Strida 5.0 "clicking" noise

@ BSA,

i will try to post the photos of the affected rear tyre (due to fender screws rubbing) next week after my short weekend holiday in malaysia.
again, thanks for all the replies and educational discussions here in this forum.

I agree with the external thread but you need a much finer thread (max 1 mm) than the standard 1.75 mm in order to do fine adjustment of the play. Take example at the old bike headset adjusting nuts which have fine thread as well:

I think a retrofit would be possible by selling a kit with following parts:

  • new axle + adjusting nut + some washers
  • new steel bottom tube insert to replace the plastic one.
  • a plastic clamp to attach the bottom tube to the seat tube when folded.

One modification would be needed to the frame: drill 2 holes in the bottom tube in order to fix the insert with screws. This could be done by the owner if a drilling template would be supplied with the kit.
If a kit was for sale at less than 75 EUR, then I would for sure buy it :wink:

Question related to the picture you posted: which axle is shown on the top?

@ carllracsr:

happy holidays, we’re looking forward for your pics :smiley:
Just to mention it: A while ago,

Broken 373 Bolt

@ Bietrume:

Yes right, I was also thinking of a fine pitch thread here, there is just the disadvantage of another unusual part - the fine threaded lock/adjusting nut(s).

However, I think such a kit cannot be realized without help from Ming (or their suppliers?)
The initial reason to take the picture below was the request for a quote to create a pair of similar axles but made of Titanium.

It was sent to a German custom parts manufacturer (Al + Ti specialist), the guy told me that the inner threads will be problematic to drill - due to the Titanium characteristics.
He meant it would be much more easy to elongate the axles a bit and use outer (male) threads.
(Function would be recovered by the using nuts instead of bolts, of course will a magnet modification - or even redesign - be required.)
Anyway, the working costs for such a (yes, Titanium) custom axle pair would be ~ 300 €.
So, even if made of steel, the costs for the kit will be far above your limit, I’m afraid of…
(I did not consider the costs for the 100-07 part made of steel and the smaller parts).
Above will apply to most European countries, I believe…custom made parts in small amounts are very pricy.

With the help of Taiwan could the kit manufacturing costs be decreased dramatically:
Did you know that the shown original axles were bought for ~ 20 € - per pair?
End user price, including all the sub-dealer margins…

Below the correct position of the axles to each other :wink:

I was wondering how the manufacturers of SLO’s (fake Stridas) dealt with this issue and
I found following picture in this topic: [url]seat height]

It looks like there is no cup spring (too expensive!), the axle is probably shorter, but there is no possibility to lock the bolt unless they use Loctite. There is not plastic insert in the bottom tube either. Hopefully they welded a small tube in it to guide and support the axle.
Maybe we should purchase SLO parts to check? :laughing:

Don’t call Satan… :laughing:

We have a SLO here and might autopsy that…it’s already dead :smiling_imp:

@Minkair,

Following your advise on the 2 allen screws at the spigot, I did it this morning before my ride and observed if the "noise"will disappear.i’m glad to note that the ‘noise’ really disappeared after loosening the 2 allen screws.
On a short break, I tightened back the 2 allen screws again to observe if the “noise” will come back.During my ride, the noise did come back intermittently, but not as frequent as before.My question is, what really created the noise? Is it because of metal to metal movement in the spigot during riding ? I don’t see any hairline cracks in the spigot or the brackets.
I wrapped the allen screws (with the washer) with a teflon tape, before tightening back the screws and will observe again this afternoon.I hope this will help.

@carllracsr

I had the same issue and I took the 2 screws off, put Loctite on (as recommended in the user manual), and tightened them again at 14Nm with the bottom tube assembled on the spigot to make sure the alignment was correct.
I then waited one night before riding, to enable the Loctite to cure.

The noise comes from the spigot slightly moving into the bracket of the front tube.

I stated that some noise could appear again at sub zero temperatures but I’m not sure of its origin: spigot or rear joint.

@Bietrume,

Thanks again for your idea of putting a Loctite at the screws.I will try this method ,and hopefully the annoying sound will be solved.:slight_smile:

@Bietrume,

This is a follow-up of my post yesterday on the outcome of the annoying noise at the said spigot.
I am glad to inform that the noise problem is solved with my Strida, when I ride this morning.
Like I mentioned in my previous post, I used a teflon tape to the allen screws and re-tightened back. Since I don’t have at torque wrench to verify the torque, I tightened it such that it’s not too tight but I’m confident taht it won’t come out at be loosened.
I did a 6kms ride this morning on different road conditions (asphalted, cemented ,uphill and downhill) and it seemed that the 'sound" is gone and the ride is quiet. :laughing:
Thanks for all your wonderfull ideas!If not for this forum, I will have no choice but to return to the seller here in Singapore and bring back my Strida for further checking -but that will be so inconvenient to me.

