Bottom Bracket/Crank Makes a noise

mcflyss

Hello all,

Sorry im still on a massive learning curve with my bikes!!!

I have a Bianchi which I have done just over a 1000 miles on in about 8 months.
On my last couple of rides I have noticed that when I am putting pressure on the pedals.... in the sense that I am in a lower gear but pushing hard up a hill, I can hear a noise coming from the bottom bracket or crank.... Its hard to discribe, not a squeck, more of a twang kinda noise....

So, what does this mean? Bearings gone? Should they live longer than a 1000 miles or is that about right?
Bike is still less than a year old, is there any kind of warranty on these parts or does it go down as general wear and tear?

Any help pls guys wil be mucho aprecio )

tarquin_foxglove

mcflyss wrote:

I have noticed that when I am putting pressure on the pedals.... I can hear a noise coming from the bottom bracket or crank.... Its hard to discribe, not a squeck, more of a twang kinda noise....

Last time I had a noise on the bike, I was pointed to this website http://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html.

I worked my way through the Clicks Section & solved my problem by removing the left pedal, lubing the thread and reinstalling it.

mcflyss

Nice web site.

Can any one tell me though if it is the BB, is 1000 miles about right?

CiB

mcflyss wrote:

Nice web site.

Can any one tell me though if it is the BB, is 1000 miles about right?

No - 1000 is way to early for a BB to fail; some people on the Stats board are doing that per month and aren't getting through 12 BBs a year.

That's assuming it is the BB tho. Most creaks & noises seem to come from the BB even when they don't. Make sure everything that should be is nipped up properly - h/bar fixings, seat post etc. Try taking the seat post out and giving it and the tube a good clean too. Sometimes it's not the obvious that's the root cause.

Bunneh

Could be the cassette, the rear hub, the freehub body. Have you got a spare rear wheel? Stick that on and ride about, does it still creak? If it does it's the BB area (chainset, bolts etc). If not it's likely the back wheel area.

A BB should last you a good number of years, unless you're always in deep water, riding in the rain, and even then they're sealed and shouldn't die on you that quickly.

father_jack

Bottoms making noises... :shock:

mcflyss

Ok thank you for your SENSIBLE answers (father jack!!! lol)
When I get a chance I will go through that link foxglove posted and see if can find out what it is.
If it is the BB then hopefully the bike shop will sort it for free.

Lochy

mcflyss wrote:

Hello all,

Sorry im still on a massive learning curve with my bikes!!!

I have a Bianchi which I have done just over a 1000 miles on in about 8 months.
On my last couple of rides I have noticed that when I am putting pressure on the pedals.... in the sense that I am in a lower gear but pushing hard up a hill, I can hear a noise coming from the bottom bracket or crank.... Its hard to discribe, not a squeck, more of a twang kinda noise....

So, what does this mean? Bearings gone? Should they live longer than a 1000 miles or is that about right?
Bike is still less than a year old, is there any kind of warranty on these parts or does it go down as general wear and tear?

Any help pls guys wil be mucho aprecio )

I had similar problem myself recently, but it was more of a 'clunk' on each pedal revolution.

Took it back to the LBS (Is leyland local to blackpool?!?!) and it turns out that the BB cups had loosened off.

I asked if it was a common occurance and got told that it can happen, as they only ever torque things up to the manufacturers recommendations - which in their opinion wasn't/isnt enough.

Quick tighten up and bob's your uncle - all sorted.

Evil Laugh

I started getting noises from my BB so I went out and bought a new one at the weekend so removed the cranks and bb, cleaned the threads, regreased everything, went to put the new one in and realised they'd given me the wrong thread.

Refitted the old bb, cycled back into town to Evans to get the English and everything was fine again re the noises so I'll leave it now and keep the new one for when I actually need it.

When I was in Condor the other day the guy in there reckoned refitting as above is commonly the fix for bb noises on hollowtech systems. Turns out he was right in my case.

Could be worth a go if you have the tools, I only needed allen keys, the ice tools bb kit which was about £5, works on an 8mm (i think) allen key and some grease.

mcflyss

Might give it a shot... when I say I.. I mean might give it to my mate who can do these things lol

Gregamos

I had a problem when my tourer was around the same milage, made a clunking sound underfoot when you pressed anything more than gently on the pedals.. took it into a bike shop and they 'tightened it up' referring to the bottom bracket, and it worked like a charm from then on in. Apparently it's just one of those things that happens, I expect in your case (as well as mine) it was because it's new rather than worn out.

teulk

A friend of mine had a very loud creaking noise coming from BB on his Boardman Carbon Road Bike whilst we were doing LEJOG a few weeks ago. He took it to a bike shop we passed on our route and they took the BB apart and cleaned / greased the threads - problem sorted.

johnmiosh

If you have a lower end Bianchi, it may be the BB. My Via nirone Sora allowed water in through the seatpost, collected in the BB (which wasn't sealed) and corroded in 8 months, 1200 miles.

I swapped it for a sealed BB and smeared carbon paste all over the seatpost, no more water ingress and no more clunks. Since replaced with ridiculouslt cheap end of line Ultegra, no problems after another couple of thousand.

andyrr

If the BB is making noises then you should be able to detect som eplay in it - hold the pedal-ends of the cranks and see if there is any detectable wobble/play in it.

Rouge Penguin

Mine just started doing it, realised it was pedals. Re lubed and theyre fine again.

ex-pat scot

1. grease seatpost and re-insert. It's surprising the number of times this gives odd creaking noises.
2. main culprit: BB shells. take cranks off and remove BB shells. Re-grease (use something water-resistant). Grease crank arms before putting back on.
3. check pedal / crank threads and re-grease
4. could be pedal cleat (mine often has an annoying creak). Hard to fix

teulk

andyrr wrote:

If the BB is making noises then you should be able to detect som eplay in it - hold the pedal-ends of the cranks and see if there is any detectable wobble/play in it.

Not quite true There was absolutely no play in my mates BB when it was creaking on his Boardman............

mcflyss

Well I have the 2010 Bianchi Via Nirone 7 Alu Tiagra, not sure if that is low end, no it wasnt thousands so maybe it is?
Not had a chance to do any thing yet as been at work but thanks again every one.

woodywmb

Follow ex-pat scot's advice. It can't be the bearings after just 1,000 miles. The noise is coming from:
- a loose bottom bracket needing proper tightening.
- a loose crank bolt needing tightening.
- loose chainring bolts needing greased and retightening.
- loose pedals needing tightening.
Work your way through them. Even a component that is just slightly slack will make an irritating noise. You might not detect any movement or just slight movement. But these are the answers. The seatpost route is another slight possibility.

mcflyss

OKEY DOKEY! NICE ONE