ok - so this one is flummoxing me:

2010 c'dale supersix
2011 mavic r-sys slr wheels w/ mavic tires & stock skewers
2010 mavic sl-premium wheels w/ conti gp4000 tires & stock skewers
2011 madfiber wheels w/ mavic tires (switching to conti comp25s) & control-tech race skewers

have a creak when standing on the bike thought it was the headset, the bb, etc. etc.
checked everything - everything's fine.
then threw on the madfibers for a long climbing ride and, well, no more creak.
put the r-sys wheels back on and creak creak creak
did a ride on the sl-premium wheels and no creak.

haven't gotten a chance to put the r-sys wheels on my other bike to see what happens then but:

anyone have any ideas?

all the spokes seem fine - no movement, etc.
have pulled the hubs apart and checked everything.
no play in hubs, no out of round/true/anything off.

these are awesome wheels except for the maddening creak when i'm out of the pedals.

at this point i'd hate to speculate if it's front or rear.

and no, earplugs are not an option!

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thanks,
nick

Next time, swap only one wheel at a time to narrow it down easier.

-Eric

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www.ergottwheels.com

that's the current state ready for tomorrow - front wheel sl-premium, rear r-sys slr.

but just wondering if anyone has any experience with creaking r-sys wheels.

i remember the first few years of k-series wheels where the rear hub would creak a bit - dabs of tenacious oil on the spoke ends in the hub (the crossed spokes, non-drive-side) made said sound go away.

this sounds different from that and the rear hub seems pretty much the same as the one on the sl-premium which is nice and quiet.

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thanks,
nick

You might want to try a set of shimano DA skewers. Solved my creaking rear mavic wheel

Try putting a wee amount of grease on your dropouts.
I think that could be it if you've ruled all else out

I had similar problems with noises from R-Sys wheels. I think it comes from the spokes changing from being in tension on top to being in compression on the bottom. I could get it to go away by tightening all the spokes and re-truing. However, I am not sure this is a good idea. It may increase the probability of a catastrophic failure. Yet another reason not to run R-Sys wheels. You can easily find lighter, cheaper, stronger and WAY more aero wheels.

had the same problem before. Later found out that the creaking sound was caused by the spoke head rubbing the cylindrical insert. I put some dry lube on all the spoke heads that contacts the cylindrical insert and problem solved.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2007/09/news/since-the-spokes-in-the-tracomp-are-not-under-high-tension-at-all-times-the-spoke-heads-could-move-in-the-hub_40686

honestly that's my suspicion of what's going on because it kind of mirrors what the old k-series rear hubs did - i'll ride the front sl-premium tomorrow and see if the noise is there or not.
if not will then try to see if the controltech skewers will make it go away.
then will try some boshield on the spoke ends.
after that?

@tantra i have wondered about increasing tension but really don't want to mess with it if i can avoid it.

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thanks,
nick

If you're still using the Mavic skewers, try switching them out for DA or Record or something.

I don't own these wheels, but several people that have come through the shop have had similar problems. Most were just an issue with those (crappy) skewers. I had the same skewers on some CCSL's and the dang things rattled from day one where the plastic of the lever bet the actual metal bit of the cam mechanism.

Good luck with it!

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This board and the world in general would be a much nicer place if everyone could just take themselves a little less seriously.

My front R-Sys SL started creaking Saturday for the first time ever. I removed the axle, lightly greased the surfaces where the bearings ride on the axle. I also lightly greased the interface between the axle and the axle end caps.

I have also heard that the TraComp ring in hub that secures the spoke heads can make noise, so I sprayed a little PTFE dry lube in there.

I haven't tested yet but will report back. I expect one or the other treatments will have fixed the noise.

best regards,
Mavic Zack

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USA Communications Guy
Mavic, Inc.
http://www.mavic.com
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Had creaking FFWD F5 front wheel a year ago. Description to the R-Sys mentioned in this thread matches.

Checked everything only to find out afterwards that the cause was FFWD's quick release skewer (so not the wheel itself after all). The aluminium/metal skewer had got some rust which allowed very slight movement when locked to the fork with "normal tightness levels". Cleaning the skewer helped. Of course making the skewer connect to the fork insanely tight also solved the problem but that's not the good solution.

EDIT: the creaking noise could spring up when pedalling out of the saddle. Also if just standing, holding the front brake tight and having the wheel still between your legs, when pulling the handle bars up and down from its sides (like simulating forces that occur when pedalling out of the saddle) you could get the creaking and quite scary sound.

i would not be one bit surprised if it all came down to the skewers...

as of now i have confirmed that it is just the front wheel.

re-installed the r-sys and swapped with the skewers that have been quiet on my madfibers (not the ones that come with mf's - those are far and near - but controltech race) and will see if that makes the difference.

if not i'll figure out something to lube the spoke ends with (i've already pulled the axle & lubed the bearing surfaces & threads with marine anti-sieze).

after that?

well, let's just hope there's no after that.

these are stunningly good wheels but if they keep creaking i'll go slowly insane.

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thanks,
nick

Mavic skewers are prone to creaking. A drop of chainlube at the cam usually is enough to quiet it.

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TIME RXR

not the skewers - creaked just as bad this morning (was on a different bike past few days).

opened the hub and dripped some boshield on the spoke-ends after my ride.
fingers crossed tomorrow won't be a squeaky ride in the hills.

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thanks,
nick

I had something similar. At the time I was using Ksyrium SLs. At first I thought it was the headset, then skewers but turned out to be the alloy dropouts on the fork. Try putting a little grease them.
I know what your saying about the noise driving you mad!