Cracking sounds inside hub

[mstanescu]

Hello all

I have the following problem. if i apply more force in pedals (like standing up from saddle and accelerating) i hear short cracking songs ( like a person walking on a loose wooden parquet or while sitting down on an old chair)

I removed rear wheel from frame and i can reproduce the sounds by applying force to rotate the sprockets in the normal rotation direction while keeping the wheel steady with the other hand. Seems like its coming from inside the freehub mechanism. The freehub seems to rotate very well without deviations.

I have M-wing hub and Shimano XT cassette.

Any ideas what is the cause?. Could it be water or dust?

Thanks
Mihai

[X-RAY]

you sure its not your chain? kinda sounds like spokes also. just a couple other things to check.

[Bill]

Yes check the spoke tension (how tight they are). If they are loose then use the tutorial on this site on how to true a wheel. If what X-ray says and the above then let us know here.

[mstanescu]

It cannot be the chain since i can reproduce the sounds by removing the wheel from the bike.

As for the spokes....i dont know...could be...thanks for the idea.

[cyclerUK]

It sounds like you have diagnosed your own problem.
Possibly is a cracked bearing in the freehub or hub bearing.
Another possibility is wear in the teeth of the freehub where the cassette slides on?
You will have to remove the cassette, freehub and strip the wheel bearing down to investigate.

[X-RAY]

oops,i missed the part about removing it from the frame. that was a very good idea, it eliminated alot of other possible causes for the noise.