Creaky Zipp 404

My front wheel creaks like crazy when out of the saddle. I’ve messed around with the skewer juuuuuuuust to make sure that wasn’t it. It wasn’t. I can kind of push on the rim by and and get the creaking.

Normal? Or should Zipp be expectin’ a wheel in the mail soon? :slight_smile:

I had the problem and my lbs told me it was the carbon disc that covers the bearings - it had become loose and caused a grating sound . They told me to apply a drop of glue to the carbon little disc and the hub cover and it worked.

In that you should have first removed the dust cap and fixed the o-ring behind it. Read the first question on this FAQ.

http://www.zipp.com/FAQ/tabid/81/Default.aspx

Is that really the same problem?

The dustcap on the hub is a possible source of noise, primarily rattling, but occassionally a creaking if the cap is displaced. This issue was solved in mid-2005 model year with a spring loaded plastic clip that replaced the o-ring system and unfortunately is non-retrofitable. Skewers are generally the number 1 source of a creak, and we recommend lubing both the cam mechanism and the threads on the QR, as either side can be a source of creaking.

Lastly, the spokes can be a source of creaking either at the hub or rim. A drop of lube on each spoke hole at the hub, and on the spoke/nipple interface at the rim will be the solution for that. I’m not sure of the age of the wheels, but often a creak or spoke noise can be a sign of reduced spoke tension in older wheels. This is rare, but the spokes are stainless steel and will exhibit some creep over the years espeically under heavier riders or particulary rough roads (though we prestress the spokes 4 times during wheel build pre-stretching them by over 1mm, they can still continue to stretch slightly). This creep (stretch) can be offset by retensioning the wheel which is something your LBS can do quite easily, and they can check the tension for you very quickly to know if the wheel needs tensioning. Std tensions are 100kg front and rear drive side with 80-90 kgs rear non-drive.

Wheels are fresh outta your factory, about 3 months old. I’ll mess w/ the skewer again first, then try the spoke lubing.