garethzbarker

I have 700cc shimano Ultegra wheels on a carbon frame. I'm a clyde.

I just noticed a light cracking/popping sound from my rear wheel. I flipped the bike over and it made the sound when I turned the drivetrain, it also made the sound when spinning free. I pulled the wheel off and it made the sound when spinning the hub. I put it back on and also noticed the wheel has a little play side to side, it's about 1mm. I don't know a lot about wheels but I figure maybe I have a bearing problem?

The guy that I let work on my bike is out of town for a while I think. I'm just wondering if it's safe to ride the bike for a few days until I get it fixed. I wanted to check before my scheduled morning ride. I've heard some pretty nasty sounds come from bikes and never saw a wheel fall off so my guess is it's probably ok to ride. No racing or anything, just a few light cardio rides.

ivan_yulaev

Could be a few things - did you check the little nut on the presta valve? When that's loose it can make a clonking sound as the wheel turns.

It could be the pin in the rim seam. Annoying but nothing you can do about it.

Given that it happens even with no load, it's not likely a spoke (unless its super duper loose).

garethzbarker

Yeah I check the valve. I'm sorry, I just realized I didn't describe it right in the first post; I meant axle when I wrote hub. Just turning the axle produced the sound. I took the wheel off and turned it alone and heard the creaking faintly. Same thing with cogs. Makes me think it will require tools I don't have to correct

bentonville

Does it have play in it if you pull it in and out?
You may also want to look at it straight on and spin it to look to see if the axle is bent. Riding a loose hub or bent axle is never a good idea even though many folks do it all the time. While you are inspecting it might be worth the time to look around all the eyelets for cracks(probably not the problem but while your inspecting might as well))
a propely adjusted hub should have no play when instaled with proper quick release tension. If you open the quick release 45 degrees play/knock should be present. That is in wheel with cones and loose bearings

FBinNY 

Given that you're heavy, and that the sound is hub/axle related and not in the wheel, the first thing I'd check for is a broken axle. QR axles break but the skewer holds them together somewhat masking the problem.

Remove the skewer and see if you can twist or flex both ends of the axle with respect to each other. If there's any relative movement the axle is broken and needs to be replaced. BTW- ido this carefully f you won't be able to have it repaired immediately because with the skewer removed the axle of a cop and cone hub will fall out and some of the balls are likely to follow it onto the floor.

As to how long you can ride on a broken axle, it depends on the skewer and luck. When I broke the axle on my commuter I rode it daily for over a month before I could source the right replacement.

garethzbarker

When i think about it I realize this started the other day when I had to take my wheels off several times in order to get the bike into a car and I got a fitting that day so he had to remove the skewer. I wonder if some muck slipped into that little space around the axle? Could it be some little rocks?

The axle looks strait, Both sides turn together and I don't see any play in the axle up and down. I put a little wet lube in the space and it sounds a little better but it didn't fix the problem. I make have to get it serviced.