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A friend of mine was going crazy.
Out on a ride, he heard only the sound of the wind and
his tires were barely touching the ground as he sped by me. What a sweet ride!
There was no more perfect day, no more perfect ride. Its like he was
floating on air. So why would that make him crazy? It doesn't get
any better than that.
He was going crazy because his bike was making a sound. A sound it shouldn't be making. It
wasn't doing that on his last ride. What is that? Instead of
concentrating on his ride, now all he could hear is click...click...click.
His mind raced with thoughts of tools and waterproof grease. Is it
his crank, his new seat post, or should he have replaced his chain... the one
that's so perfectly worn into his drive train? He told me that once
again tearing down his prized machine to figure out a noise made him angry.
Only he didn't say it as nicely as I'm telling you here. Even with his
helmet on, I could tell that his ears were turning bright red.
Even though I tend to be more even
tempered than him, we both have dedicated a lot to our bikes. A
lot of time, a lot of sweat, a lot of money. We want them to look as good
as possible. We want them to ride as perfectly as possible. Just as important, we want them to sound as smooth as possible,
the way a well tuned bike is supposed to sound.
After convincing him not to toss his
bike into a nearby river, we sat down in the warm sun to have a chat. I
told him that I know that nothing is more annoying than an
unwanted noise that you can't seem to track down. Having been involved
with cycling for so many years, I knew what the noise was and how to solve his
problem. Maybe this will help you too.
One of the first things to keep in mind when tracking down bike
noises is that they often don't come from where it seems. Many components
used in cycling conduct sound very well. This means that a noise
coming from a seat post can sound like it's coming from the handlebar or
vice-versa. Finding the offending component
can be maddening, and riding with clicks and creaks can change your ride.
Instead of enjoying the ride and focusing on the reason you ride in the first
place, your whole ride becomes focused on figuring out where that damn sound is
coming from!
The noise I'm talking about here is rim
eyelet noise. Have you been riding along and you hear
click-click-click? Not your freewheel click, but a click that shouldn't be
there. Maybe your bike
was completely quiet on your last ride, and now, its making noise!
Sometimes, there are multiple clicks that sound like there's sand in your bottom
bracket. Sometimes, you only hear the sound when you pedal. In fact, when you
push harder, the noise increases. That could only be bottom bracket or
crank, or maybe chain or cassette...right? It makes you wonder why
you spent so
much money on the best drive train and it isn't completely quiet! You
would
expect it to be smooth as silk. My friend had even gone as far as
returning bottom brackets, waiting for the replacement, re-greasing and
reinstalling, only to find that the noise is still there. He had checked out the cranks, the chain
rings, the cassette, the hub, the complete drive train. Still noisy.
It wasn't until putting up with the
noise for far too long that I discovered the
true cause of the noise. A source of noise not often thought of. Rim eyelets. I'll talk about that in a bit once I calm down.
Breathe, Michael, breathe. Count to ten.
To avoid rim eyelet noise, one
alternative is to use rims that don't use eyelets. But that's just one
option. I'm going to tell you how to get rid of that annoying eyelet
noise so you and your rims can live in harmony and once again enjoy rides
together.
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This is a rim WITH eyelets. |
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This rim has no eyelets. |
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Let me describe what eyelet
noise sounds like and how to identify it. Eyelet noise is a distinct
"click" that can happen when you're pedaling, or when you're
freewheeling. If you hear clicking when you're pedaling and it
stops when you stop pedaling, then it's the rear wheel. If you
hear the click and you're not pedaling, then its probably, but not
necessarily the front wheel.
Remember, both wheels can click at the same time too. I'm
not suggesting that every click you hear is eyelet noise. There are many other potential sources for noise. But
getting rid of eyelet noise is cheap, easy, and does no harm, so it's
certainly worth a try.
One thing to note is that from my
experience, there's no way to get the eyelets to make their telltale
noise "on the bench." So don't feel frustrated if you bring your bike
to your favorite mechanic and he or she clamps it into a repair stand,
spins your wheels, and can't get the eyelets to make a sound. The only
way I have ever heard eyelet noise is with a rider actually riding the
bike, loading the wheels with the stresses of actual riding.
Getting Rid Of Eyelet Noise
To get rid of eyelet noise, it's a
simple matter of lubricating the eyelets in a way that also lubricates
the spoke threads. Any type of relatively light bicycle oil will do,
there's no need to be too picky about it. Before you lubricate,
take a shop rag or paper towel and wipe all dirt and grease away from
each eyelet area. Don't wash your bike with soap and water, I'll
explain why later. |
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| Almost any good oil will eliminate
eyelet noise. |
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| Lubrication
The most important part of the technique is to apply a drop or two of oil onto the threads of the spoke
where they go into the nipple, as shown above. Then, let the oil
drip into the eyelet itself. Position each eyelet at the bottom of
the wheel so gravity will bring the oil into the eyelet.
I've tested this method by only lubricating the eyelet and not the spoke
threads, and the results are not as good. Choose a
starting spoke, say the one near the valve stem, so you know where you
are. Then go all around the wheel, making sure each and every
eyelet gets the correct lubrication. It's very important to
lubricate each spoke because you don't know which spoke is actually
making the noise. While you're lubricating, avoid using any more
than a drop or two on each eyelet, and keep oil off the rim braking
surface if you use rim brakes, and keep oil off of the tire too.
