Creakings, clickings, tickings, clankings and knockings.

ic.

It could. Good shout. Will re-do them later

jonathanuk

jonathanuk wrote:

Giraffoto wrote:

drlodge wrote:

How regular is the tick-tick-ticking, as this will point to where its coming from...once per revolution its likely the crank, once every two-three revolutions and its more likely the chain, twice per revolution its the rear cassette somewhere. Does it occur in every gear or just certain gears? Both chainrings?

Once per revolution could also be the saddle or seatpost - a good way to eliminate the possibility is to see if you can summon the noise when you're out of the saddle.

Thank you all for the help with this so far, I will try it standing up. I will also try refitting the original chain and cassette - if the tick goes away then it surely cannot be the saddle or any other part of the bike, it must be the chainring that is worn? Just my luck that the weather has turned cold and rainy now, and unfortunately my workshop consists of a bike stand out on the driveway. May have to wait for the next opportunity to do some mechanicking.

I believe I have cured this click. After removing the crank I found a lot of gunk and grit around the bearing covers and a bit inside too where the crank touches the bearing casing, cleaned it all out and put some good quality bearing grease on the bearing casing before putting it back together in the correct order. Went for a quick test ride, no clicking evident!

I still need to tighten it all up properly, I found one of the BB holders was only finger tight so need to acquire a BB tool for that. Looking good though, thanks all for the advice.

PS Out of this I now have a new chain, new cassette, and new chainrings, bling bling!

The secret rider

Hi chaps,

Recently changed skewers and developed a squeaking when out the saddle, sounds like a bottom bracket but after swapping the skewers back to orginal i know its the skewers.

I want to keep them as they look better and are lighter, any ideas on how to stop the squeaking, i could grease but not sure where.

Arron

jgsi

Tiny bit of copper grease spray on the skewer cams.. dont drown the things in grease though.

The secret rider

by cams do you mean the bit that goes into the wheel or do you mean the lever and mechanism that you open / close.

Thanks.

jgsi

The lever side , try first

slowmonkey

Hi all,

Rear wheel, none cassette side. Squeaking noise from hub area (cup/cone bit) when the wheel is turning. Sorry, not too technical with the knowledge!
No play in the hub etc, it just squeaks! Wheel is a badged axis 2, shimano free hub. Wheel itself is nice and clean, cassette side well maintained etc. I just can't get rid of the dreaded squeak!

Can anyone offer any advice on this one!?

chrisǃ

Hello,

I recently installed a new chainset and everything seems to be fine apart from in the 11,12 and 13 sprockets where there is a clicking noise when pedalling. Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing this?

Thanks!

dinyull

Chain rub on the front mech?

Ibaz

A new one for you - I sort of know the cause. Just looking for the cure.
I'm quite big for a cyclist at 16 st, ( and new, only started this year) .
I've done about 700 miles in my Shimano spd sl pedals, i can't remember which variant but they were £25 or so.
But in the last 100 miles, when ever I pedal hard up a hill or acelerate hard I get a double click from my right pedal, which is also the side I unclip when I stop
My cleat isn't loose and the is no diserable play on the pedal spindle.
Is the the clip mechanism on its way out?
Cheers

luckstar69

Hi everyone,

I have a very annoying creaky/rubby noise that I cant shift although I have narrowed it down to the rear wheel and not the bike.

I have a Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 Aero Race Road Bike 2016 3 months old and 1,000 miles with the SLR 0 Aero wheels 55mm.

The noise noise only happens (always takes 10 mins to warm up) when I'm seated and putting some power down uphill or on the flats. Now I know its not the BB as I have put my friends Mavic rear wheel on my bike and my SLR r/wheel on his Scott and he gets the same noise on his bike. He's 60kg and I'm 90kg and the noise was the same on his Scott Foil and on my Giant.

We swapped over the QR's and greased them and it made no difference.
I have tried 25mm contis and 23mm Giant factory tyres and it made no difference
I have lubed the spokes and no difference
Taken off the metal valve holder things and no difference
Check for brake rub - none

I'd be very grateful if anyone has an idea of what this noise cold be and how I could cure it?

Thank you

slowmonkey

Hi all,

Wonder if anyone can advise.

I hav a squeak that I cannot find or banish and it's driving me nuts.

