A 2 year mystery is solved

[Gixxerman]

For the last 2 years or so, a have had a ticking noise from my front wheel, which is really annoying. If the wheel is rotated (in or out the bike) it sounded like something rattling round in the tyre. However, I could find nothing. I stripped, cleaned and reassembled the front axle, checked for loose spokes, oiled the spokes where the cross over, tightened the valve base nut. Nothing fixed the issue, so I just gave up and accepted it. I was adjusting my brakes today and had the wheel out. I could hear the noise as usual. Then as I went to hang the inner tube up, I heard something rattle in the tube. As I rotated the tube there was something rattling round in it. Feeling the tube, I could feel a small hard object about the size of half a grain of rice. This is what was making the noise. I have never seen this before and I never would have suspected the inner tube. One for the experience book.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

For the last 2 years or so, a have had a ticking noise from my front wheel, which is really annoying. If the wheel is rotated (in or out the bike) it sounded like something rattling round in the tyre. However, I could find nothing. I stripped, cleaned and reassembled the front axle, checked for loose spokes, oiled the spokes where the cross over, tightened the valve base nut. Nothing fixed the issue, so I just gave up and accepted it. I was adjusting my brakes today and had the wheel out. I could hear the noise as usual. Then as I went to hang the inner tube up, I heard something rattle in the tube. As I rotated the tube there was something rattling round in it. Feeling the tube, I could feel a small hard object about the size of half a grain of rice. This is what was making the noise. I have never seen this before and I never would have suspected the inner tube. One for the experience book.

Weird. I wouldn't have thought it could have rattled stuck inside a rubber tunnel.

 

[fossyant]

2 years.... slacking there. Would have binned stuff after 5 mins here.

 

[Gixxerman]

2 years.... slacking there. Would have binned stuff after 5 mins here.

It is my touring bike which I don't ride that often. If I had been riding it more regularly, I'd have put more effort into finding it.

 

[I like Skol]

What was the alien item?

I once had a puncture when running over a metal rod that stuck in the tyre, something like the little chrome bars that hold up plastic desk trays for in/out paperwork. Fixed the puncture at the roadside with a fresh innertube after pulling out the rod. When I later repaired the damaged innertube I began rolling it up to pack it away for next time, only to discover a lump of something inside the tube!
Turned out the steel rod had snapped when it hit the rim after piercing the tyre, leaving about 20mm of rod inside. I had to make another hole and effect another repair during the extraction operation.

 

[Gixxerman]

What was the alien item?

Small rubber ball about the size of a lentil.

 

[Venod]

Nothing fixed the issue, so I just gave up and accepted it. I was adjusting my brakes today and had the wheel out. I could hear the noise as usual. Then as I went to hang the inner tube up

Glad you found the rattle, they can be very annoying, but have you missed a bit of the story, I never take the inner tube out to adjust the brakes.

 

[Ridgeway]

Definitely one to remember

Thanks for sharing

 

[Gixxerman]

Glad you found the rattle, they can be very annoying, but have you missed a bit of the story, I never take the inner tube out to adjust the brakes.

Indeed I did miss part of the story. I also took the tyre and tube off so that I could due a bit of wheel truing.
New tube now in and glorious silence.

 

[Once a Wheeler]

For the last 2 years or so, a have had a ticking noise from my front wheel, which is really annoying. If the wheel is rotated (in or out the bike) it sounded like something rattling round in the tyre. However, I could find nothing. I stripped, cleaned and reassembled the front axle, checked for loose spokes, oiled the spokes where the cross over, tightened the valve base nut. Nothing fixed the issue, so I just gave up and accepted it. I was adjusting my brakes today and had the wheel out. I could hear the noise as usual. Then as I went to hang the inner tube up, I heard something rattle in the tube. As I rotated the tube there was something rattling round in it. Feeling the tube, I could feel a small hard object about the size of half a grain of rice. This is what was making the noise. I have never seen this before and I never would have suspected the inner tube. One for the experience book.

Probably a tape-worm egg.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Wouldn’t have thought that’d make a clicking sound

 

[Gixxerman]

Wouldn’t have thought that’d make a clicking sound

Neither would I if I'd seen it posted by someone else, but it did. At higher speeds it stopped as I expect that the centrifugal force would have pinned it stationary. At lower speeds, it rolled round in the tube making a tick tick tick / rattle noise. Not loud but just annoying.

 

[andrew_s]

I'm also surprised that a rubber pellet inside a tube would make enough noise to be nociceable when riding.
When I opened the topic, I was expecting a spoke nipple that had been dropped inside the rim.