My rear wheel sounds like it's makin' popcorn.

On my way home last night, my rear wheel abruptly started clicking. Within a mile it sounded as though I was having a full-on popcorn-making fiesta. My first thought was a couple loose spokes, but upon inspection it seems unlikely. Now I'm thinking it is the hub. Anyone experience this phenomenon? I greased and repacked the hub this past October and haven't had a problem with it since (except a loose spoke a couple months ago.) so it seemed a little soon.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on August 8, 2013 at 2:48am

What kind of hub?  A freehub+cassette or a hub+freewheel? Brand/model?

Permalink Reply by dan brown on August 8, 2013 at 3:21am

hey spence - what is the gear configuration ? cassette, single-speed (fixed or free) ? does it happen only when you pedal or also when you coast ? can you reproduce the issue by standing and holding the rear wheel above ground and pedaling by hand (or in a repair stand) ?  or the same setup and rotate the wheel by hand ? sometimes these issues only happen with weight on the bike (i.e. the rider sitting and pedaling)

 

DB (maybe the bike is watching a movie and got the munchies...sorry)

Permalink Reply by spencewine on August 8, 2013 at 3:35am

I was actually hoping that my bike was magical AND could make popcorn, but unfortunately it is too good to be true.

It's a 7 Speed freewheel on a late 80's Suntour AT hubs attached to a Bianchi of the same vintage. it happens when the rear wheel is spinning regardless of pedaling (which ruled out the bottom bracket). I did have a free-wheel essentially blow-up on me in the middle of dearborn/wacker last fall shooting ball-bearings at innocent passer-byes. But, I actually pulled the wheel off the bike this morning and spun it and I can hear it when holding the hub axle...which leads me to believe it is a hub problem. Which I don't understand as I haven't done anything different in the past 10 months since I repacked it and this is just my commuting bike, so it's not seeing huge miles....probably a little over 1000 since I last repacked it. Unless it's my freewheel trying to kill me again : (

dan brown said:

hey spence - what is the gear configuration ? cassette, single-speed (fixed or free) ? does it happen only when you pedal or also when you coast ? can you reproduce the issue by standing and holding the rear wheel above ground and pedaling by hand (or in a repair stand) ?  or the same setup and rotate the wheel by hand ? sometimes these issues only happen with weight on the bike (i.e. the rider sitting and pedaling)

 

DB (maybe the bike is watching a movie and got the munchies...sorry)

Permalink Reply by SlowCoachOnTheRoad on August 8, 2013 at 3:42am

Your moving parts probably need more butter.

Permalink Reply by Steve Courtright on August 8, 2013 at 7:01am

Did you reuse the bearings when you repacked? 

Permalink Reply by Deet 4.5mi on August 8, 2013 at 8:16am

That sucks i have a sim noise in my front wheel i was told it is the spokes rubbing on each other, not sure i buy it.

Permalink Reply by Gecko on August 8, 2013 at 8:17am

Could be the bearing cups inside the hub.  I had an old BMX hub start doing that and when I pulled it apart the cups had basically disintegrated.  All because I didn't repack soon enough after riding through some sand.

Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on August 8, 2013 at 10:37am

If your cones are pitted, replace them with the proper cones for your hub and brand new balls.  if the cups are pitted, you need a new hub.

Permalink Reply by ilter on August 8, 2013 at 1:23pm

Rubbing spoke noise is real, I read it in a rando blog once, so it must be real :)  Also read a few drops of chain lube fixes it.. Of course yours might be a different issue.

Deet 4.5mi said:

That sucks i have a sim noise in my front wheel i was told it is the spokes rubbing on each other, not sure i buy it.

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on August 8, 2013 at 2:54pm

Definitely sounds like the hub. You really have to be sure you clean everything out, that you have good cups/cones, new ball bearings, plenty of good grease, and that you're using proper cone wrenches to tighten your lock nut. I *cough* have a friend *cough* who used to have hub issues because he though he could just tighten down his hub with a couple adjustable wrenches.

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