Buzz from front wheel- bearings?

cantdecide

I notice a slight buzzing from the front wheel as I ride- nothing too wild. It gets louder when I pull the front brakes. The pitch doesn't change with speed.

I was originally thinking it was a noise associated with the new discs and pads bedding in but it hasn't gone away in about 1000 miles and is getting slightly worse if anything. I suppose I should have thought about the bearings before but I actually have only ever changed bearings when getting tyres done so I don't know what happens when they start to fail/ wear so I don't really know if this is a symptom of failing bearings?

SmartinMartin

If the pitch doesn't change with speed it's not bearings. If you've done recent work on the brakes and the noise wasn't there before, chances are it's the brakes.

cantdecide

SmartinMartin wrote: »

If the pitch doesn't change with speed it's not bearings. If you've done recent work on the brakes and the noise wasn't there before, chances are it's the brakes.

The problem I'm having is that the bike was laid up for about 2 years and I don't recall any noise but that's not to say it wasn't there. I've replaced the (warped) discs and pads and rebuilt the calipers. There's no binding or excess heat in the brakes or anything so I'm at pains to blame them at this point.

Esel

cantdecide wrote: »

The problem I'm having is that the bike was laid up for about 2 years and I don't recall any noise but that's not to say it wasn't there. I've replaced the (warped) discs and pads and rebuilt the calipers. There's no binding or excess heat in the brakes or anything so I'm at pains to blame them at this point.

The only parameters that have been changed/adjusted are the discs, pads and callipers. If the bearing wasn't failing before it would be a major coincidence if it started now.

Did you use a torque wrench? Tolerances are relatively tiny, and correct fitment/alignment of every part is crucial.

Is it an off-road bike?

rat_race

cantdecide wrote: »

I notice a slight buzzing from the front wheel as I ride- nothing too wild. It gets louder when I pull the front brakes. The pitch doesn't change with speed.

I was originally thinking it was a noise associated with the new discs and pads bedding in but it hasn't gone away in about 1000 miles and is getting slightly worse if anything. I suppose I should have thought about the bearings before but I actually have only ever changed bearings when getting tyres done so I don't know what happens when they start to fail/ wear so I don't really know if this is a symptom of failing bearings?

It's say it's definitely the brakes. My bet is they're rubbing a bit. Can you turn the front wheel? Are they gripping even when the lever is not pulled?

CJhaughey

Take the pads out and put a chamfer on the front and rear leading edge.
Then get a tube of Ceratec grease or copper grease and lightly grease the back of the pads where they contact the piston.
Make sure any anti-squeal pads are correctly fitted as well, they may have been lost or misplaced previously.

Max Headroom

is it a BeeMW.....:p

Wossack

you able to get the front wheel off the ground and give it a spin? If you're able to replicate it, it'll help narrowing it down.. (remove calipers try again, etc etc)

if nothing else it should help you check for a gammy wheel bearing - feel if its catching etc. Even take the wheel off and have a feel of them by hand (finger)

cant imagine theres many things it can be, so any narrowing down you can do will be beneficial

Richard tea

Oddly enough , when I changed my front pads a while ago I noticed a buzz sound from what I think is the front of the bike. It's a constant buzz sound but when I apply the front brake the tone of the buzz changes. The wheel spins freely and the disc does not overheat so I'm not to bothered for now.

Wossack

check make sure your front fender is on ok, and not touching anything

could be nothing though really.. engine oscillation can make things rattle/buzz (cable too close to fairings etc), and when you pull the breaks, the mass of the front wheel & tyre is no longer separate/isolated from the rest of the bike, so the frequency of the oscillation changes = different tone