Strida 5.0 "clicking" noise

I Had the same problem and went bact to the dealer a couple of times to complain.He first said said it was because it was new and the noise will go away.It turns out there is something wrong with the rear bearing and Strida is aware of this and has recalled many of the recent bikes because of this problem.I was told that they will change it [The bearing]and will take it back over the weekend.I have only had the bike a couple of weeks[Strida 5.1] and it is a pity that that this occurred to an otherwise excellent product.

The Uk distributors said they had 1or 2 loose or noisey freewheels, but not many.
On the Strida5 this is at the back , like a regular bike so freewheel shouldn’t take as much load as my Strida3 freewheel, in the front.

I had exactly the same problem. Drove me crazy, because I only used my Strida few times and it used to be silent. At first I suspected the bearings of the bottom tube, which are also not okay, but this could not explain the sound.
I then checked every bolt I could find and found the source of the problem. The steel ring fixing the rear wheel had worked itself into the aluminium frame. This ring appears to have sharp edges and since aluminium frame is much softer than steel frame, it has no chance.

After removing the ring I did the following:

  1. Carefully remove the burrs from the alu frame (for the largest part),
  2. Used fine grade sand paper and a water stone to remove the sharp edge of the ring,
  3. Then I mounted the ring with some copper grease.

Since then it works like a charm. No sound whatsoever and I am happy again.
Hope this helps you out as well.

I too hear a sequence of loud “click” sounds when bearing down on the pedals going up hill, or getting a fast start on level ground. sort of Whap, Whap, Whap as long as i am pressing hard on the pedals.

The problem comes only when I am really pushing on the pedal, and is easy to reproduce the problem.

I believe the cause is the freewheel is bending slightly when a lot of pressure is applied to the pedals, and so the alignment of the freewheel to the belt is off by a couple mm. That causes the belt to ride up on the the ‘guardrails’ on the freewheel that form the channel in which the belt fits while in contact with the freewheel teeth. So the pedal pressure bends the freewheel a bit, and the belt on the return side rides up on the guardrail, and then falls back into the channel with a loud click.

Can anybody confirm this diagnosis for the loud click, and suggest a solution?

Is it the belt jumping ?
If so, you need to check

  1. The belt tension (top of belt should be tight enough so light hand pressure from above does not make it contact top tube) … adjust by slackening and rotating the eccentric BB, untill tighter … BUT not too tight which wears out everything faster.
  2. Snubber has the right gap (small as possible without touching the back of the belt … ie about 0.25mm) … adjust by slackening lock nut then snubber bolt, to allow the bearing position to be adjusted, then re-tighten. I find this takes a few attempts as the position seem to move as the bolt and locknut are tightened. There is plenty of info on this forum … search ‘Snubber’

If its not the belt jumping … I’m not so sure what it could be, might need some more careful listening and diagnosing.

If you are right about the freewheel “bending” i.e. moving out of alignment, then you might check whether the bolt clamping the bottom tube to the seat tube is tight enough. I have this problem too at the moment (too much play between bottom tube and seat tube).

Hello,
I had a similar problem. I could hear an annoying sound every pedal turn.
After several trials I found that the bolt 464 was touching the rear wheel.
To be sure, I removed the Fender completely and the sound was gone.
After that I removed the washer 411 which increased the clearance between the rear wheel and the bolt.
Hope this may help.
Good ride,

@Bartman236:

Hi! I’m struggling to locate the clicking sound on my SX – looks like exactly the one you’ve fixed. Could you please explain in more detail – which steel ring do you mean? A washer between the axle and the frame? Or what??

Thanks!

Alex

Hello Alex,

welcome to the Stridaforum!

Bartman236 meant part nr. 363 (367).

Actually this is not a washer (like part nr. 364), it is a disc (or cup) spring.
Please read more about that here:
[url]Broken 373 Bolt]
[url]18" Wheel Upgrade: not that easy...]

Once again, thanks to Bartman236:

I’ve skipped step 1, because both of my Stridas were “as good as new” (50 - 100 km) as the noises started (and the burrs were not deep).

The sharp edge at the outer diameter of the inner side of the ring.

First I’ve tried silicone grease, but it doesn’t last long.
Much better is this:

http://www.neverseezproducts.com/bostik.htm

The noises came back on the black Strida after riding ~ 700 km, this time I’ve skipped step1 and 2.
Applying of 1 or 2 cubic millimeters never seez at the cup spring edge killed the noise again with less effort :smiling_imp:

Further questions are always welcome.

Best regards

BSA

@Blackstridaaustria:

Thank you for the fine instructions! Have done that just before my 12 km ride to work-- will see if it helps.

UPD: blessed silence! You guys are wizards!

–A

Very good, target reached! :sunglasses:

Thank you, sadly we are not wizards, just a bit experienced, nothing more.

I have the same “clicking” noise issue.
I stated that it was louder when the temperature was above 20…25°C. I have read somewhere that the tension of the Kevlar belt increases with the temperature so either the noise comes from the freewheel, either it comes from the bolt and its cup spring which would be subject to higher forces at “high” temperatures.
I will try the grease method on the cup spring first.

I’m curious what you’ll find out…

I now have this clicking noise on my bike. I can’t make sense of the previous posts, so can anyone give me a step-by-step remedy in plain English for me, please? Thank you!

Hi verycherry,

plain English might be a problem… :blush:
However, let’s give it a try:

Step 1:
Remove bolt 373, washer 364 and cup spring(s) 367 (363).

Step 2:

(I believe this step could be cancelled if the bike is relatively new.)

Step 3:

Meant is the sharp outer edge (diameter) at the inside of the cup spring 367 (363).
(The edge of the cup spring which had caused the burrs in the frame.)

One or two cup springs?

Actually, both of my 2010 Stridas do have one cup spring.

Step 4:

copper grease :question:

Look for an anti seizing compound (already posted)

Step 5:
Remount washer 364 and bolt 373.

Please don’t forget to use a bolt adhesive (like Loctite or similar) for bolt 373 and watch the recommended torque of 18-20 Nm :exclamation:

Step 6:
Please report about your experience…

Pics above in 1024x768

Better now?
Any question?

Thanks for this detailed explanation. I am happy to see that I don’t need to disassemble the complete rear wheel assembly (including brake caliper) to do this.

According to me there is a design error here: a cup spring/belleville washer should never be in contact with a soft surface like the aluminum frame, a (hard) metal washer should be installed in between.

:smiley:

The complete “operation” is very simple indeed and might be done in a few minutes (except the grinding). A complete rear wheel change (belt tension/kickstand length/brake caliper adjustment included) will take about 1 hour - if you’re used to.

You’re right, I mean…

I think we have the same problem here.

Two different materials are pressed together strongly - not good.
In case of the bellevue (cup) springs the effect is a crackling noise, in the case saddle bolt and nut is the effect the seized thread.

The reason is the same: seizing, galling, binding, jamming - of different materials.

:unamused: :unamused:

I just wanted to mention that I bought a new LT and to my surprise, after about a month ~75mi, I started getting the aweful creaking noise as well. Turning down the edge on the spring washer with a metal file and some sand paper (I did put some grease in there too) fixed the problem completely. Thank you! :mrgreen:

Hello deeno35,

many thanks for the feedback :sunglasses:

Have a safe ride!

You, sir, are a god. Thank you so much for the plenty of info not only on this thread but in countless others in the forum. You helped a lot a fellow Stridist in South America.

Cheers!