Seems to be every second revolution of turning cranks, it starts when I have been on the bike after a short while, cannot replicate it when the bike is on a stand.

Evans took crank arms of yesterday and regreased, also spayed the peddles. Cassette and chain are clean.

Thought that would cure it but it soon returned.

Can anyone help diagnose and eradicate this form of torture!

jonathanuk

Ibaz wrote:

A new one for you - I sort of know the cause. Just looking for the cure.
I'm quite big for a cyclist at 16 st, ( and new, only started this year) .
I've done about 700 miles in my Shimano spd sl pedals, i can't remember which variant but they were £25 or so.
But in the last 100 miles, when ever I pedal hard up a hill or acelerate hard I get a double click from my right pedal, which is also the side I unclip when I stop
My cleat isn't loose and the is no diserable play on the pedal spindle.
Is the the clip mechanism on its way out?
Cheers

I had this too on some Shimano 520 SPDs, didn't do it all the time but it was quite annoying when it did do it. Mine were fairly new so I doubt it is wear and tear, although I'd had a couple of 'clipped in' stupid falls so who knows if that caused some unseen damage (they just looked a bit scraped). I've switched to normal flat pedals now though and the clicking from the pedals has gone, I don't miss the clipless pedals at all.

Maybe try adjusting the tension on the pedal clip, it may have bedded in a bit.

jonathanuk

slowmonkey wrote:

Hi all,

Wonder if anyone can advise.

I hav a squeak that I cannot find or banish and it's driving me nuts.

Seems to be every second revolution of turning cranks, it starts when I have been on the bike after a short while, cannot replicate it when the bike is on a stand.

Evans took crank arms of yesterday and regreased, also spayed the peddles. Cassette and chain are clean.

Thought that would cure it but it soon returned.

Can anyone help diagnose and eradicate this form of torture!

I had a tick like that on my road bike almost from new, the bike shop also took the crank out, cleaned and regreased, the tick soon re-appeared. In the end they sent the whole crank and bearings back to the manufacturer who sent back a different type (obviously they couldn't fix it either, or it wasn't worth their effort). I went from FSA Mega Exo to FSA Mega Evo, not a lot of difference but it cured the tick. It could have been some contaminant inside the bearing cups (not really user-serviceable unless you're really keen) or an imperfect ball bearing.

If you can, I would recommend taking the cranks out yourself and giving it a good clean out with some dry paper towel, don't use degreaser on the bearings but wipe them clean, re-apply some good quality grease and re-assemble. Evans might have just missed that tiny spec of dirt. You could take it back to them for a second opinion but only if it isn't going to cost you anything to do so. If the bike is still in warranty then you could ask them to replace the bottom bracket bearing cups to see if that cures it.

jonathanuk

luckstar69 wrote:

Hi everyone,

I have a very annoying creaky/rubby noise that I cant shift although I have narrowed it down to the rear wheel and not the bike.

I have a Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 Aero Race Road Bike 2016 3 months old and 1,000 miles with the SLR 0 Aero wheels 55mm.

The noise noise only happens (always takes 10 mins to warm up) when I'm seated and putting some power down uphill or on the flats. Now I know its not the BB as I have put my friends Mavic rear wheel on my bike and my SLR r/wheel on his Scott and he gets the same noise on his bike. He's 60kg and I'm 90kg and the noise was the same on his Scott Foil and on my Giant.

We swapped over the QR's and greased them and it made no difference.
I have tried 25mm contis and 23mm Giant factory tyres and it made no difference
I have lubed the spokes and no difference
Taken off the metal valve holder things and no difference
Check for brake rub - none

I'd be very grateful if anyone has an idea of what this noise cold be and how I could cure it?

Thank you

After all that you've done there only really seems to be the hub left, so could it be worn bearings or the hub? If that's the case then wheel re-build or new wheel, but that is just my guess. Could also be the rim, maybe there's a crack somewhere.

colinsmith123

Creaking bottom bracket type noises v1013. When you have replaced the bottom bracket and the pedals, even changed the headeset bearings, and tried a different chainset and a set of wheels with a different cassette and chain,finally try removing the rear hanger and smearing some copper slip on the face before putting it back. Even if it is tight when you check.

slowmonkey

jonathanuk wrote:

slowmonkey wrote:

Hi all,

Wonder if anyone can advise.

