pewi19

Hi,


I have a 2021 Specialized Diverge Elite E5 with Axis Elite Disc wheels that make some sort of clicking noise only when ridden under load. Almost as if there was a nail or rock stuck somewhere in the tyre. It appears after about 1-2 minutes of riding. I am not sure if it is coming from the front or rear wheel.


The noise seems to occur on the same position each rotation of the wheel. Meaning the frequency of the noise increases the faster the wheel rotates and vice versa. It happens both when pedaling and coasting. The noise is distinct from the ticking of the freehub when coasting.


I cannot seem to replicate the noise when the bike is mounted on a stand and just spinning the wheels by hand. Neither does putting my body weight down on it while rolling it on the ground. Only when I'm sitting on the saddle and riding it.


Here's what I've tried to do to fix it so far:

• Replaced the tyres
  
• Replaced the tubes
  
• Secured the valve stems against the rim of the wheel and padded them with electrical tape
  
• Checked for loose spokes, each spoke seems to have a reasonable tension
  
• Checked if the wheels are true and they seem true enough to me
  
• Checked the wheel rims themselves for defects/cracks, but they seem intact
  
• Checked the tyres for stuck debris, did not find anything
  
• Removed rear rack
  
• Checked clearance between tyres and fenders, seems to be enough clearance
  
• Removed fork mounted speedometer sensor + magnet on wheel
  
• Checked for rubbing on disc brakes
  
• Cleaned the entire drive train (Chainrings, cassette, chain, crank axle, pedals)
  
• Cleaned through-axle skewers and areas of attachment
  
• Checked if any piece of clothing worn during the ride were getting caught up in the wheels
  

What I thought was most likely was that one of the valve stems were being pushed up/jostled around as the tyre and tube would be compressed when they were closest to the ground. Then as the wheel rotates up again the pressure would let up and put the valve back into its original position slamming the valve nut into the rim. But as I have padded the valve with some tape the noise should have been muffled but didn't seem to make a difference.


Is there anything I missed or should check again?

soyabean

Video with good audio needed.

This is as silly as trying to troubleshoot automotive noises in a bb forum.

I know if I see the bike in-person, I would know exactly what it is.

You'll need to put some effort if you want long distance help from those that will not be coming to you to fix your bike.

Crankycrank

Make sure the thru axles are tight and also the dropout screws if there are any.

Andrew R Stewart 

First thing I think of is spokes rubbing against each other at a crossing. Andy

pewi19

Yep, they seem to be tight to me.

Moe Zhoost

Have you tried lightly applying your brakes to see if that affects the click. It's a wild guess that it may be brake related, but you've covered everything else.

pewi19

I'm going to try lubricating the crossing points of all spokes. What kind of lubricant should I use for this? Will any kind of chain oil work?

Applying the brakes does not seem to make a difference.

Andrew R Stewart 

Spoke crossings that contact can be lubed with about any flowing lube (note that wax isn't). The initial goal in lubing the crossings is to eliminate or conform that they are the source. If they are the source the noise will change a lot or disappear. But with the tiny contact area, the spokes moving a bit with each pedal stroke and the open exposure the contact points have any lube will be a temporary thing at best.

The long term fix, assuming the spokes are "properly" tensioned, is to replace the spokes. Or to place a piece of some thin but strong something between the spokes at their crossings. I have a good friend who has a front wheel that does this and he used an old credit card cut into 1/2" squares. The wheel reminds me of the playing cards that single speeders/messengers place in their spokes as proof of their attending a alley cat event. Andy

Iride01 

I gave up chasing little clicks and things a long time ago. I just wait till they show me exactly what the issue is. They've never cost any more to fix when ever they do show themselves. Most are benign.

Chain rings very often don't run perfectly true. Maybe it's just the chain briefly hitting the front DR cage or even hitting a pin in the large ring when you are in the small front.

JohnMorgan

You could try swapping out the wheel, and see if it solves the problem. If not, you have at least eliminated the wheel?

pewi19

I don't think it's the drivetrain that's making the noise as it also happens when coasting and not pedaling.

I don't have access to another wheel that's compatible with the bike unfortunately.

Thanks for the suggestions. I believe the noise must be coming from one of the wheels. Either a spoke/spoke nipple is loose and deforms when riding or a valve stem or nut is banging on the rim.

What I'm going to try next is tightening every spoke on both wheels by a quarter turn or so and putting an o-ring or some better padding around the valve stems. See if that fixes it. If not there's probably a defect somewhere and I'll bring it to my LBS.

rekmeyata

While the spokes may feel tight by hand, you should have the tension checked at a bike shop to make sure, tell them how much of a load you are carrying, that will help them decide as to how much tension there should be.

