Bicycle Mechanics - Front Wheel Ratcheting/Clicking Sound - Mavic Aksium Race

I recently got a Mavic Aksium Race Clincher Front Wheel to replace a different wheel. Now, whenever I am sprinting out of the saddle, there is a very loud ratcheting/clicking sound on each pedal stroke when you slightly tilt the bike side to side. This did not happen with the previous wheel and the noise is definitely coming from the new front wheel near the hub. This is a 24 spoke wheel radially laced. I took it to the shop where I bought it, but we could not find the source of the issue, but said everything was mechanically sound. This noise is driving me nuts, any thoughts?

Things I've tried so far:

- Adjusting tension of quick release skewer
- Tightening the hub so there is no play in the wheel side to side

The hub should not be tightened until there is no play. You want a little teensy play in the hubs, which the quick release then rubs out when you close the QR.

If the wheels use one of the newer style Mavic skewers, it may be the lever on the skewer rattling, they are prone to that. We have had to put a more conventional skewer on Mavic wheelsets when customers complain of the noise they make. And it is often the front wheel, when really torquing the pedals, that makes the most noise.

Hmm, I'll try loosening up the hub a little bit. I did notice that the front wheel wasn't spinning as freely.

Also, is there a more conventional QR that I should check out? This one seems pretty normal but I'm willing to try anything. It definitely sounds like a clicking/ratcheting where the spokes meet the hubs. It's just the front wheel.
http://www.racersportif.com/images/wheelsets/AksiumRace.jpg

Bump, any ideas? The sound is worsening.

Hi zwish, any luck finding out the source of the sound? I recently bought a new Canyon Roadlite with Mavic Aksium wheels and after riding the bike for about 100 miles, the front wheel started making this ticking sound. It does seem to come from somewhere near the hub. Some friends thought it might be because of the spokes stretching after riding for some time. I tried tightening them a bit but it didn't help, so I think I'll have to take the wheel to a shop for evaluation.

Cheers,
Markku

The adjustment for those bearings (radials) is not the same as for cup and cone bearings.

1.1 FREE PLAY ADJUSTMENT

Hub play must always be gauged with the wheel fitted and tightened in the frame or fork. Tightening the quick release skewer significantly increases the lateral pressure
exerted on the bearings. Therefore:
• if there is play in a wheel not fitted into the frame or fork, it may disappear once the wheel has been fitted;
• if there is no play in a wheel not fitted into the frame or fork, it is possible that tightening the quick release skewer will over-stress the bearings, thus damaging
them.
Adjust the adjustment nut by fully tightening it and then untightening it by a 1/4 turn, so as to close the quick release lever (CLOSE position) with a suitably large force.
However, a too large tightening force may damage the bearings.
This tightening force is a subjective parameter that is directly dependent on the end user, and as such it is difficult to accurately determine the optimum bearing adjustment
at the factory.
In order to avoid any problems for your customers, we factory set bearing play by simulating an extreme quick release tightening force.
There is therefore likely to be some play in the hub of a new wheel fitted to a bike with a lower quick release tightening force than that used in the factory.
Apply the following procedures to set the amount of play.

WARNING: Adjusting the play is a delicate operation which consists of identifying the balance point between play and no play.
Having no play does not necessarily mean that the hub is correctly adjusted as the bearings may be over-stressed.
http://www.tech-mavic.com/tech-mavic/technical_manual/data/tech-mavic/uk/sources/Produits/ROUTE/Roues/Cosmic_Elite_05/Bearing_Adjust_QRM.pdf
It may be time to replace the bearings. I have built up some fronts with old Suntour hubs and when they are worn the bearings make a clicking noise.

I never really found a clear solution to the issue. My LBS had tried lubing everything/checking tension up but assured me the wheel was in perfect working order, but the noise was still present. A friend of mine then said that I might be because I was 205lbs and the wheel was just flexing! I've dropped some weight since then and now I'm at 189 but I've been using a pair of Velocity Deep V wheels on my bike. I will say though that I've ridden other Aksiums/Ksyrium's and they didn't make that noise. Sorry that wasn't much help!

I have NFI what those radial bearings look like, but could it be the balls?

Sometimes had that issue in traditional hubs with loose balls and not enough grease.

Some Mavic rims click. The ends of the rim are plugged over an internal piece of aluminum before welding and machining, and the rim's crimped to keep that internal "plug" from rattling, but sometimes it does anyway. In that case, one straightforward way to immobilize and silence it is to get a sharp nail and hammer, and use the nail as a punch to crimp the rim better. Another method is to get a can of expanding-foam house insulation and inject the rim through the closest nipple hole, letting the expando-foam immobilize the plug.

I have had the same issue, along with the rim constantly getting out of true. I have had the rim straighten three times, and each time after I get the rim true, the noise goes away. But after about a 100 miles or so, the ticking noise comes back, and the rim is out of whack. Should I just replace the wheel? It's been a frustrating process.