I hav a squeak that I cannot find or banish and it's driving me nuts.

Seems to be every second revolution of turning cranks, it starts when I have been on the bike after a short while, cannot replicate it when the bike is on a stand.

Evans took crank arms of yesterday and regreased, also spayed the peddles. Cassette and chain are clean.

Thought that would cure it but it soon returned.

Can anyone help diagnose and eradicate this form of torture!

I had a tick like that on my road bike almost from new, the bike shop also took the crank out, cleaned and regreased, the tick soon re-appeared. In the end they sent the whole crank and bearings back to the manufacturer who sent back a different type (obviously they couldn't fix it either, or it wasn't worth their effort). I went from FSA Mega Exo to FSA Mega Evo, not a lot of difference but it cured the tick. It could have been some contaminant inside the bearing cups (not really user-serviceable unless you're really keen) or an imperfect ball bearing.

If you can, I would recommend taking the cranks out yourself and giving it a good clean out with some dry paper towel, don't use degreaser on the bearings but wipe them clean, re-apply some good quality grease and re-assemble. Evans might have just missed that tiny spec of dirt. You could take it back to them for a second opinion but only if it isn't going to cost you anything to do so. If the bike is still in warranty then you could ask them to replace the bottom bracket bearing cups to see if that cures it.

Chees for reply.

Noted that Evans guy did a thorough job removing cranks, cleaning and regreasing. I guess maybe it could be the bearings on way out?

Bike is out of warranty, 2 years old now.

It is just such an annoying squeak, one that just drives you mad!

Anyone have any ideas on this one that may be able to help!

Tr0nc0

I experienced few of those

I ride a steel frame with steel fork.
the one I certainly remember is the noise coming from the front whenever I was putting pressure on the handlebar.
I first tried to tighten the stem's bolts and found out they were ok. From a closer inspection I realized that the fork was gone, deep cracks on both stanchions where they connect to the head of the fork.
Stopped riding it, called someone to pick me up and changed fork...

Another creaking noise is the one coming from the connection fork-stem stem-handlebar (I think that is innocuous, correct me if I am wrong)

Then I know I damaged my front hub by not tightening properly the cone nuts after servicing. That causes a creak whenever if revolves on the damaged part of the hub. Sounds like a gritty noise inside the hub...not nice

DeVlaeminck

My Neil Pryde Bura has developed a loud creak, almost a crack, mostly when out of the saddle or putting a lot of pressure through the pedals. I'm not really up modern bottom bracket standards but pretty sure it's a Press Fit and it has FSA 24 converters (says on them) running an Ultegra crankset.

I've switched wheels, pedals, checked mech hanger, both mechs, tried it without the seatpost, checked the bars are tight and looked at the headset. Anything I might have missed or does this sound like a bottom bracket issue? If so what is my first step - I'm not averse to DIY but I only have the tools for square taper ?

