BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Probably a broken spoke, or flat tire? If the bike is in Oakland, there are a dozen people on this board that I'm sure would be happy to have a look at it before you bring it somewhere.

Mmm... I highly doubt is a dented tire. You could have something IN the tire that is making the noise and that could lead to a flat eventually, or perhaps is that you're not fully on-gear and your derailer is hitting something ?

I myself are still learning bike repair and that, but I can honestly recommend "Ted's Excellent Bike Repair Shop" in the Southside it's awesome... Ted the owner is very down to earth, and if you hang-around while he checks the bike you'll learn a thing or two. Also, took my bike there for a tune up and it was the BEST tune up ever!

Good luck and welcome to the board

It could be something as simple as a piece of gum or a rock stuck to your tire.

Highly doubt it was due to potholes. I've ran into minivans and sizable median strips and my wheel doesn't make thumping noises

I would try spinning the wheels off the ground, see if it makes the noise

If not, check the tires for abnormal abnormal shapes where it would make contact with the ground and look for debris like rsprake suggested

@rsprake: I agree. Once my bike made a sound something like:

whack whack WHACK whack WHACK WHACK whack

The sound made me think that the bike was about to fall apart under me! Slammed on the brakes (I was going pretty fast) in a bit of a panic, flipped the bike over... ready for the worst... and it was a holly leaf that was hitting the brake.

And thank goodness, I was in sheep pasture about 20 miles from the nearest town.

I forgot to add: What everyone else said, plus: check your chain. Up in sq hill one time I got a decent sized piece of wood stuck in my chain that made an awful sound... that did indeed sound like it was coming from the back tire. Popped the wood out, the sound stopped and I went on my way.

Check your tire carefully. You may have an aneurysm.

When a bike sits with a flat for a long time the tire can get a flat spot and then will not seat in the rim properly. Most of the time it's very easy to fix. Turn the bike upside down, take most of the air out of the tire, spin it real fast for 10 seconds, and then refill it slowly.  Hope this works, Good luck!    

+1 for piece of gum or rock stuck to the tire, leaf hitting brakes, something stuck in chain. These are all regular occurences.

I'd start with a thorough visual inspection. Turn it upside down, spin the wheels and crank the pedals. Is something hitting or stuck somewhere?

I can relate to not knowing a lot but wanting to learn, though I'd suggest from my meager half year's experience, don't be afraid to inspect it yourself, and don't be afraid of the bike shop folks - they're a patient and helpful bunch, and will help you diagnose a problem.

That said, (and I also bought a used bike which I love immensely), I have put money into it, but it was money well spent. It might help to establish a relationship with a shop that you feel comfortable with. Feeling like a complete idiot at first, I basically went to Trek in Shadyside, introduced myself, and said "you're my friendly neighborhood bike shop"... the subtext of which was "I'm a idiot, get used to it". That worked out quite well, and I've become a regular customer. I would now describe myself as only half an idiot.

There's likely a difference between what you could theoretically "do yourself", and what you are currently equipped to do. However, each "incident" adds to the knowledge base, even if it's only knowing what you don't know.

I'm unsure about road bikes due to the bad pavement conditions you mentioned, but even there, I imagine there's equipment that is better suited to conditions. I bought an early model mountain bike (Specialized Stump Jumper), and in 6 months, I'm on my 3rd set of tires. They cost money. The first replacements were a mistake. But I now have tires that are perfect for me, and am happy as a lark.

+1 on getting to know people on this board. Chances are pretty good you're less than five minutes from one of the regulars here.

IF you travel that route regularly, I would be happy to take a look at it/(possibly) fix it for you. I live a block off the Blvd of the Allies.

Most of the people on here will vouch for me.

don't take nick up. your bike might come out 2x taller and 500x louder.

And there are a bunch of people in squirrel hill / greenfield. Bikefind is trying her hand at wrenching, You should be able to identify the thump if you look hard enough, even if you don't know what to do about it.

Not a bad idea in any case to buy a spare set of inner tubes, and becoming familiar with how to change a tire.

Get to know that particular size wrench well, maybe even have a spare wrench to carry around with you, and a patch kit.

An easy way to start: flip the bike upside-down, so the handlebars and seat are on the ground, and the wheels are in the air. Move the crank with your hand so you turn the rear wheel. Look and listen. Check tire pressure front and rear. Turn the wheels by hand and see if anything is hitting the brake pads. Look at the wheels to be sure they're true (that is, give them a spin with your hand and watch carefully to be sure you don't see any back-and-forth wobble during full revolutions). Touch each spoke to make sure it's not broken.

Go to Kraynick's. he will teach you everything you need to know.

Noah, I hate you and I hate you state.

wow that's hardcore. well you can hate me all you want but only if it comes with interrupter levers plz

I'll add that if Dirty Harry's is part of the norm, not the exception, when I've taken in my bike (including a crap bike that needed everything under the sun) for a specific problem, and said "address this, and tell me if you see anything major other than that, but just address THIS" (where THIS is a nonspecific but irritating issue whose cause I didn't know), they've done that. They didn't talk me in to or charge me for a bunch of stuff I didn't ask for. In fact, once I asked for new derailleurs (if it needed) and they didn't give them to me, they just fixed what I had & explained why I didn't need new.

at least DH's isn't like a car mechanic, where they'll squeeze newbs for every dime they can. Not saying don't do yourself, just saying if you don't have time or don't know how, take it to the shop rather than letting it languish in your garage unridden. There's nothing sadder than a bicycle waiting unridden for repair.

Any response yet from the Oscillator? Have you tried any of these steps? Did they help?