Rattling sounds

[Parmonov]

Hey guys,

I recently got a great deal on a trade-in road bike at a LBS. It's an 06 scott S40 speedster. The bike is in great shape with no signs of real use let alone abuse. The bike came with clipless pedals and new tires, and since he misquoted the price to me on the phone I walked out with it for $500 (£350).

However, when I finally got a chance to take it out for a real ride, I noticed a bit of rattling whenever I went over slightly rougher road. This probably isn't normal, right? It's smooth and quiet over well-paved roads, but I definitely notice the rattle when the going gets even slightly rougher. I also notice a slight rattling noise when I bounce the bike gently on the floor and even if I shake the bike back and forth vigorously.

Is this (hopefully) a problem that can generally be fixed by just tightening a loose bolt? If so, I'd really appreciate if anyone could point me in the right direction of where to start looking. I hope it's not anything too serious, but even if it is, I still have time to take it back to the LBS to be fixed.

Thanks guys.

 

[Radius]

It could just be the cables rattling against the frame / each other, I get it sometimes.

 

[Cubist]

Or the chain slapping on the chainstay. Get a Lizardskin neoprene guard to wrap round it if it is. Silent, and no scratched/chipped paint.

 

[Keith Oates]

From your description of the rattle it's hard to know where to start looking but if you don't know which part of the bike the rattle is coming from then methodically check and tighten all allen screws and nuts on the bike and see if that cures the problem.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Bottle Cage/s loose?

 

[fossyant]

Headset ?

 

[ed_o_brain]

Based on my experience, the most common causes of rattles are:

1. The round nut screwed onto the valves of presta valved tubes as the poke through the rim.

2. Loose allen bolts securing bottle cages

3. Loose allen bolts securing mudguard stays, pannier racks etc.



Check that wheels, brakes (both callipers and levers), handle bars, handle bar stem, seat tube, saddle are all securely fitted.

Be careful not to overtighten anything.

 

[jimboalee]

Scott S40 ? Alloy frame ?

Whip the B/B out. There could be some globules of Alluminium weld inside the frame tubes. If there is nothing to find there, they might be inside the top tube or chainstays, in which case, you're stuck with it.

What was the reason the LBS had the bike 'used' in such good condition?

Did the first owner complain about a rattling noise?


You may be the lucky wotsit who finds the sixpence.

 

[ed_o_brain]

Scott S40 ? Alloy frame ?

Whip the B/B out. There could be some globules of Alluminium weld inside the frame tubes. If there is nothing to find there, they might be inside the top tube or chainstays, in which case, you're stuck with it.

Surely picking the bike up and rotating it around will help establish whether there's anything loose inside the tubes?

 

[youngoldbloke]

Well Parmonov ...... Any idea yet whats causing the rattle yet?

 

[Parmonov]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all of the advice, and sorry for my tardiness in replying. I'm a university student, so my time is a bit limited during the week (although not too limited to take the bike out for a ride a couple of times ).

I made sure that all the important screws were in place and tight enough, but I couldn't figure it out still. The bike was running fine, but the rattle was annoying on the two rides I took this week. I just let it be and hoped that it wasn't a ball bearing problem.

However, right before making this reply I decided to do another check on the bike. Lo and behold, I found the problem. When I first read the suggestion that it could be the bottle cage holders, I wrote it off because the bike doesn't have any bottle cages. The thing is, I forgot that those bolts still exist despite not having any! Sure enough, one of those bolts was very loose and was rattling every which way.

Seems like the rattle is gone from the "bounce test", but I haven't taken it out yet to try more fully. I'm going out now to see for sure.

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Radius]

Well, at least it was something easy to fix, even if you do feel a bit stoopid

 

[Parmonov]

Just got back from a nice 11 mile spin, and the bike was as smooth and quiet as I could have hoped it to be.

And you're right--although I do feel a bit silly, I'm happy it was such an easy fix and not something that I had to just learn to live with.

Cheers