madflava54

I am a beginner biker. I have a Fuji Absolute 3.0. I noticed while riding today that I can hear a noise from the right side of the bike as I am pedaling down. I can reproduce this noise when I lift the back tire and spin the pedals using my hand. I feel like there is a slight amount of resistance. I would like to ride more tomorrow and later this week and cannot go back to the shop until Friday (different city on weekdays). Is there anything I can check or possibly adjust on my own?

Additionally, I am concerned that I might be damaging the bike by riding on it more. It would really suck not to be able to bike for 4 days since I just got hooked!

Thank you!

madflava54

It occurred to me that this might be normal? Am I just being a noob?

Camilo

can you tell if the resistance and noise are in the pedal/chainwheel/crank arm area or the rear wheel?

One common source of right side noise one time per pedal rotation is the right side crank arm brushing against the end of the cable that sticks out from the front derailleur. That wouldn't cause any feeling of resistance though - but check that out. You can either trim the cable or simply bend it so it doesn't stick out so far.

Another common thing is that one of the brake pads (probably right side?) is too close to the rear wheel and the wheel is grazing it once or more per rotation. That would account for a faint noise and a tiny bit of resistance... and is very common and pretty easy to correct.

You should be able to tell by lifting up the rear wheel and giving it a little spin by hand. Spin the wheel, not the pedal. Don't spin it too hard/fast, maybe at a rate where it will take about 1 second to rotate. Watch the brake pads and rim. It can be very subtle, so watch and listen closely. If you don't hear the sound when giving the wheel a spin by hand, it will tell you that the noise is probably at the crank/pedal area, although it could also be the chain or rear derailleur (but one thing at a time!). When you're doing this, also note if the pad is contacting the rim itself or maybe brushing the tire. (grazing the rim slightly each rotation is really no big deal. Touching the tire needs to be corrected because it can ruin the tire pretty quickly).

Let us know what you find out, and repost.

madflava54

I flipped the bike upside down and I can reproduce the friction and noise by spinning the rear tire backwards. I don't see anything hitting the pedals or chain. From what I can tell, it sounds like something is grinding. My first suspicion is that maybe something was tied too tightly or something, but I didn't want to mess with it.

When I spun the wheel by hand, I didn't hear any friction w/ the brake pad and wheel. I had to adjust the front brakes to remove the front wheel and did hear that friction before.

I am confident this noise is coming from the right side of the bike. I am pretty sure it's like coming from where the pedal meets the bike frame.

GanJa786

I am having a very similar problem. Heres my thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...k-in-the-spoke

madflava54

I didn't read the entire thread, but my bike has been in my possession for 4 days now.

the_big_dill

Is the noise occuring when you apply a lot of pressure on the pedal, or even if you just spin it lightly?

Here is a link with a some things you can try to remedy the noises: https://autobus.cyclingnews.com/tech/...=howfix_creaks

madflava54

Spinning lightly reproduces the noise and definitely can notice the resistance then as well