Strange noises coming from the bike today

[johnnyb47]

Hi,
Today's ride was just the thing i needed after being laid up dormant for the week due to the awful weather.
It was mild and sunny and thought I would take the Specialized Allez out for a 20 mile loop. Around 2 miles into my ride the bike started to make a high pitched noise which sounded exactly like the brakes were being pulled on when the rims are wet sometimes.
I pulled over a checked to see if it was my brakes causing it, but it wasn't. There's plenty of clearance between the brake blocks and rims and wheel was turning freely and running true and was now silent again..
So off i go again only for it start sounding off again. Riding along i could see no problems with brake rub but the noise coming from the bike was embarrassingly loud. After a couple of miles it disappeared as quick as it came and the rest of the ride went smoothly.
I'm absolutely stumped as to what the problem was. Any ideas good CC, ers as what it may be. It was definitely coming from the front wheel 🤔

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

Sounds like s bit of grit got stuck somewhere it shouldn't and then cleared itself.

 

[fossyant]

Seized bearing somewhere !

 

[johnnyb47]

That's what I'm hedging my bets on @fossyant. It's the only moving part of the wheel that i can see, that would cause this awful noise.

 

[weareHKR]

Just be careful, strange noises can come from a few different places an a bike & not always from where you think they're coming from!

 

[johnnyb47]

No there not buddy. There a pair of Fulcrum Quattro wheel sets, to which i did have bearing problems last year (or was it 2 year ago) on the rear wheel. It's strange because everything seems perfectly fine now.
I'm more curious than anything to knowing what it was 🤔👍

 

[fossyant]

I'd be checking the bearings. If cartridge, and they seize, the whole bearing could be turning on the axel !

 

[johnnyb47]

Thanks for the advice @fossyant. It's only a 2 minute job to check them and i think I've got some bearing cartridges kicking around in the man cave somewhere too.
All the best 👍

 

[CharleyFarley]

I had both my wheel bearings go bad on a new beach cruiser at 960 km. I didn't have any new ball bearings so I took them apart, cleaned and greased the existing bearings. The back wheel was fine but the front wheel made a noise like stones were hitting the underside of the alumium mudguards. I had ordered new ball bearings but decided to lay the bike up until I got them. The new ones cured the problem. That sound came from the balls, through the axle into the fork and then into the mudguard stays. It was quite loud so there must have been something radically wrong with them, yet they looked alright.

I was riding my Specialized Fatboy about 17 km from home when the crank started to whine but it sounded like someone talking. Most of my riding is on sidewalks (pavements) and I stopped pedaling as I passed people at bus stops because it was so embarrassing. The bike was fairly new and it had a cartridge BB. I pulled it out, removed the seal and stuffed some grease into it. That cured it, and it's been about three years since that time, and no more noise from it.

I know it can be a pain to find some noises, and you know you shouldn't keep riding until it's fixed.

 

[gbb]

Rubber seals on the hubs....they can dry out and will squeal on the axle. Spray a little oil or WD or similar on those seals / axle, if its that it will almost certainly fix it.