Ok so I have been plagued with rear wheel squeaking. It gets louder and faster the faster I am driving. It happens when I coast, accelerate and brake. I do not think it is connected to the brakes. I also do not believe that it is the belt because it is so extremely loud and I have centered the belt already. I pulled the wheel and lubed EVERYTHING but it continues to squeak loudly.  I also replaced the rear wheel crush washers and that did eliminate the play in the rear wheel sprocket but it still squeaks the same regardless. I am beginning to think that it may be the rear wheel bearings.I am getting insanely good at taking the rear wheel off I have done it so many times.  Also a possibility is that something is rubbing on the rear left spacer. When I last took apart the bike I notice, 3 separate rings around the base of the spacer. The metal was shiner and smoother indicating to my non-mechanic mind that something was rubing. Where the sprocket touches the outside of the spacer. I am being slowly driven insane by this issue. I would really appreciate any assistance on how to possible fix this squeaking. How do I check to see if the bearings are ok? The bike only has ~16k miles on it. Thanks for anything!

If you put it in first and try to roll it back you'll get the slack in the bottom of the belt. Then grab half way between the pulleys,2 finger tips under,thumb on top. If the secretary or a healthy 5th grade girl couldn't twist it to vertical,it's too tight.

Yep,, Id jack it up, pull the rear wheel, slip the belt off,Position it outta the way, install and spin the wheel, poke a skinny tube in my ear & give 'er a spin.. & see if I could find eggzakery whats squeakin,,
Id hafta have a look at the brake shoes,  see if ones rubbing, If you cant find the squeak, ya mite even pull the brake shoes out and spin it.
Youre sure the tire isnt rubbing anything?
Does it matter if youre accelerating or coasting or using brakes?

How loud is it? If ya ride past someone, say, walking on the sidewalk,, are they gonna hear it? If theres a squeak involved in every rotation of the wheel, is it a long drawn out squeak or a millisecond pulse?

Before I DID anything Id jack it up and spin the tire and put a mark on the tire, heck, anywhere,, across the tire at the bottom of the fender,, whatever,, You wanna know if the squeak happens at a different time during the rotation of the tire once you start messing with it,,

Does the rim run "True"? Have ya thumped spokes to see if theyre even? Now, the short ones wont sound like the long ones, but the long ones should sound about the same as should the short ones,, If the rim wasnt true and someone pulled it true with the spokes, then some will be tighter than others, but none of them should be a dull Thud..

check your front and back pulleys are done up tight?

Serowbot wrote on 10/05/14 at 17:14:43:


I really don't believe that it is the belt. I have angled the belt, I ground the belt to put it on an angle so it doesn't squeak, soaked it in belt dressing, aligned it on the rear sprocket, cleaned the sprockets, made sure the belt can be easily twisted to 90 degree angle, I am becoming really frustrated.  The squeal cant be found when I spin the wheel on a lift because the squeaking doesnt start until I get about 10 or so mph.

This space right here is the only part that has shiney melt on it, that would indicate to me that it is scraping. Sorry to keep posting, but I am at a loss.

Since it only does it under load and not on a jack, its gonna make anything other than close inspection while its parked a little hazardous.. Before I went further Id SURE have a close look at the belt guard and the front pulley guard, they can make a racket. Theres Sposedtabe a fiber piece between them,, If not, it can squeak is it shifts or rattle if it vibrates.. Im doubting that it, but, at this point, Id hafta have a look,, If nothing ese, jam something in there.. & see if anything changes..

To me,the"especially when it's cold"says belt.. I suggest Gulf(any kind will do,I'd guess) canning wax. At the store,ask for canning supplies,, rub it down the edges and run it back and forth between the pulleys. Like dragging a stick down a picket fence. Move the bike, get it all.. Yeah,it's gonna sling off. But we NEED to prove it is the belt. I know you have soaked it in belt dressing, but I don't know how it does.. I Know how the canning wax does.. It'll De-squeak a belt..

pas40 may have hit upon a solution that is consistent with your stated symptoms.  The rubber blocks wouldn't see any amount of force when the wheel is turned while the bike is on jacks but would see force and rubbing while it is under power.  

In your picture there appears to be some brown material back in there, I assume that is grease and not rust.  But still it looks a little dry, probably just the photo.  I lube just about everything except friction surfaces as I reassemble it.