dobovedo

Just picked up my new Raliegh One Way from the LBS today.

Finally got it out for it's first spin, and I like it, but there's one very annoying problem... a loud knocking sound coming from drivetrain.

It is a flip-flop hub and I have in on the freehub side. There's no knocking when coasting, only when pedaling. It seems inconsistent, sometimes louder/more prevalent, sometimes not. Sometimes better sometimes worse under higher torque.

If it's something more than an easy fix, I not dealing with it, as the bike is brand new and will be the shop's problem, but they are 40 miles away and closed on Sundays. I'd like to take a crack at fixing the problem before Monday. Looking for suggestions where to start, as this is my first SS/FG.

Thoughts?

ak1

Check and see if the chainring bolts are tight.

5-HT

could it be described as "loud clicking" as well?

dervish

maybe ur chainline is wayyy off...kind of a stretch but u never know

jet sanchEz

Crank not aligned and knocking on the chain-stays at each revolution?

abraham lincoln

maybe a loose bottom bracket?

dervish

sounds like u need to take apart ur drivetrain and put it back together (if u know how to do so correctly) to find the source of said noise/ to fix it possibly

keisatsu

If you just bought it I'd take it back to the shop. They should help you out.

dobovedo

I'm inclined to agree... except that the bike shop is 40 miles away, and I bought this bike for the sole purpose of not driving!

That's what I get for not riding it before I put it in the car.

Guess I'll have to talk 'em into some kinda freebie to 'compensate' me for the gas.

IonSpeedMaster

I guess I wouldnt really call it an LBS then

dobovedo

Yeah well, welcome to small town Ohio.

5-HT

this is what i was getting at.

supercub

Is a knocking or a creaking? I have a creaking sound that comes from my 3 month old raleigh rush hour. I tightened up the chainring, but the problem persists. Maybe the raleighs have a crap BB.

I have a free tune-up, so I'll take it in next month and get it checked out. Annoying, isn't it?

Live2Die

could also be a loose pedal, I would take off all your chainring bolts and re-lube/tighten, and same with pedals, then I would still ride it into the LBS so you don't have to drive and have them take a look. can you wobble your cranks at all? If so it's your BB or possibly loose cranks which you could tighten yourself but torque them correctly. If it wobbles don't ride it but if it feels solid and you've checked everything you can, you should be fine to ride it to the shop. Most of the time creaks are simply little things, my saddle creaking got me stumped for a week one time, remember that sounds travel through the metal frame and something that sounds like it's in your cranks could be a seatpost bolt or pedal etc. Good luck!

krusty

I spent several hours on a recent build trying to track down a creaking that only appeared while pedalling. I looked at the usual suspects: BB, pedals, chainrings, headset, and finally found it was the seatpost, due to the way my butt would stress it while pedalling. The sound travels through the frame, making it seem like headset sometimes, and BB at others. Pedalling related creaking isn't always BB. Look over the whole bike before driving any distance to have someone do the same thing. Report any oddities you find here, and we can maybe guide you through.

dobber

As others have pointed out, tons of potential problem sources.

Some additional items which might help to isolate the problem:

-Does it knock while yours standing up? (rules out seat post)
-Does it knock if you only use one or the other pedal? (rules out pedals)
-If you flip the bike over and crank the pedals by hand do you still here the knock?

Fredmertz51

Probably a cheesy freewheel. Try soaking the freewheel in motor oil, or lay the bike on its side and drip Phil oil (or motor oil) into the freewheel while spinning the wheel. Or, solve all your problems and get a White Industries freewheel.

dobovedo

I don't mean to criticize your last statement, but upgrading to a 'better' freewheel is NOT a solution. Perhaps I should explain that I bought this bike for 2 reasons

1. Simplicity
2. Low Cost

I bought a relatively inexpensive bike, but it should not be considered a cheap one. If what I got was a cheap one, or if I have to do ANYTHING like start upgrading components or farting around with a myriad solutions, I'll be getting my money back pronto.

dobovedo

OK, I was looking for possibilities unique to SS/FG or to that bike in particular, as I'm well familiar with various sources of creaking/knocking. Not to mention how difficult it can be to track them down sometimes.

But after trying a number of suggestions and checking for loose this 'n that, I'm almost positive it is the freehub. It is louder when riding, but I put it back on the stand and got my ear next to it and can definitely hear a steady knocking that is different than just the chain links on the cog.

But as I said in the last post, I'm not willing to accept this kind of problem from a brand new product.

Can I not expect a fair amount of quality from a $600 single speed from Raleigh? Is this bike made up of bad parts? Is it a symptom of things to come and a sign of unhappiness with the bike?

Or is it more likely an isolated issue?

watchingthetime

THE FREEWHEEL! Every Shimano freewheel I've ever owned that came with a bike "clicked".
Changed to White Industries and nary a prob.

Sixty Fiver

Kickstand ?

chipcom 

Dude, you sound like you are freaking out. Calm down, take the bike back to where you bought it and have them fix it. I had the same problem with my One-Way soon after I bought it and solved it by replacing the freewheel. I have had zero problems since.

Zum1

+1 on the freewheel. Uhhhh you could use the fixed side... and truly get the most juice outta your ride.

Fredmertz51

No Problem. I bought an $800 Bianchi BUSS that had the same problem, Just fixed it myself rather than mess with the LBS. An $800 bike shouldn't come with a $9 freewheel anyway, but it does.

dobber

How many miles have you got on this? You might want to just put some good long rides on it and see it it settles in.