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Mysterious Screaming From Bike

by davecochrane
Sun, Mar 09, 2014 23:17
7

Over the last few weeks my Fuji Team Pro 2009 (Ultegra) has started making a hellish screaming noise, mostly in descents, mostly in the big ring, and oftentimes when freewheeling. My chain was pretty mucky, so I took it to my excellent LBS to see if it was something beyond that. He seemed to think the freehub was ok, despite there being a very slight ability to generate power by turning the crank backward. Today, about 70k into an 85k club ride, the scream appeared briefly once more. Totally mystified.

Anyone got any suggestions as to what is causing the noise?? Is is time to try someone else's wheels??

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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7 comments

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Argos74 | 10 years ago
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I get a mysterious screaming on fast descents. Is okay. Bike's fine.

The Mavic Death Squeal sounds entertaining though.

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paulrbarnard | 10 years ago
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If it's mostly on descents. If thats fast descents it might be you!

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NickK123 replied to paulrbarnard | 10 years ago
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paulrbarnard wrote:

If it's mostly on descents. If thats fast descents it might be you!

+1!

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therevokid | 10 years ago
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you can buy "upgrades" that replace the bush with a bearing ...

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rj...

??

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mintimperial | 10 years ago
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If you've still got the stock Mavic Aksium wheels on it, there's your problem I think. It's the Mavic death squeal.

Mavic freehubs have a nylon bushing in them, and this wears out over time. You can't see the wear but it's enough to cause fiction at high speed, creating drag, a horrible noise and even shifting problems. The hub bearings that are in there can be fine, the bushing is the problem. Replace the freehub body (I found one for£30ish on eBay, easy job for a reasonably confident home mechanic) and your problem will go away. You need some 7wt mineral oil too, keep it topped up to prevent the same issue reoccurring.

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davecochrane replied to mintimperial | 10 years ago
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mintimperial wrote:

If you've still got the stock Mavic Aksium wheels on it, there's your problem I think. It's the Mavic death squeal.

Mavic freehubs have a nylon bushing in them, and this wears out over time. You can't see the wear but it's enough to cause fiction at high speed, creating drag, a horrible noise and even shifting problems. The hub bearings that are in there can be fine, the bushing is the problem. Replace the freehub body (I found one for£30ish on eBay, easy job for a reasonably confident home mechanic) and your problem will go away. You need some 7wt mineral oil too, keep it topped up to prevent the same issue reoccurring.

Those are indeed the wheels I have - thanks for the info. I'm considering a new set of wheels anyway as this lot have had to be rebuilt once already post-crash.

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Jack Osbourne snr | 10 years ago
0 likes

Shot bearings can make a lot of noise, but any mechanic should be able to spot them almost immediately.

What are your wheels?

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