Finally, with a clean shop rag or paper towel,
wipe any excess oil from the spoke, nipple, and eyelet area.
You're ready to roll. And once you start rolling, the centrifugal
force of your wheel will force the oil into the eyelets. If you
hear eyelet noise when you first start, give it a few minutes of riding
to see if the noise goes away.
Stubborn Cases
I have definitely encountered cases where one
application was not enough. Lubricate and ride, and if that
doesn't get rid of the eyelet noise, lubricate again. Also,
sometimes its very difficult to tell if its really the front or rear
wheel. Lubricate both, which is a good idea anyway.
Really Stubborn Cases
If you are convinced that your eyelets are making
noise but it won't go away after lubricating 2 or 3 times,
there's one more thing you can do. Lubricate again, all the way
around. Then, using a spoke wrench, give each nipple one-half turn
in each direction, bringing the nipple back to the position it was
originally. Your wheel might be a little out of true when
you're done, but a touchup truing should be all that's needed to get
your wheels true again. Lubricate once again, maybe twice.
This will get rid of the most stubborn case of eyelet noise. If
you still experience noise, then you probably don't have eyelet noise
and should start looking at other components for the source of the
noise.
Why does this happen?
Eyelet noise occurs because there is some degree
of movement
and change in tension of the spoke and nipple in the eyelet as the wheel
rotates. This is normal and the movement is
very, very small. The eyelets themselves can also become
microscopically loose, causing very slight movement. When new, the nipples and eyelets are
tight and totally
clean without a spec of dirt in them. After a while, dirt lodges
into the eyelet and they eyelets can become slightly loose in the rim. Now the very same
eyelet that used to be silent
creates a noise because of the rubbing of the dirt against the metal in the eyelet
or the eyelet in the rim. Oil prevents the movement from making a sound.
The movement is still there, and the dirt is still there. Would it be best to clean out the eyelets? Absolutely. But
a complete cleaning would would involve completely disassembling the wheel, which is not a
practical solution.
Are rims with eyelets bad?
Rims with eyelets are definitely not bad, in fact,
they are quite good. And so are rims without eyelets. There
are advantages and disadvantages to each.
If you use a rim without eyelets, you must use
brass nipples which are heavier and may not be available in the color
that you would like. There's nothing wrong with brass
nipples other than their weight. They're more durable than alloy
nipples. If you use alloy nipples in an aluminum rim
with no eyelets, the nipples will soon seize into the rim so that they
will no longer turn, leaving you with a wheel that can no longer be
trued. If you try to turn a seized nipple, it will strip and then
the only way to replace the nipple and true the wheel is to cut the
spoke and replace it. Don't ask me how I know this.
With eyelets, you can easily use lighter alloy
nipples available in most any color. Eyelets are usually made of
stainless steel, and being a different metal than the alloy nipple, the
nipples and eyelets won't seize together. You can easily true your
wheel at any time as the nipple will turn easily. The downside?
Eyelet noise.
Keep in mind that not everyone who rides rims with
eyelets will experience eyelet noise. I haven't conducted
scientific studies, but I can tell from years of personal riding
experience that I hear a lot of bikes that would sound so much smoother
with just a drop or two of oil on each eyelet.
Rear Is More Needy
Because of the drive forces, the rear wheel tends
to develop eyelet noise more often than the front. As I mentioned
earlier, if you encounter eyelet noise that only happens when you're
pedaling, the rear eyelets are most likely the source of the noise.
Bike Washing and Rain
It's always great to have a nice clean bike, but
you can definitely over-wash your bike. One of the areas
that gets water in it whether you've washed your bike or ridden in the
rain is the rim eyelets. After a wash, maybe every other wash, its
time to re-lubricate. If you forget, the eyelets will let you
know.
To re-lubricate, you must let the eyelets dry
completely. Wipe all the excess water off the eyelets and let your
bike dry in the sun or inside overnight. If you're in a hurry and
don't let them dry completely, the results won't be as good and you may
get the eyelet noise again. If you have a bike ride the next day,
lubricate the eyelets the night before for a nice silent ride the next
day.
Rim Tape
Over time, if you lubricate the rim eyelets
frequently, a small amount of the oil may make it past the eyelets and
onto the rim tape. No harm done unless quite a bit of oil seeps
through. Its a good practice to replace your
rim tape regularly anyway. When you replace your rim tape, it couldn't hurt
to clean out the eyelet holes that are normally under the rim strip as
well as you can without disturbing the trueness of the wheel.
Plastic rim strips are more resistant to oil that may seep through, but
there hasn't been much of a problem with the familiar cloth rim tape.
How Often?
Rim eyelets don't need constant lubrication, every
few weeks should be fine. Bike washing, rain, and just plain noisy,
dirty eyelets will call for more frequent lubrication.
Silent Ride
If all your other components are in order,
you'll now be enjoying a smooth, quiet ride. The only sound you
will hear will
be the whoooosh of your wheels as they fly along.
If you found this article to be
helpful, email me at
Article_Feedback@aspirevelotech.com
© 2009 Aspire VeloTech
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