whistlin' wheels or something...
 

wheels "whistling".

no, not whistling a tune, but a whistling seems to be coming from the front wheel/tire/hub/somewhere.
it seems to get higher when I go faster, and kind of get interrupted when I hit small bumps. but it is still there. when I used my brakes I discovered it is exactly the noise (but quieter) that the brakes make on the rims if I just squeeze them a bit but do not brake hard. I looked at the brake pads and they do not seem to be rubbing on the rims as I am riding. any guesses? is it nothing? thanks.

dry bearings maybe? Sounds like brake contact actually. Do the quick release (open) on the front brakes and see if it still whistles. If it does, it's the wheel. prhaps axle cones are too tight even. That is if you DON"T have sealed bearings in yer wheels.

sometimes knobby mountain bike tires whistle the faster you go- don't know if that's what you're riding though

thanks-- it's an old Univega Competizione road bike from the early 80s. smooth tires. yeah, I know that sound-- no this is a whistling sound. or squealing. I just checked the back brakes and they are awfully close to the rims. it might be them that are sqealing having a bit of contact with the rim.

whistling source
 

FWIW if all else fails the noise may well be caused by the airflow over the small drainage holes in the front fork legs. These can generate an edgetone in exactly the same way that a flute produces sound. My bike has a steel fork which whistles quite well, and I assume that your elderly bike has a steel fork also. To determine whether the fork is the cause stick bits of tape over the holes to blank them off. I did, and mine went dead quiet. Could be your answer too. Whether you leave them blanked off is your decision.

Cheers

You probably have a dry wiper seal. That's one of those semi-common things. The wiper seal is on the cone and lightly contacts the hubshell. Put a tiny drop of silicon lube on it and that'll quiet the whistle.

My 70s Motobecane Grand Jubile has that whistle from the fork drain holes, took forever to determine where it was coming from but it isn't unpleasant & I can tolerate it now that I know its not a brake rubbing or some kind of bearing noise.

Thanks for the info! I will check all that out!