DrRobert

I'm having what I think is spoke noise from rear wheel: creaking/clicking, more prominent when pedalling, varies if I tilt the bike one side or another. My bike mechanic agrees. He has detensioned and retensioned the wheel once, and gone back over it twice. The last time he did it the noise was actually worse. I have a lot of confidence in him, but I'm thinking of getting a "second opinion".

Feeling the spokes and comparing to other bikes I have, they don't feel loose.

I've put a different wheel on the bike to try, but assuming it is the wheel, I'm wondering about replacing the spokes and nipples.

What do you guys think? Can spokes loose their tensile strength? My mechanic says he's never heard of it.

Anything else I can try?

ThermionicScott 

Sometimes it's caused by rusty eyelets. The spokes can move a little with each wheel rotation. If adding a drop of oil at each nipple quiets the noise, you'll know it's that. Spokes can also make noise where they cross.

Another possibility is worn or dirty wheel bearings. You'll get pinging sounds, too, if that's the case.

One thing it's not is the spokes wearing out and losing strength.

jadocs

I've heard of people putting a tiny bit of lube at the point where two spokes cross. Worth a shot if you have exhausted your options.

Bill Kapaun

A "competent" mechanic might miss once, but 3 times?
Try the suggestions and if that doesn't work, a 2nd opinion may be in order.

davidad

The spokes don't lose strength with time and use. Grab parallel spokes and squeeze them and see if you can reproduce the sound. If you know someone with a tension meter have it checked for proper tension.
The nipples are either plated brass or aluminum and can't rust.

AnkleWork

Thinking and opinions aside, if you want the solution then find the problem, confirm the problem, characterize the problem, re-confirm the problem, and the solution will be easy. Trial and error usually finds more errors and may or may not find the solution.

gearbasher

I had a loose eyelet that caused a creaking sound. I found it by taking the tire off , standing the rim upright on a carpet and pressing down on it with all my weight. Slowly rotating it and repeating until I heard the creak. Then it was either at the top or bottom spoke.

Also, black spokes tend to creak at the cross.

CliffordK

It isn't uncommon for a little clicking after truing a wheel, and to have it go away after a month or so of riding.

It is either the spokes bedding in, or perhaps spokes being wound up and relaxing slightly.

I think pre-stressing the wheel by squeezing spokes hard helps some. Also unwinding spokes after truing. For bladed spokes, unwinding is easy. For round spokes, some people mark the spokes before tensioning.

=========

Also check the rim near every nipple for cracking.

tomtomtom123

Do you have cartridge bearings? On my front wheel, the bearings were slipping side to side in the hub bore hole. And makes a lot of creaking sounds. It took me a long time to figure out where the sound was coming from, because at the same time, a loose spoke was creaking, and a deformed headset was also creaking. After tightening the spokes and replacing the headset, I narrowed the remaining sounds to the front hub. I replaced the wheel since the hub is not salvageable.

delbiker1 

I had that happen on a used bike I bought. I heard the noise when I test rode the bike and thought the front brake pads were slightly rubbing the rim. That was not the case. I found the spokes by the same method gearbasher used, just not as much pressure. I dismounted and re-mounted the tube and tire and the noise was gone. Two days later, it was back. I put the wheel on a truing stand and retensioned the spokes and trued the wheel. No noise since.

curbtender

I had a bad pawl on a mavic wheel that made a pinging sound like spokes popping, more pronounced when climbing.

Darth Lefty 

Check the reflector.


DAMHIK

Andrew R Stewart 

Spokes can get a notch at their cross contacts. This is why jadocs made the suggestion of lubing the contact points. I have done this more then a few times to show customers where the noise is coming from. Another way to test this is to cut small bits of a hard sheet (credit card stock works really well) and slip then between the contacting spokes. In a few cases I have rebuilt wheels with fresh spokes (after confirming the rim's value/condition to go through this effort) when the old spokes are notched. Almost always it's the rear wheel. Andy

DrRobert

I solved it!!!

I put a different wheel on - creaking still there.

Let me recap: its a creaking, more prevalent when pedalling. But this morning I noticed there was still a creaking even when coasting, which led me to think about frame (its a steel bike with a few rust issues around bottom bracket) and the seat post.

So I stood up and pedaled, noise went away. I stopped and moved the seat forward - no noise the rest of the ride.

trailangel

Spokes should be innocent until proven guilty. You made your mechanic do all that?

Unca_Sam

So it was your saddle rails or seat clamp? I understand the noise while pedaling but not while coasting, unless you were coasting over rougher pavement.

Unca_Sam

Yes, made him. Forced him to for a few scraps of green paper.

Andrew R Stewart 

I wonder if the mechanic suggested other sources then a wheel one. (Saying this knowing I didn't). Andy

curbtender

Spoke too soon? Ha, glad you found it...

DrRobert

I haven't got that far yet. Thinking about the type of post, it just about has to be the clamps. Moving the seat forward took some of the torque off I guess. I did notice that when I retightened the clamps bottomed out.

canklecat

^^This^^

Had that problem with my only wheelset with black spokes. I chased down everything else on the bike, including overhauling the hubs and bottom bracket, trying two different cassettes, pretty much everything I could think of... and the creaking kept returning.

I finally replaced the wheel with one from another bike, with plain spokes (stainless steel or aluminum, I don't recall now). No more creaking. That narrowed it down to the wheel.

If your wheel has black spokes, try wax between the spoke crossings. I use scented candle wax because it's softer and easier to squidge between the spoke crossings using my fingers. Works well but needs to be redone every month or so. That "fixed" the creaking noise, temporarily.