donhaller 

I bought a pair of Easton EC-70 SL Wheels. These are the hybrid type with carbon wheels and aluminium braking surfaces. They also have the R4 hubs. I purchased them used off of an online marketplace from the original owner for $350. I inspected them at time of purchase and they were in excellent visual condition. Spun true with no wobble, clunks etc. Very smooth and awesome looking wheelset. They also came with two different freehubs. One for 10sp and the other was for 11 I think. I was putting a Shimano 10speed cassette on the hubs.
A local bike shop installed the wheels and away I went.

Shortly into the first ride something wasn't right as I kept getting an iritating clunking noise whenever I got out of the saddle on grade or if applying load in higher gears. I took the bike back to the shop and they went through everything on the bike to make sure nothing else was causing the problems. They could not find anything. They even oiled the spoke nipples on the wheels. The noise goes away completely with different wheels on the bike. I want a nice set of Aero wheels without breaking the bank and now I'm back to riding with my Mavic Ksyrium Elites. They are a good set of wheels I've used for over ten years. But now have these other wheels that are $350 sitting in boxes.

Do you think a bearing replacement will cure the knock? or is this a bigger issue? Does anyone know if its worth sending them back to Easton to have them rebuilt? I was told they are about five or six years old.

delbiker1 

Do you know of any wheel builders in your area? Can you tell what area the "clunking" is coming from? That is a pretty general term and doesn't give much in the way of any clues as to what is going on. Post pictures here that show all the different areas/parts. Maybe someone on the forums can help you. Are you certain the correct locking ring was used for the cassette? You state the bike shop checked out everything on the bike. How far did they go in dismantling the wheels to check the hubs, cassette, axle, bearings, etc.?

woodcraft

Older of those hubs had side-play adjustment that would loosen in use.

Also check that it's not the valve stem rattling in it's hole, although this usually shows up at speed.

Quick releases tight?

Noises are amplified by carbon rims so the source can be smaller or elsewhere than you would think.

smashndash

Pick up the rear wheel of the bike and try wobbling it using the rim, not the tire. Pay close attention to the distance between the rim and brake pads. If there’s movement, there’s your culprit. Repeat with front wheel. Bearing replacement or adjustment will probably fix it.

Try wobbling the cassette relative to the hub as well. Do this while applying clockwise pressure to keep the freehub somewhat engaged. If there’s any movement, then that’s probably your culprit.

That’s all I have to contribute.

donhaller 

Thanks... I'm gonna take them back to the shop that did the first install and ask them to disassemble the cassette and hubs and replace anything that needs replacing and reassemble it all.

Again thanks