The other thing which you didn't mention, which I assume you're not using since most people don't, is if by some slim chance you leave the valve stem nuts on? if so, remove them and try riding again.

MidTNBrad

Pull the freehub off and check to see if the pawls are in good working order. There may be some excessive wear on one or more of the pawls putting strange forces in the cassette/hub. My guess is that's why it only happens when there's a lot of torque when you're standing.

The sound you are describing is something that happened to me not too long ago. Look here for a thread I started. In the last picture I posted (scroll all the way down in the thread) you can see that one of the pawls got rounded over. I think it wasn't engaging, causing uneven stress. I too had a click/grinding noise mostly during hard efforts. You can also see the damage to the freehub body that it caused.

Good luck!

pewi19

I usually leave them on, but I took them off this morning and it didn't help.

It could be something in the hub itself, but the bike is pretty new and I haven't ridden it a ton, so it doesn't seem likely that it's causing the problem. I tried backpedaling at different speeds to see if the rhythm changed, but it did not.

I tightened all of the spokes a quarter turn as well, but it didn't make a difference.

Actually, now that I've listened to the noise some more it sounds less like a click and more like a sticky sound? First an audible smack, like swatting a fly, and then a short tearing sound, like ripping up velcro.

I'll maybe try to get some footage of it sometime, but it's pretty dangerous to ride and hold a phone to film at the same time.

tajimirich

Some blind thoughts:
The screw on your pista valve might be loose...
A reflector woven among your spokes might be loose
A part of your tyre edging might be damaged
​​​​​​A loose sticker on the rim of your wheel might be brushing against somethingDeformation of the frame under load might be causing your brakes or maybe part of your frame to rub on something
a metal wire from your derallieur might be rubbing against something
Sorry if I've mentioned things you've covered already, in ignorance

pewi19

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have actually identified the source of the noise now! It's coming from the joint seams of the rims of the wheels. They do not seem to be cracked, loose or coming apart or anything but when I flex the tyre around the area of the seam I get an audible ping as if the tyre bead is being seated against the rim. I can see a visible metallic edge where the two ends meet. It seems like the edges of the seams are moving against each other in some way. The noise can be heard on both wheels. More so on the rear wheel.

I'm going to take it to my LBS and see what they have to say because I'm guessing I can't fix this myself? Is the bike even safe to ride anymore?

What could have caused this? Defective rims from the factory? Overloaded bike? It is usually loaded with about 230 lbs/105kg on it during an average ride.

rekmeyata

Geez, that's strange in today's world. Evidently the bonding of the sleeve has failed, is my guess, the bike is new so it should be covered under warranty. I did find this video on this subject:
The video mentions using superglue, that will only work for a period of time, superglue is not idea for this because it gets brittle. Permabond ES562 single-part epoxy adhesives should be more effective. Superglue changed their strength over the years to make it weaker because people were gluing body parts together. But get an expert on this before taking my word for it, but I "think" if you wanted to do it yourself using that video I think that glue I mentioned would work better.

quai20

Hi !
I have the same problem, also with an Axis wheel. Before I start to take the wheel apart, did you manage to find the origin of the click ?

choddo

Yes he posted above that he did

Andrew R Stewart 

I'll jump on a two year old thread... Mavic rims, as example, are well known for sometimes suffering the rim seam plug coming slightly loose inside the rim's box section. I've built up annd/or ridden dozens of Mavic rims and, maybe, a half dozen has produced clicks in time. The 719 rear rim on my touring bike clicks at about walking speed but stops when going more than about 3 or 4 mph or so.

I've heard of people trying to seep into the rim various glues, linseed oil and such and others who just mechanically secured the plug with a sheet metal screw. Unless the rim seam is coming apart (hard to due as the rim is under a large compressive force from the spokes) I would just turn up your radio. Andy

pewi19

Yes, they click when the joint of the rim is under load. The joint has probably come slightly loose/become misaligned at some point and the two ends rub together to create a clicky sound. I never managed to fix it and just left it like that. Doesn't seem to have damaged the rims or anything. It's just kind of annoying.

Amt0571

I don't know the specifics of your hub, but I had a Mavic Ksyrium wheel that I had to disassemble periodically to remove a clicking noise. They had a bearing preload spring held by a circlip on the NDS, and it seems it allowed for an imperceptible movement when riding that caused the clicking. Each time it happened, I greased everyting , reassembled the hub and it went away for a year or so.

Also, if it's a thru axle hub, check the hub endcaps: remove them and reinstall them properly greased. They tend to allow for some slight movement and that can cause creaking.