clicking was not bottom bracket, was chain, snapped on ride

oldwelshman

Hi all.
Well not a good day today. On the last few rides I noticed a clicking noise when pedalling, especially climning.
I could also feel it.
From past experience it felt like bottom bracket problem so I checked it and it ws ok.
Still same clicking so I changed chainset with one from a spare bike. The clicking was still there but a bit worse so I thought this was caused by damaged octalink on chain side arm.
So then I put original chainset back on and different pedals
Headed off to go on club run, rode 15 miles, met up with guys, then they set off as I was putting gloves on so I had about 250 yards to catch up so sprinted off and chain snapped immediately So I guess the problem was the chain all along
Anyway I have a new chainset which I was fitting anyway so am going to put new chain on and want to know can I fit one of these KMC missing links on shimano 105 chain?
http://www.parker-international.co.uk/P ... d5ac4170cb
Or would it be better to get a KMC chain? and would that be ok on 105 drive train?

whyamihere

Assuming it's a 9 speed chain, then yes, the KMC link is compatible with Shimano chains. The same goes for Sram Powerlinks. A KMC chain will also work with your drivetrain if you decide to go down that route.

oldwelshman

Cheers

Smokin Joe

I had that a few weeks ago. Transmission started making a noise when out of the saddle, had a quick look and could't find anything obvious so put it down to a worn cassette and carried on riding. Shortly after the nearly new SRAM chain let go while I was grinding up a 1 in 5.

Don't half wake you up, doesn't it? :shock:

Monty Dog

I read somewhere that KMC make Shimano's chains anyway and the missing link works fine on Shimano chains too

andrewgturnbull

Hi there.

Exactly the same thing happened to me last July... An occassional clicking noise which got worse under hard pedalling - was convinced the bb had gone, right up until the chain snapped. Unfortunately I was sprinting hard out of a corner with the rest of the Thursday night chain gang when it snapped, and I went straight down - which cost me a new helmet and 4 weeks of physio...

Never buying shimano chains again. Never letting the lbs fit a chain for me either.

Cheers, Andy

www.andyturnbull.co.uk

oldwelshman

Well glad I was not the only one who thought it was BB. Felt exacly the same.
The annoying thing is the cahin has not done over 1k miles and I lubricated it night before and do that regular!!
It also hurt becuse when I set off, chain went and my knee hit the bars hard, chain whizzed round and damaged rear cage so need parts for that now also
Next time I get clicking I will make damn sure I try a spare chain first instead of replacing BB!!

rustychisel

not trying to be critical here, but there's something to be said for trying to work out the frequency of clicks or creaks.

- once per crank revolution - look to the cranks and BB
- once per wheel revolution - wheels, dropouts, mechs etc
- once per chain revolution (harder to apprehend but the noise is regular, anyway) - you know where to concentrate your attention.

I feel your pain.

clanton

rustychisel wrote:

not trying to be critical here, but there's something to be said for trying to work out the frequency of clicks or creaks.

- once per crank revolution - look to the cranks and BB
- once per wheel revolution - wheels, dropouts, mechs etc
- once per chain revolution (harder to apprehend but the noise is regular, anyway) - you know where to concentrate your attention.

I feel your pain.

Good advice! One per chain revolution will correspond to approximately 5 crank revolutions (on my bike anyway)

redddraggon

I'm getting "cracking" or "clicking" sounds when I'm out of the saddle honking up climbs on my carbon bike. I initially thought it was the bottom bracket area of the frame cracking (!) but it's fine - so I guess from what I've read here it's the chain (only 220miles old) that needs replacing?

hamstrich

Hey everyone (first post!) I recently noticed a similar problem with my bike after not having ridden for a couple of weeks - it sounds like the kind of noise that others above have described, and occurs with every 1/2 revolution whenever applying hard pressure, especially when out of the seat. Since the noise doesn't seem to be there at all under gentle pressure, I wasn't able to work out where it was coming from... sounds like I should have a close look at the chain. I should probably also learn how to replace it if it does break on me...
Rich

c11r15

i have a specialized hardrock 2007 i have got this clicking noise and doesnt seem like anything is rubbing. i wounder if mine could be chain as well but im doing the w2w next weekend.

donaldinho

Dear oh dear!

I've got the same creaking problem, seems to be every 1/2 or 1 rev of the cranks,
it happens in the lower gears going uphill. It got pretty loud going round Arthur's Seat yesterday

Are there any signs of weakness that I should be looking for on the chain?
Can't see anything obvious.

