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I have a Skullbone (HBB) bike. I aired up my tires and now it’s making this squeaking noise when I turn the wheel right to left (not when riding it). I’ve never had this problem before. I aired the tires up to 48 PSI. Can anyone tell me why I’m getting this noise?

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    How old is the tyre? What is the ground surface - smooth painted concrete floor ?
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Nov 25, 2020 at 1:42
  • Agree with Criggie (though I don’t know what age has to do with it). Is this a rubbery squeak from the friction between smooth floor and clean tires?
    – Michael
    Commented Nov 25, 2020 at 10:48
  • This sounds like a rubbery squeak on smooth surface and on pavement. My tires are in good condition but not new. As I recall I did wash the side walls with vinegar n water. Would that do it?Thank you Michael n Criggie for your input.
    – Kruzen
    Commented Nov 29, 2020 at 5:46

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This can occur as the rubber compound deteriorates over time.

I personally had this problem this year when I used some MTB tyres that had been unused for 3 years. Fortunately for me i took it for a ride (being very cautious with grip levels) and when I was done, the squeaking was gone and grip was restored.

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Brand new tyres come with a thin layer of mould-release compound on the outside of the rubber. This helps the tyre to come off the hot mould undamaged.

That means a brand new tyre has pretty bad wet-weather grip for the first 10 km of usage. Once its worn off, and the rubber has a bit of tooth to it, the slip is minimised. This is enhanced by dampness, so if your tyres are very new they can squeak on smooth surfaces.

Old tyres tend to oxidise and harden on the outside, along with brake pads. So its possible to have a fairly un-worn tyre that has a damaged thread and is breaking down. These can also squeak because of the small particles coming off the rubber - same reason a damp finger squeaks while washing glass.

The exactly same condition exists for new car tyres too.

UPSHOT Ride it for a bit, carefully, and reevaluate. If the tyres need replacing, then do so.

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  • Thank you for your information Criggie. I will follow your advice and hopefully it will stop squeaking.
    – Kruzen
    Commented Nov 29, 2020 at 5:35

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