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Squeaks in reverse

Rob S.

Rob S.

Forum Guru
Past Site Supporter
My driveway goes up hill to my garage. When I rolled Suzi out backwards earlier (engine off - neighbors) I noticed a fair amount of squeaking. Not loud, just noticeable with helmet off.

The only time she gets rolled forward, it's at speed and my full face is on (as I silently return home).

Might this indicate the wheel bearings need to be greased, or packed or changed? I just had a set of Pirellis installed a month ago, and I'm pretty sure he told me the bearings were okay.

If I just sit on her and bounce, a certain amount of squeaking is normal, correct?

Thanks much.
 
It's probably just a spot in the chain that squeaks. I had the same thing on my old chain. The noise is gone with the new chain/sprockets.
 
Missile99 said:
It's probably just a spot in the chain that squeaks. I had the same thing on my old chain. The noise is gone with the new chain/sprockets.
Click to expand...

rudeman said:
Chain would be my guess also.
Click to expand...

Yikes! I had new sprockets and chain (630) installed the same time as the tires.

But, chain is on the tight side. Mechanic likes it that way, and so do I.
 
Last edited:
Rob S. said:
But, chain is on the tight side. Mechanic likes it that way, and so do I.
Click to expand...

Your mechanic likes it that way because it means he gets to sell you a new chainset much sooner. There is zero downside to running it on the loose side and everything lasts much, much longer that way.


Mark
 
Squeak might be coming from the brakes as well. Just a slight high spot on the rotor can cause that. Usually nothing to worry about.
 
Rob S. said:
Yikes! I had new sprockets and chain (630) installed the same time as the tires.

But, chain is on the tight side. Mechanic likes it that way, and so do I.
Click to expand...

Which way do you spin the wheel when you lube the chain?
 
My bike does the same thing when I roll it backards. Turns out it is the brake disk/pad. Your pad and disk wear into a pattern when 99.9% of its motion is forward. When you reverse the direction the disk and pad are going against the direction of the pattern, hence a slight squeak. My front brakes well do it a little as well. Move forward no squeaking. Usually when you have the bike up on the center stand and rotate the wheel in reverse chances are you won't get the squeak since the rear wheel is unloaded. I also get a little chain popping at times when rolling backards, remember the chain and sprockets wear into each other and set up a wear pattern as well.
 
Last edited:
Rob S. said:
Yikes! I had new sprockets and chain (630) installed the same time as the tires.

But, chain is on the tight side. Mechanic likes it that way, and so do I.
Click to expand...

Tight chain not good. Accelerates sprocket and chain wear and causes additional stress on bearings etc due to the increased tension of the chain. You really gotta learn how to do some of your own maintenance.
 
mmattockx said:
Your mechanic likes it that way because it means he gets to sell you a new chainset much sooner. There is zero downside to running it on the loose side and everything lasts much, much longer that way.
Mark
Click to expand...

Frank at Powerhouse has my confidence. I hate a loose, slapping, flopping chain.

rudeman said:
Which way do you spin the wheel when you lube the chain?
Click to expand...

Forward. Correct?

mrbill5491 said:
Tight chain not good. Accelerates sprocket and chain wear and causes additional stress on bearings etc due to the increased tension of the chain. You really gotta learn how to do some of your own maintenance.
Click to expand...

Chain tensioning I can do. Haven't seen the need since the new chain was installed.

Frank did mention that the rear brake had worn the pads down to the metal and damaged the rotor, but that the rotor could still be used for awhile as long as the brake pads were changed, which they were.
 
Last edited:
I spin the wheel in both directions and lube it liberally. Then i let it settle for a bit and wipe off the excess with rag with a little WD-40 on it. Squeaking, to me, means it's got some dry spots on it.
 
rudeman said:
I spin the wheel in both directions and lube it liberally. Then i let it settle for a bit and wipe off the excess with rag with a little WD-40 on it. Squeaking, to me, means it's got some dry spots on it.
Click to expand...

If you are using an O-ring chain you are wasting your lube. All you need to do is keep the outside of the chain clean and rust free and nothing more, the important lube is already sealed inside the chain for its life. I wipe mine down with WD-40 to clean the gunk off and leave it dry. Because I live in near desert conditions I don't need any external lube on the chain at all to keep rust away, but I do need to wipe it down if I get caught in the rain.


Mark
 
rudeman said:
I spin the wheel in both directions and lube it liberally. Then i let it settle for a bit and wipe off the excess with rag with a little WD-40 on it. Squeaking, to me, means it's got some dry spots on it.
Click to expand...

"Liberal" lubing I do. I spin at least two or three rotations of the chain while spraying away at the chain and both rotors.

I use so much lube, I'm surprised that when I touch the chain later in the week, it feels tacky, rather than slick or slippery.
 
Rob S. said:
Yeah, I've known (heard, read) that for years.

But we gotta support the lube business, right? :biggrin:
Click to expand...

You don't have to use that much. If you use some, just enough to coat the chain to protect it.
 
mmattockx said:
If you are using an O-ring chain you are wasting your lube. All you need to do is keep the outside of the chain clean and rust free and nothing more, the important lube is already sealed inside the chain for its life. I wipe mine down with WD-40 to clean the gunk off and leave it dry. Because I live in near desert conditions I don't need any external lube on the chain at all to keep rust away, but I do need to wipe it down if I get caught in the rain.


Mark
Click to expand...

What do you use for lubrication between the rollers and the sprockets? I use chain lube.
 
rudeman said:
What do you use for lubrication between the rollers and the sprockets? I use chain lube.
Click to expand...

Nothing. I clean the chain with WD-40, then leave it dry. The only lube they get is from whatever the WD-40 leaves behind.


Mark
 
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