Thought I has loose spokes

[User33236]

As per title I though I has loose spokes on the front wheel on my three week old Cannondale CAADX bike as there was a resonating sound every time the front wheel was bumped of tapped.

I spent some time this evening checking the wheel was running true (which it was) and tapping each spoke to check for noise. Finally I found that three spokes didn't sound right and that all were in the area where the reflector was fitted. Note as I commute on this bike I choose not to remove the wheel reflectors as I did on my road bike. As it hapens it turned out to be the reflector itself that was causing the noise. I have now moved the reflector 5mm or so down the spoke and now there is no noise.

It is always odd how sounds transfer themselves through an object Anyone else found themselves chasing non-existent problems relating to odd sounds?

 

[themosquitoking]

My cadence meter sensor was, very slightly, catching my cadence meter on every pedal stroke, took me a week or so to work out what it was.

 

[Gravity Aided]

It seems aluminum bikes especially transmit sounds to different places. Sounds like a problem for the metallurgist, or my audiologist

 

[Globalti]

I had a worrying rattle on my new Roubaix; I had more or less resigned myself to the fact that it was an internal cable when I spotted that the outer ring on the self-extracting FSA crank was loose and about to fall out. Tightened that up and.... blissful silence - or almost; there was still a light rattle coming from inside the top tube on bumpy roads which I decided WAS the internal cable so I pulled it out and slipped two of those little rubber doughnuts onto it.... .result: real blissful silence!.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

I had a very irritating sound that would manifest itself just before I set off and re occur upon my return to my shed, it bugged me for months as to the origin of this drone, until one day I looked behind me to finally realise it was the wife (where you going , how long will you be , don't get run over etc etc).
Banned her from my shed and now I slip in and out (oo er missis) with the silence and grace of a fat swan.

 

[Hip Priest]

The only sound a wheel reflector should make is the thud as it hits the bottom of the dustbin.

 

[compo]

I think the most common noise is the loose bottom bracket turning out to be a creaky seat post.

 

[Albert]

Cables knocking against one another can also be the cause of mysterious sounds. I also had a helmet that creaked.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

The mysterious noise on my geared bike that sounded like bottom bracket turned out to be the brake levers, they were tight, that's why it took so long to figure it out, but wanted another fraction of a turn to stop them creaking, I checked them twice and they seemed tight enough, the third time I checked them I found I could ease them another fraction of a turn and thats what cured it.