Hi there,

I just put together a road bike using an old but reliable set of Shimano WH-R500 wheels. The rear wheel has a faint but noticeable "tick" once per revolution of the wheel. I can hear it on the stand and on the road as well.

Some things I've tried:
1. Check for a loose spoke -- didn't find any
2. Small drop of lube in each spoke head hole -- didn't fix it
3. Messed with the threaded nut on the tube stem -- doesn't seem to be it

These wheels just came off of another bike and there was no ticking when they were on them. It's definitely the rear wheel.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bob

how do you know its the wheel? does it tick while pedaling? freewheeling? tick in the true stand? does it vary with speed?

Is there a spoke magnet and pickup on the rear wheel? The pickups make a noticeable click when the magnet passes by.

Yes, the tick varies with speed. Faster wheel speed = faster ticking. It ticks while freewheeling on the stand and on the road and is very noticeable under braking.

No spoke magnet on the rear. I'm hoping for something that simple though.

Bob

Found it. It's the freehub. If I spin the wheel and hold onto the end of it (it's out of the bike, cassette removed), it's silent.

If I rotate the freeuhub backwards, I can hear the "tick" at the same point on each revolution.

Is a disassembly/clean/grease in order? These wheels aren't worth much and if the problem can't be fixed by something simple, I'd rather just replace them.

Thanks,
Bob

Nevermind.

shimano freehubs are considered disposable. you can pop them off and solvent flush and re oil with a heavy oil

Fixed.

I took the freehub off and cleaned/regreased/reoiled per the Park instructions.

Thanks!

Bob