Also had an annoying creaking noise coming from somewhere.
So removed the rear bolt, and put some WD40 between all the parts.

Was to lazy to search for the correct key to remove the spigot screws, so just sprayed a little WD40 on them.

My SX is all quiet now.

Thanks for the feedback dear Thamar :smiley:

Hm, well…may I recommend that you search for a 6 mm Allen key?

Just to assure that the spigot bolts (p. nr. 274) are tightened correctly…it’s also a matter of your safety :wink:

The red part means (below others) the spigot bolts!

Please read yourself here:
http://www.strida.com/upload/Image/catalogue/Tips%20from%20Mark.pdf

Hello!!! I am a new user Strida in Argentina. Thank you very much for the welcome to the group! Buy a used bicycle. having the noise problem … Check: It’s dangerous not solve the problem, or I can walk well until it is more constant. really rarely does.

Hello alebici,

welcome at Stridaforum!

I think the noises are not dangerous, but annoying :unamused:

It happens only while pedaling hard, correct?

Yes, only sometimes, when pedaling strong.
Thank you so much!
BR.
Alejandro

Update, one of the last sources of rear “creakiness” I found to be my spokes! I could hear three distinct noises at one point after having my EVO for a while. I followed a lot of suggestions in this thread and with guidance from BSA and SCW I managed to eliminate most of the noise I was hearing from the back end. I also applied copper grease to the parts of the sprung saddle that were in contact with each other (a little goes a long way, dont over do it) which quieted it down to silent… But back to the spokes, I am not a veteran cyclist, I know you need to true your wheels and tune spokes but it just never occurred to me to check this with my new strida. So I did the pluck test to the pokes after pulling my strida out of winter hibernation and found more than a few loose or dead spokes. A quick tuning and and a ride through the park today and I am happy to report that my EVO sounds as quiet as it should. While pedaling down a fast hill you only hear a faint clicking noise from the transmission and the pleasant hollow whoosh of the kojaks at 100psi. On flats and uphill stretches, a faint creak from the handle bars and otherwise quiet as a mouse.

So check your spokes and best of luck to other strida owners. The spokes should all have some sort of nice melodic ping as you pluck them with your fingernail. If you have one or more that are dead, or do not resonate at all, google “spoke truing or tuning” and hopefully this will help you as well.

Hi tnprime,

many thanks for your report!

What a pity that Ming obviously wasn’t able to improve their wheel builds;
it’s more than three years ago when they promised to do:
Re: Broken spokes

Here’s an interesting article about the “ear-method”; I believe we - as very small wheel users - don’t need to take that much attention to the exact musical pitch of each spoke.
Most important is that a plucked spoke has to produce a clear note - and not a dull thud.
Check spoke tension by ear / John S. Allen

Found recently this interesting video;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHUTbr_D070
if you listen closely you should be able to verify different sounds - during the first minute:

  • Voices

  • Wind noise

  • Rattling noise of the spinning freewheel

  • and occasionally the typical creaking, crackling or clicking noise of a damaged 373 bolt connection!
    :exclamation:

There is some stuff about Adjusting bottom to Rear joint, spring washers in Strida 1 manual:

issuu.com/mark77a/docs/strida1-owners-manual/44
&
issuu.com/mark77a/docs/strida1-owners-manual/19

Looks like the 2 moving parts are effectively spring-loaded together - to get enough friction to prevent bottom tube falling to the ground, and enough torque transfer between bottom tube and rear joint

I’ve found that having a large diameter nylon washer between the bottom and rear joint flat surfaces helps get good both friction and torque transfer. And as its hard to find various spring washer thickness’, as in the manual, varying the thickness of this nylon washer also adjusts the axial spring load on the joint.

Hi, I also have a noise on my strida : “squeak…squeak …squeak …”, I think it comes from the rear wheel and the rear tube that squeaks with each pedal stroke. Is it possible to share the Strida 1 manual? Thank you in advance

A typical sign of a rear hinge issue would be that it occurs more often under higher load (uphill, wind from front).

Of course (I couldn’t find it online right now, above source seems dead) but if you mail me I’ll send you a copy.

Kind regards,

Chris
stv@gmx.org