keithdunlop

I have a front Mavic Open Pro rim on my Bottecchia that has a very specific rattle that sounds like I lost a nipple in it when I built it (which I don't remember). It's in a very specific spot in the wheel and rattles when you shake it. So, I took the tire and rim tape off with the thought that I would take out a spoke near the rattle and maneuver out whatever was in there. But, when I put the now bare rim on a wheel stand the rattle disappeared. Shook the rim - no rattle. Put the rim tape, tire and tube back on, pumped it up, and the rattle is back.

What's causing this?

Lombard

A loose eyelet is the only thing I can think of.

grumpus

I've known tubes to have debris in them that could cause this. Inflate the tube off the wheel and turn and shake it.

RGMN

I've seen this on sleeved and pinned rims, but I believe Open Pros are welded. Are all the spokes still tight when the tire and tube are installed and inflated?

keithdunlop

What I've learned after some research is that this is a common issue with Open Pro rims. Apparently, there is a little piece used to align the rims when welded that is held in place with couple of dimples punched into the rim bed (see image). This little piece breaks loose and rattles around between the islets. People fix this by either punching deeper notches in the rim or drilling a small hole and injecting glue or epoxy.


Mavic Open Pro rim at the seem.

grumpus

I wouldn't expect the joining sleeve to come loose - it should be a snug fit in the rim cavity before they punch it, and thoroughly wedged in place afterwards. That is after all the only thing aligning some rim models that aren't welded at the join. But as you wrote, if that is the problem then drilling a small hole and injecting Gorilla glue or similar should stop it rattling.

superdex

loose valve nut?

keithdunlop

For those who may have this same issue with Mavic rims, I have solved the rattle -- drilled a small hole in the rim, prepared some epoxy (super glue is too brittle when dry), and used a 1ml syringe to inject the epoxy into the hole. Problem solved.

BlazingPedals

Interesting. I may look into this for an Ultegra rear wheel that has rattled since the day I bought it. Did you try punching the dimple deeper first, or go directly to the drill-and-glue?

keithdunlop

I went directly to drill-and-glue. I was suspicious about whether a deeper punch would really hold the loose piece in place, and I was concerned about a new punch becoming a hole. The epoxy solution seemed like a more permanent fix.