Nasty noise

Corporate Camper
Corporate Camper Posts: 293
edited March 2013 in Commuting chat
I (well, my CAAD8) has developed a nasty creaking noise... It came on during a 17 mile ride and gradually got worse.
It seems to only really happen when I push hard with my left peddle. How do I tell if it's peddle related or bottom bracket related?

I'm a bike tech newbie really, but feel I should learn rather than stuff it straight into the LBS
'12 CAAD 8 Tiagra

Comments

  • davis
    davis Posts: 2,506
    Got a spare pedal? (or should that be "peddle"? ;-) )

    I'd grab the crank arm and give it a good hard wobble (fnarr). If it's the BB it would usually rattle about a bit.

    One tip I saw on bicycle tutor is to put the thing on a bike stand and press your ear up against the nose of the saddle (seriously). The bike frame delivers any vibrations/grinding to your ear. Try just spinning the cranks and you might hear a grinding.

    I'd also look at the BB cup to see if it's all the way into the BB shell.
    Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
  • ThatBikeGuy
    ThatBikeGuy Posts: 394
    Strip off the cranks and BB and pedals, grease the lot and put it back together again!
    I used the park tools website to suss out how to do all this the first time i needed to do it.
    Cannondale SS Evo Team
    Kona Jake CX
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  • Buckled_Rims
    Buckled_Rims Posts: 1,648
    Sounds like BB. I once had that same type creak, I tightened the BB but the problem remained. I took the whole BB off, cleaned and regreased, the creak went away!

    Pedals are easy to take off with a hex key of... (er, can't remember what size, but it's at the back of my tool bag downstairs). Please don't tell me you need to got to the LBS to do that?
    CAAD9
    Kona Jake the Snake
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  • Corporate Camper
    Corporate Camper Posts: 293
    D'oh... Yes, pedal... :oops:

    I think I'll whip the pedal off and see if I can replicate the noise in the garage and then take it from there.
    '12 CAAD 8 Tiagra
  • DrLex
    DrLex Posts: 2,142
    Buckled_Rims wrote:
    [...]

    Pedals are easy to take off with a hex key [...]

    I doff my cap to you; I can never manage this (just round out the socket or shear the key), so rely instead on a pedal spanner. Perhaps I ought to get some copper slip.
    Location: ciderspace
  • EKE_38BPM
    EKE_38BPM Posts: 5,821
    My guess is the left crank, not the pedal.
    If the crank is loose and comes off easily then the nut has come loose and the crank has been wobbling on the spindle of the BB. Every pedal revolution makes the problem slightly worse. 17 miles will have killed it. No amount of tightening the nut will tighten the crank to the spindle without it wobbling.
    In my experience, in the battle of soft aluminium crank Vs hard steel BB spindle, the BB always wins.

    Conclusion: New crank time.
    FCN 3: Raleigh Record Ace fixie-to be resurrected sometime in the future
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    FCN 9: B Twin Vitamin - winter commuter/loan bike for trainees

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  • essex-commuter
    essex-commuter Posts: 2,188
    Don't be too suprised if it's nothing related to the pedal or the crank or the bottom bracket.

    Many a time I've developed a creak etc on the bike and would have swore it was coming from the drivetrain and it's ending up being the seat post or saddle!
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    essex-commuter wrote:
    Don't be too suprised if it's nothing related to the pedal or the crank or the bottom bracket.

    Many a time I've developed a creak etc on the bike and would have swore it was coming from the drivetrain and it's ending up being the seat post or saddle!
    This is true. I've had exactly the problem you describe, and eventually traced it back to the headset (which needed greasing). That said, I'd put my money on the BB in your case, mostly because they just don't last very long...
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • Drfabulous0
    Drfabulous0 Posts: 1,539
    It's easy to check if the pedals are the cause, simply buy a new bike, put on the pedals from the Caad 8 and see if it still makes the noise, if not then it must be something else.
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  • prawny
    prawny Posts: 5,440
    Drfabulous0 wrote:
    It's easy to check if the pedals are the cause, simply buy a new bike, put on the pedals from the Caad 8 and see if it still makes the noise, if not then it must be something else.


    Chapaeu.
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  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    While the new bike solution is obviously preferable you should probably also check the wear of your cleats. The left pedal on my commuter squeaks badly when the cleat is worn.
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • Twostage
    Twostage Posts: 987
    My creaky pedal turned out to be rear hub.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Drfabulous0 wrote:
    It's easy to check if the pedals are the cause, simply buy a new bike, put on the pedals from the Caad 8 and see if it still makes the noise, if not then it must be something else.

    But if they did make a noise, it might be that the pedals don't get on with the new bike. You'd need another new bike as a control to check it.
    Faster than a tent.......

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