Creaks, squeaks and squeals
Your bike’s so squeaky you don’t need a bell:
everyone hears you coming from a mile away.
A noisy bike isn’t much fun to ride, which means you might not be getting much use out of it. We find that the number one cause of noise on a bike is the brakes. Do they scream when you try to come to a stop? This is usually to do with the pads.
If you have disc brakes, noise is often caused by ‘contaminated pads’ and a dirty rotor. Dirt and muck gets embedded on your brake pads, and when it does they start to scream.
Above: the likely culprit. Disc brake pads and rotors often squeal when they’re dirty or contaminated.
The best way to sort this out is to bring your bike in and let us check it out. If your pads still have life in them and your rotors aren’t worn, we’ll decontaminate the pads and clean the rotors.
If you have rim brakes the procedure is different. It’s more likely that you just need new pads, but there’s more to it than that. We have a bunch of methods to get your bike from shriek to shhh, so swing by the shop and we can take care of it for you.
Above: also a likely culprit. Rim brakes clamp their brake pads onto the rim of the wheel to slow the bike down.
If it’s not your brakes causing the noise, it’s most likely one of the following two things:
Your chain and gears
Which we in the business call your ‘drivetrain’. Drivetrains rust, wear, stretch and gather dirt and grime over time. It makes sense, as these parts are the heart and soul of your bike. Every time you pedal, they’re working. If you leave your bike outside your drivetrain will wear faster, and when rust and muck builds up it creates friction, which in turn creates: you guessed it. Noise.
For a quick fix, try buying some chain lube from a bike store/ebay/wherever and apply about 8 drops along the length of the chain. This will help the chain move smoothly, and get rid of some of the noise. Don’t use motor oil or WD40 though: these are actually bad for your chain, and will make the problems worse in the long run.
Above: applying a little bike-specific chain lube can really reduce chain noise.
To fully solve the problem, you need to either recondition the chain (if it isn’t stretched or worn out yet) or replace the drivetrain. We do a full drivetrain recondition when you bring your bike in for a Fix, Fix+ or Works service, and you won’t believe the difference it makes.
Not many people know this, but if you use your bike pretty regularly you need to change your chain and gears every 1 1/2 to 2 years, sometimes even more frequently.
We find that about 50% of our customers are in need of a new drivetrain. We have these parts available, and can swap them out for you no problem. If you’re experiencing gear issues as well as noise, a worn drivetrain is most commonly the reason.
Something sneaky
This is the most interesting noise-related problem. Something on your bike is loose, mangled, or not lubricated enough.
It could be that one of the bolts that holds your handlebars on is a tiny bit loose. Perhaps a rubber seal on one of your wheel hubs is dry, and just needs a little bit of lubrication. Bring your bike in and we’ll find the issue for you.