masi61

I will admit: I’m super OCD about having as near a silent bike as possible. I don’t like clicks, ticks, clunks, rubbing noises, sloshy sounds. I don’t want any of them.

Today was my quietest ride ride this year. I would say that today was the quietest yet but I still got some minor ticking sounds when standing to climb. I have had skewers that weren’t tight enough, chainrings that became loose, a Wipperman quick link installed upside down, creaking cleats, a seatpost that had enough play to make a cracking noise - you get the idea.

When things are quiet, I can climb out of the saddle with more confidence since I’m less distracted. Am I just unlucky or is your experience similar where you spend a lot of your early season miles endlessly road testing little fixes?

Narhay

I am a bit of a gorilla when it comes to tightening things so that isnt the issue. Perhaps tighten things more when you're assembling them. My issue is that I have some hammered aluminum fenders on the two bikes I have been riding so they like to clatter and clank.

I keep a running tally mentally about minor issues that I then address when it is back in the stand but there is usually something that crops up later. Continual improvement.

celesteguy 

I had 4 spoke nipples come completely loose on me on the front wheel about 2 weeks ago. On that same ride, I had a broken spoke in the rear. Obviously the front spokes didnt have the correct tension, but the whole thing bummed me out so much (turned a 70 mile fast ride into a 20 mile slow ride) that I've been on the trainer since then. It seems like my bikes constantly have some issue, and it gets frustrating when you just want to ride. Working on thinning the amount of bikes I have so I can stay on top of these issues easier (less bikes -less issues).

non-fixie 

Metal fenders all start to do that at some point in time, it seems, no matter how well they were mounted. Which explains my love for those plastic Bluemels. A bit fiddly to set up, but once they're quiet they stay quiet.

SurferRosa

I pedaled my way through a surprising and annoying squeak on a spring ride last year. I sorta pride myself on my wrenching reliability, so the smallest issue can be annoying. Wish I had simply checked the chainring bolts. One was loose. And I'm sure someone had a 5mm allen key with him...

canklecat

I took my hybrid out for a ride the other day after the rain stopped, mostly because the fat tires grip better on wet pavement. Hadn't ridden it for awhile and thought I heard the rear rack clattering, like there was a loose bolt.

Stopped to check but the rack was solid -- I'd used Loctite on the bolts a year or so ago.

Turned out to be a multi-tool clattering in the seat bag. I moved it under the tube. Problem solved. Good multi-tool but it never folds flat and came with a neoprene sleeve to hold it shut, which I never use.

Other than that, my Ironman road bike rides all spring have been trouble free. I check the tire inflation a couple of times a week, oil the chain once in awhile.

I have a couple of bike build projects waiting for months but all I want to do is ride while the spring weather is so nice. With the pandemic shutdowns, my favorite rural and suburban routes were mostly quiet for weeks, very little traffic to compete with. Well, until May 1, then it's back to the usual.