mouseT

I have solved various problems with creaking road bikes over the years – particularly carbon-framed which flex and creak almost by their nature. The following are all faults and remedies that I have used and are not just myths based on hearsay (or heresy!):
For the purposes of this explanation a ‘crankset’ comprises your front chain rings (cogs) and pedal arms. These rotate within the frame of you bike within a bearing known as a ‘bottom bracket’.
Do not automatically assume that any creaking is coming from your crankset/bottom bracket. For push-fit brackets there is no real alternative to replacing them. To maintain them you really need to remove them and even if you have a proper press to remove them without damaging them, they will not be as tight in situ when you re-install them. For this reason you need to make sure that you identify the fault.
Firstly establish when and to what extent the creak is occurring: Is it in time with the rotation of your pedals – ie when you shift your weight in order to pedal. If it is more frequent, then the fault will lie with your wheels, bearings or brakes and not your crankset/bottom bracket. If it is in time with your pedalling then try to narrow it down further by working out which pedal stroke is worse (it may of course occur on both). Also try to vary your position on the bike – sitting and standing. Move your position in the saddle, lean slightly to both sides and also try to vary the pressure you are applying to the pedals (ie sit back a bit and push forward rather than down). All of these techniques should allow you to gain more of an idea as to the cause of the problem.
If there is nothing obvious at this stage then a cursory check of your crankset is needed. Support your bike in a stand and remove your chain carefully over the outside of your crankset and over your right pedal. Hook it back over your rear gear cable at your back axle and with a bungee or similar pull both lengths of chain carefully upwards so that it is clear of the crankset by about 5mm – doubling back from the front mech (derailleur). Hook it up out of the way. Your crankset should be free of any coupling now and should just turn freely inside the bottom bracket. Carefully turn it feeling for any grating which would indicate wear. Also make sure there is no lateral movement whatsoever and that it is secure with only smooth rotational movement in both directions. If this is the case – the chances are that it is fine and you have saved some money. Of course it may be the case that it is on its way out but the wear only shows when it is under stress but if there is already a creak under normal cycling conditions this is unlikely to be the case. Carefully replace your chain.
Working outwards from the crankset, check the following: The series of bolts holding your front chain rings together are tight. On 105/Ultegra and DuraAce – these are on the inside. Your pedals (check for tightness and lateral bearing movement). Check your shoe cleats for tightness. If you have recently replaced them then you should re-tighten them at least three times as they take time to bed in – making sure that they have not moved position. This is a really common cause of creaking. Also SPD pedals can creak against the outer grips of your shoes - look for wear and consider cutting out or filing a wider sole cavity. Some would also recommend a regular spray of GT85 or similar on cleats to remove any squeaking. Now check that your seat stem is tight. This generally needs a couple of revisits after any adjustment. One of the most common causes is a loose saddle rail bolt. These do work loose and again need regular checking and tightening. Usually there are two bolts which need tightening evenly or one can outmatch the other. This is the same with any multiple bolt-fastening on your bike. Saddles often give a false impression that the fault lies with a pedal or crankset as you rock from side to side when pedalling. Testing whilst standing up should overcome this confusion. Test also that your handlebars are not creaking. Whilst this should be a little more apparent than any of the other faults – it may be that your creak occurs when pedalling hard uphill. Unevenly tightened bars can click when you pull back on them on hilly ascents. Steering stem sets should not creak when worn but again a cursory check for grating or roughness wont do any harm. If this is the case then your bearings need re-bedding following recent maintenance or replacing as they are worn. Check tightness by clasping the stem with one hand and applying you front brake harshly with the other. Excess movement will indicate wear or the need for carful and correct tightening.
Check the tightness and correct positioning of your wheels. Ensure that skewers are well greased and placed correctly in the frame. If they are out of true then they may creak when you rock from side to side on the bike. As a rule always fit wheels by standing them on the ground and lowering the bike onto them (or lower them into an upside-down frame). This will ensure that the frame/wheel is seated squarely. Make sure that your quick releases are of recommended tightness. While your back wheel is out, check that your rear mech hanger (derailleur) is tightly attached to the frame. Some have a rear plate and if loose will be appear to be clamped in tight by the fitting of a wheel so that the fault may not be readily apparent. Finally check your wheel bearings. If they are loose then you may experience lateral creaking when rocking from side to side as you pedal. Older type cup and cone hubs can be easily adjusted and most new sealed hub wheels have an adjustable outer collar which after loosening allows you to take up slack without even removing the wheel from the bike. Check for lateral movement at the rim of the wheel. There should always be a slight bend against the spokes but if there is a noticeable give at the hub then tighten or replace hubs.
This is all a bit general and you can of course consider removing and greasing any bolts or fixings before tightening them to the recommended torque settings. If you do need to replace the bottom bracket I find that a reasonable quality push-fit BB92 bearing kit lasts me about 3000 miles but I know everyone rides differently. They are easy to replace (YouTube) and by the time you have bought the parts on EBay and the necessary tools you will probably pay about the same as a shop would charge you - except you’ll have the tools already for a saving next time! If you still can’t identify the creak then perhaps its an osteopath you need?!!
Do not assume that just because something has been untouched and ok for a long time that it hasn't come loose because I have found this not to be the case at all.

Rb5_turbo

Hi all,

Newbie!

I had a creak from the front end of my training bike, it was out of the saddle going hard uphill.

I stripped the front end down, checked the fork bearings and also cleaned the stem/fork and handlebar/stem area's and that sorted it.

