Loose Spoke?

[andygua]

Hi Guys,
This weekend I started riding and noticed a strange noise...whenever I sat on the bike (yeah, I'm a big dude) and started rolling the wheels there was a sound as if the spokes where loose (a constant "ding" bell-like sound)...
I stopped, and went through every spoke to check if they "sounded" different (when slightly hitting them), but they didn't seem to...
Maybe all of the spokes are a little loose and when I sit on the bike they will slightly bend and produce that sound as the wheels roll?

What do you experts think?

I still made it to the top of Sullivan Canyon (I think that's Mullholland right?) and back...my first "long" ride in LA

Btw, the wheels are a pair of Crossmax SL's...I couldn't tell if the sound came from the front or rear wheel though (maybe both )

[RacinJason]

You should have your wheels retentioned. The sound is your wheel flexing and the spokes rubbing against each other. It can cause excessive wear. A shop can normally tell if they came lose.
I am thinking it is your rear wheel. Because it is under much more twist load.

[Rawhead]

Are you sure the "ding" noise is coming from the spokes? I would carefully listen for the noise and be sure you find where it is coming from. It might be something silly.

One time I noticed the front wheel on my road bike was making a strange "twang" noise (similar to rattle sound of a broken pool que stick). I couldn't figure out where it was coming from... turned out that the nut on the tube valve stem was loose and making the noise.

Inspect that thing one more time!

[autoduel]

If you just had your wheels trued, the sounds would be the spokes untwisting themselves. It should only happen for a short time. The only other time I encountered thid sound is when my computer magnet was hitting the sensor.

[andygua]

I took my bike to a regular service at Helen's (I know, never again, very bad service) and I think they did true the wheels...but since the overall service didn't give me a good feeling, I thought they just might have left some the spokes loose...

Maybe it's that they are untwisting...although the sound was there when I got back to my car after doing Sullivan...should I give them a little more time to untwist?

I'll re-check if the noise is coming from the wheels, but I'm quite sure it is (although it's hard to tell when you are sitting and pedaling!)

Thanks for your help!

[DBD]

"DING" - check the rotor.

If a rotor bolt or two is loose you will get an occasional "ding" from it contacting the caliper.

edit: If the rotor is warped you can also get the same sound.

Spokes really do not make a "ding" sound unless they are completely out of the nipple and hitting something and that would be easily spotted when you check all the nipples. If the spokes were not pre-stressed when the wheel was built you will get a sort of high pitched creek out of the spokes as they settle in.

[andygua]

Originally Posted by DBD

high pitched creek out of the spokes as they settle in

I think that's a better description of the sound I have...the weird thing is this is a used bike, and I doubt the spokes are settling down anymore (I assume they already have, after a year or so of normal use).

Is is possible that the spokes need a higher tension for a heavier guy? Maybe they were ok for the previous owner's weight, but not for me, and need to get retentioned? Just a guess...

This is confusing