike I had my hand on the stem and felt the cap loose. Doh. It was a loose headset. I thought the sound was coming from around the front wheel axle. The rough downhill made it rattle, the smooth flat road kept it quiet.

Try to isolate it. Remove the wheel and move the handlebars a bit.

Boardnashea · 30-05-2012 11:40AM

kincsem wrote: »

Try to isolate it. Remove the wheel and move the handlebars a bit.

...while on a steep climb

mp31 · 30-05-2012 12:09PM

dermur wrote: »

For the sake of your sanity maybe you have a local bike shop where you can let them take a look?

Ah but where's the fun in that. Right now the cycling user group intelligence is at work solving yet another problem.. how cool is that

At this stage I want to have a go myself and try and find the cause of this clunk.

Rita1 · 30-05-2012 12:33PM

cycling user group intelligence is at work solving yet another problem.. how cool is that

This very true, all the advise I got is great.....the house is going to full of grease this afternoon:)

At this stage I want to have a go myself and try and find the cause of this clunk.

Go for it, you could be the winner. I hope !!!!

talkabout · 30-05-2012 12:55PM

Shane

I had a similar noise and it turned out to be the magnet on the wheel for the speedo. Nice bike btw

Rita1 · 30-05-2012 01:00PM

I had a similar noise and it turned out to be the magnet on the wheel for the speedo

Yea someone had the same problem, but I have the speedo on the back wheel. lol

A Ballybofey man like myself...well Stranorlar

buffalo · 30-05-2012 01:06PM

nilhg wrote: »

Another link for ya, though it's about clicking rather than cluncking...

http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/2012/05/22/me-bike-is-clickin/

Read this last week, great post - useful and well written.

com1 · 30-05-2012 01:30PM

Maybe have a look at your cleats and pedals... could be something going astray there. Your steerer tube isnt cracked by any chance?

Clunking noise is driving me mad

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