Weird Clicking/clacking noise

Clever Pun

On my road bike it's emitting a strange intermittent clacking noise... it''s clack away for a while then stop

it has no bearing on whether I'm peddaling
it only seems to make the noise when I'm on the bike
the wheel is still true and runs fine, I just really don't like the noise


I'm thinking of changing the skewer

Any thoughts?

chadders81

Hub bearing?

Gussio

Riding 53 x 15 it is probably your knees

Seatpost always worth a greasing.

UndercoverElephant

Spoke magnet? It's always the spoke magnet on mine.

sketchley

You haven't crack another frame have you? Sound very much like the noise mine was making before it went bang! Could be spokes banging together. Try a drop of oil where they cross over. Make sure the nut on the value is screwed down. Bolts on bottle cages aren't loose. All of the above have made noises for me in the past!

cornerblock

Lolly stick?

rjsterry

Chadders81 wrote:

Hub bearing?

Based on your previous destruction of the bearings on your fixie, I'd say this is quite likely. Worth a check at least. Have you noticed whether it happens more when you heel the bike over - i.e. put the wheels under more lateral stress?

Clever Pun

this is my geared roadbike, more spinning (relatively)

yes the bearings did spring to mind, the wheel has been around for a while, there's no play in it.. I just wanted that not to be the bearings

I think the frame is still sound

MonkeyMonster

+1 for the seat rails/post

I went through all manner of playings with pedals/cleats/bb etc only to trip and use the seat to stop myself and it made the exact noise that had been driving me mad but unable to reproduce. I greased the rails and it went but it's back again and the bike needs some overall tlc this weekend if I have the time.

course, given you're a diehard shortditch hipster have you checked the playing cards in either wheel?

essex-commuter

Seat rails, seat post. If not take the bar and stem apart, clean and refit.

Try to determine where the sound is coming from..then look at the other end of the bike!

Clever Pun

it does it if I'm standing up as well, does that rule out the seat post/rails?

I'll check em nonetheless

the other end of the bike you say... hmmm front wheel?

essex-commuter

Clever Pun wrote:

it does it if I'm standing up as well, does that rule out the seat post/rails?

I'll check em nonetheless

Pretty much yes (unless you have a saggy ar*e and it's still touching)

Still worth a check if all else fails.

MonkeyMonster

essex-commuter wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

it does it if I'm standing up as well, does that rule out the seat post/rails?

I'll check em nonetheless

Pretty much yes (unless you have a saggy ar*e and it's still touching)

Still worth a check if all else fails.

Mine did (as in still made a noise when out of saddle) and I am still rather unsure how the stress of pedaling still made a noise in my seat post but given the evidence of what i then "fixed/lubed" and the noise going... Bikes can be weird.

Greg T

I'm suffering from a creaking headset...

greased the spacers - better for six hours...

back again

had the bearings out - re-greased the seats - better for six hours

back again

arrrrgggghhhh

rjsterry

Out of the saddle efforts will tend to 'twist' the frame slightly, and some of that twisting will manifest itself in the top of the seat tube, particularly where it touches the seat post (maybe). Or maybe it never was the seatpost at all, and just coincidence that it stopped after your fettling.

meanredspider

Hmm - interesting thread - I have a clacking noise and I've swapped pedals - no change. Definitely cadence related and continues if I pedal unclipped but does stop if I stand. It also takes a bit of time to start at the beginning of the ride. I'd decided it was either crank or seat related and was going to tackle the seat first.

essex-commuter

meanredspider wrote:

. It also takes a bit of time to start at the beginning of the ride.

Ah that's terminal. New bike.

meanredspider

essex-commuter wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

. It also takes a bit of time to start at the beginning of the ride.

Ah that's terminal. New bike.

Thanks - that's the excuse I need if the mrs spots the new Boardman in the garage...

coopster_the_1st

Greg T wrote:

I'm suffering from a creaking headset...

greased the spacers - better for six hours...

back again

had the bearings out - re-greased the seats - better for six hours

back again

arrrrgggghhhh

Based on the advice in this thread, it is your backend that needs greasing...

:P

Drysuitdiver

try the clamp where the handlebars attache to the stem. took months to find on my MTB was convinced i had a cracked frame.

stanarchist

try greasing the rear QR skewer(s) can't do any harm, only takesa minute and could be the root of all evil

greg66_tri_v2.0

Campy? UD or old square taper?

Blue Meanie

I ran with a loose spoke for a while, clicks every rotation, sounds like a hub bearing.

meanredspider

Blue Meanie wrote:

I ran with a loose spoke for a while, clicks every rotation, sounds like a hub bearing.

I'm reasonably sure mine's hub. It's definitely cadence-related - same point on each pedal stroke regardless of gear. Will swap my saddle/seatpost over just to be sure

Clever Pun

stanarchist wrote:

try greasing the rear QR skewer(s) can't do any harm, only takesa minute and could be the root of all evil

yeah can't hurt, I'll give that a go first

Greg it's Campy it's a few years old now and I can't remember which it is :?

rolf_f

Surprising how difficult this sort of thing is to find because logically........

1) Stand out of the saddle - if the noise carries on, it isn't saddle related
2) Stop pedalling - if the noise carries on, it isn't the BB (but if you have noisey Campagy hubs, you probably won't know if the noise has stopped or not!)
3) Let go the handlebars - if the noise carries on, it isn't the stem/bars etc.
4) Swap the wheels (one at a time) - if the noise carries on, it isn't the wheels.
5) Unclip one pedal at a time and pedal on one footed - if the noise carries on, it isn't the pedals.
6) About the only thing left is the headset so.......
7) Swap the bike. The noise should stop!

Of course, you've already been round the bike and checked the bolts - embarrassing to find that the problem is a loose bottle cage.......

Clever Pun

It's certainly not eh bottle cage, I've had issues with that in the past, I know exactly what that sounds like

sketchley

Clever Pun wrote:

It's certainly not eh bottle cage, I've had issues with that in the past, I know exactly what that sounds like

You know exactly what it sounded like last time, of course it could be making a different noise this time.

Two that took me an age to track down where a noise when pushing the bike that turned out to be the end of the zip of my shorts pocket hitting the top tube and the pump attached to the frame not being clicked closed so it was vibrating against the water bottle.

frankieh

Just get some headphones and listen to some louder music.

essex-commuter

Perhaps you wear a chain round your neck and it's knocking against the zip of your jersey?

Thinking outside the box now. 8)

asprilla

meanredspider wrote:

Blue Meanie wrote:

I ran with a loose spoke for a while, clicks every rotation, sounds like a hub bearing.

I'm reasonably sure mine's hub. It's definitely cadence-related - same point on each pedal stroke regardless of gear. Will swap my saddle/seatpost over just to be sure

Surely if it's the same point on the pedal stoke then it's either the BB or the pedal itself, since the hub can move independently and at a different speed to them?