While at Interbike, I had a chance to talk with Bill, the repair and service mechanic for Mavic. He was filled with really good information about why and how cyclists might be hearing squeaks coming from their wheels during long rides.
Many times,a cyclist hears the wheel making a noise, takes the bike to a shop, and the shop can't reproduce the sound. It is a frustrating situation for all. According to Bill, two of the main reasons that race wheels make noise have to do with dirt in the hub channels that hold straight-pull spokes and inadequate skewer clamping power. (Skewers are the components that hold the wheels in the frame dropouts. Read after the jump if you are new to diagnosing wheel noises.)
Metal doesn't like to perform quietly if it is covered in grit. For mountain bike riders who thrash their wheels in axel-high mud, Bill said he has removed spokes, cleaned the dirt and grease out of the spoke channels in the hub with alcohol, replaced the spokes, and the squeaking has stopped.
Once dirt has been eliminated as a squeak-causing agent, the next thing to check is skewer clamping power. Evidently, according to Bill, the combination of forks with smooth dropouts and road bike race skewers made from light-weight alloys can create a situation whereby the clamping power of the skewer is not high enough to hold the skewer tight enough against the smooth fork dropout. The noise usually shows up after riding enough miles to create heat between the fork dropouts and the skewer. You hear the squeak, and the bike shop can't make the sound re-occur because the mechanic doesn't ride your bike long enough to create the same friction and temperature scenario.
The fix? Before deciding that you wheels are Lucifer, substitute a decent quality steel skewer for your light-weight race skewer. The steel skewers tend to have a higher clamping power, according to Bill, and if friction and heat caused by a not-tight-enough skewer is the cause of the squeak, the noise should disappear.
Photo taken by Wheelgirl at Interbike Vegas 2007. I am just using this photo I took in the Mavic Interbike booth as a an illustration. I have no idea if this wheel squeaks. It is the Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate front hub on a $2999.90 dollar 1185 grams wheelset (520 gms front / 655 gms rear). The household mouse, who looks like s/he is driving, came from wikipedia.
Before you mess around with skewers, do the easy things:
- Eliminate the possibility of damage to tubes, tires, rims, and spokes creating the noise. Check out the obvious. Make sure that all visible things are as they should be. For example, make sure that if you have a retention nut around the valve stem of the tube, it isn't rattling.
- Make sure your hubs are not loose. A bike mechanic can check this for your easily.
- Check to see that whatever skewer you are using is properly positioned in the frame or fork dropouts and adjusted to the correct tension. Ask your local bike mechanic if you have any questions. When you close it, the rule of thumb is that the lever on the skewer leaves an impression of the manufacturers logo in the skin on your palm. Don't over or under-tighten skewers.
- Spin the wheel; squeeze the brake, and make sure that the pads, rim, tire are all positioned correctly. If they are not, have your local bike mechanic adjust it.