Daywalkercp

Same thing happen to me this week, put a new Sram chain on, after less than 200 miles it started clicking going up hill when out of the saddle so I put my old chain back on and now everything's ok again. Is the quality of stuff going down nowadays or what

feel

some of the above clicks could also be due to dry/loose joints between pedal and crank or between crank and BB.

ColinJ

redddraggon wrote:

I'm getting "cracking" or "clicking" sounds when I'm out of the saddle honking up climbs on my carbon bike. I initially thought it was the bottom bracket area of the frame cracking (!) but it's fine - so I guess from what I've read here it's the chain (only 220miles old) that needs replacing?

I wouldn't bet on it! I had the same thing on my mountain bike and could have sworn it was a transmission thing. I went bombing down a steep rocky descent near here (with a big drop-off to the side!) and no sooner had I hit the flat bit at the bottom when there was a loud cracking noise and my bars rotated through 90 degrees! The bolt in my handlebar stem had been over-tightened and it had pulled the thread clean out :shock: :shock: :shock:!

A couple of minutes earlier and I could have been a goner!

I think the moral of these stories is - don't ignore funny little things going wrong with your bike because they could turn into nasty big things when you least expect them to!

Muzak

Same type of problem. Best described as a creaking or clicking that occurs all the time when pedalling up a hill and very occasionally otherwise. Basically it happens when putting significant pressure on the pedals.

Have had the LBS do a superficial check on the BB but there was nothing of note. Removed and re-greased pedals at home. Bike is only 6 months old and has about 1500 miles on it. Having read posts above I am going to replace the chain I think. Mine is at 0.75% on the chain wear thingy which means it should be replaced anyway soon.

Out of interest though, is there any way to find the issue on the chain or prove it is the chain before replacing it?

richardjallen

oldwelshman wrote:

Or would it be better to get a KMC chain? and would that be ok on 105 drive train?

My 105 chain snapped recently and I replaced it with a KMC. Works fine in a 105 groupset. I would not bother with the gold one though.

redddraggon

Muzak wrote:

Out of interest though, is there any way to find the issue on the chain or prove it is the chain before replacing it?

Get another chain, put the new chain on, if the sound still remains I'd put the original back on and try and work out another solution. Means you've got a spare chain for rotation then.

richardjallen

redddraggon wrote:

I'm getting "cracking" or "clicking" sounds when I'm out of the saddle honking up climbs on my carbon bike. I initially thought it was the bottom bracket area of the frame cracking (!) but it's fine - so I guess from what I've read here it's the chain (only 220miles old) that needs replacing?

Have you tried locating the sound? I was getting one from the headtube area then I noticed there was headset play and I tightened it all and I have not noticed it recently.

_luke

Just a quick note for those with clicking under load every 1/2 revolutions of the crank...I had this but changed pedals and greased the threads with some anti-seize compound at the weekend. Much better - the noise has now gone!

Now I have rear derailleur noise instead - a topic for another thread

jswba

This is a little worrying. I've got that creaking/clicking noise that only occurs in high gears when I'm pushing hard on the right crank (so once per crank revolution). Will have a look at the chain (even though it's not done that many miles).

juankerr

I had similar noises and it was rear hub problems transmitting through the chain when under pressure. Big, thin MTB tubing was amplifying the noise so it sounded like it was coming from the BB area.

Anonymous

How do you check if the chain is in bad condition, what should I look for as I hear this clicking coming from the front it seems, when I push on the pedal I hear this clicking and feel it too, thought it was the pedal at first put since changing to clipless it is still there, abit quieter though.

JesseD

I had the same noise coming from my bike and it was slowly getting worse, so I completely stripped the bike, cleaned everything, re-greased it all and put it back together, the only thing I didn’t do was the BB and the headset. So when the noise started again I was convinced it was the BB and that it either needed re-greasing or it was shot and I needed a new one.

Then I was out on Sunday and the clicking got worse about 15 miles from home, I started up a small climb and the chain completely snapped, I didn’t have a chain tool with me so I had to call a mate to come and pick me up. God I was angry but luckily I didn’t fall off and was in the saddle at the time.

I have managed to “fix” the chain, but would you guys recommend sticking a new chain on there, if so would I have to change the cassette as well, they’ve probably done about 2000 miles in total?

Somehow I know the answer is going to be the expensive option.

zanes

I had a similar noise to some people here, ie. creaking/tapping every 1/2 to 1 revolution of the pedals. Turns out one of my crank arms was lose, it's now completely wrecked and the LBS are still trying to get me one in, which is with all the weather atm.