It could have been some dirt I guess but now all silent and its just my body that creaks uphill these days LOL

GL

Tr0nc0

Hello,

I discovered a new source of creaking that I wasn't aware of.
Apparently many hubs (entry level, mid range, hard to tell...) are not made of a single block but they are often assembled by gluing the two spoke flanges on the hub body. This is evident when you have a carbon hub body, but not so much otherwise...
The flanges in some case can come loose and move on the hub body under load.
My specific experience was with a Mavic Crossride 29 rear wheel. Mavic confirmed this theory and you can find more details on a specific post I published.
below the link to the original post
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10004&t=13068575

waltdinghy

Hope this experience can be of help .Loud clicking when in the small chain ring and climbing and even my Lbs could not find the cause. Eventually examinined spokes on rear wheel and I found that the spokes on the non drive side i.e. opposite the cassette crossed just above the hub and in fact touched .The wheels are Easton ea 70. I eased them apart by hand and applied some light chain oil and copper slip grease where the spokes touched wiped off the excessive and prayed!
Put on the lycra and went for a 50 kms ride . Silent as the grave - no ticking .
Hope this can be of help to someone

smcphee

I've had my fair share of clicks and creaks so thought I'd share some tips for eliminating them!

First of all - you can do some simple tests to narrow down on where the click is coming from.

A good test is to hold the top tube with your right hand, and then put the right crank at the 3 o clock position. Push down on the end of the crank, NOT the pedal (as we want to eliminate the pedal as a cause). If you don't get a click, include the pedal in your test and see if you then get the click - if you do, remove and refit the pedal (you'll need a dedicated pedal tool).

If you need to test the other side repeat the same steps with the left pedal at the 9 o clock position.

If you were unable to reproduce the click, you have an issue elsewhere in the bike - possibly a bolt that is under or overtightened. A prime suspect is the seatpost - loosen and retighten this to the manufactures torque setting (yes this matters).

If you were able to get the click here's what to check -

1. Check your chainring bolts. This is often the last thing you check, however it's by far the easiest. These are the screws on the chainring (the big cog with teeth on it, to which the right crank attaches), they are typically a star drive / torx screw and are situated on the inside of the chainring.

2. Check the two allen key bolts on your left crank are evenly set - when tightening these the tension should be added to each one incrementally to ensure the torque is equal and there is no imbalance. The crank normally has the recommended torque printed on it (typically 12-14nm).

3. Check that all the fittings on the crank and bottom bracket are tight.

4. Sigh. If it's still clicking- it's time to remove your bottom bracket and clean it out (this is a component that sits inside the bottom of your frame, which the axel sits in). When you have removed the BB you should clean inside the bike where the bottom bracket fits, regrease the whole lot and put it back together. A few bits of grit are enough to cause the bottom bracket to not run smoothly. Ignore the paranoia you hear about doing this yourself, it is easy but only if you have the right tools for the job. Search on google and you'll find plenty of advice on how to do this. Once you've learnt how to do it you won't need to pay a bike shop for servicing, so you save money in the long run!

rnath

Just posting a solution... Had a creak that sounded like it was coming from the front end or bottom bracket area and only appeared when standing out of the saddle. After rebuilding the front end several times, still no improvement. Turned out to be the front skewer... Greasing the QR lever fixed it and everything quiet again.

drlodge

I had another creaking on my Massive Attack. Thought it was the BB again, only to discover I hadn't tighten up the QR properly and it was the back wheel :oops:

thebikeboy16

Does this thread include rattling? Regardless here goes... I have a new Shimano RS wheelset and chain fitted by a local bike shop. All going well until I hear a rattling noise when going for a ride. This is most likely after I had hit a pothole/bump. In any case LBS looked at it of their own back and although the rattling has not stopped completely I can still notice it going over speed bumps and cracked/uneven tarmac found on certain roads. What is the solution?

drlodge

thebikeboy16 wrote:

Does this thread include rattling? Regardless here goes... I have a new Shimano RS wheelset and chain fitted by a local bike shop. All going well until I hear a rattling noise when going for a ride. This is most likely after I had hit a pothole/bump. In any case LBS looked at it of their own back and although the rattling has not stopped completely I can still notice it going over speed bumps etc. What is the solution?

You need to first work out where the rattling is coming from, is it from the new wheels or chain? Are you sure? I sometimes get a rattling and think its stuff in the saddle bag.

thebikeboy16

It is clearly from the freehub/casette. Yes, I'm sure.

chrisgal

I'd check if they forgot to add any necessary spacers when putting the cassette on the wheel.