There is a click-click-click sound coming from my front wheel. it's an old wheel, but all the spoke tension seems okay, and the hub is fine. The sound only occurs under load. I can spin the wheel and its fine but when I lean on it and roll it along the ground, it makes this noise. Any ideas?

you want to open up the hub and see if a bearing been misplace or have slip pass the cup and into where the axle is . it doesn't hurt to overhaul the hub at this point and check the axle for being broken or a crack in it . replace all the bearings at this time .

What's the rhythm of the clicks? Once every wheel revolution? 8 or 9 or 10 times a revolution?

Common causes are valve stem moving within the rim hole. Bearings that are so dry of lube and not tightly adjusted so you can hear as the bearing that is "going over the top" you can hear it fall onto the bearing preceding it. Spokes that are so loose they move against each other at the cross. Spokes that have a notch worn into them at the cross and it clicks as the two spokes flex. Spoke nipples moving within the rim holes. Star/strike style odometers (had to toss this one in for fun). Hub flanges are loose on the barrel and move with side forces.

I'm sure there are more causes. But by figuring out the frequency first you get some elimination of some causes. Placing a small piece of plastic (like cut up bleach bottle) between each spoke crossing can fix these click causes. Lubing hub bearings and spoke nillles can fix those causes. Andy.

Not so far fetched. A wheel magnet striking the cyclometer pickup can give the same click. Sometimes leaning a bike against something can pivot the pickup inward enough to touch the magnet and it can be a real pain to diagnose. Guess how I know.

Thanks guys. I think it was the notches in the spokes flexing. Tightened up a couple of the spokes that were loosest and seems to have fixed the issue for now. I did check the bearings before, and I'm pretty sure they're still good. I want to be the guy that builds/rebuilds his own wheels but they just seem so finicky.

I had the same issue recently and it was just the spoke tension was too low. Tensioned up all the spokes and the noise has gone away.

Can also happen when greased with very thin grease or oil, even when adjusted so there is no slack. WD-40 sprayed into bearings can make the lubricant very thin, but not dry, for example.

Need to diagnose based on full symptoms. OP said occurred only under load. Neither a bearing out of place (very rare) nor no/light lube match that symptom.

This is why I focused on the spoke crosses (with 2 mentions and an easy way to check). But it's always good to check bearing and nipple lubes, best done BEFORE you note problems. Andy.

You might inspect the rim where the spoke nipples emerge. Small cracks leading from these holes can make a clicking sound each time they are loaded/unloaded as the wheel rotates under load.

Regards,
Bob P.

THat was the same symptom with my wheel. Only under load did you hear the clicking sounds. It was the spokes rubbing in the crosses due to low tension as far as I can tell since once the wheel was properly tensioned, the noises went away.

I had the problem with a Mavic open pro rim. I found the site of the click by loading the front wheel while walking beside it. It's been so long that I can't remember how I stopped it. I think I lubed the nipple where it wen through the rim eyelet.

Loose spokes go ping ping ping under load.

Some early Open Pro rims would click at the rim joint due to a loose lug.