click click click

chatlow

Ok ive got the most annoying click thats developed when riding. Most noticible when putting a fair bit of pressure on the pedals.. So uphill i guess. Feels like its coming from either the chain ring or possibly from the pedal itself. Is it easy to remove these and investigate further?

Ive just replaced the chain.. Much smoother ride but still clicking.

Thanks

Jon_1976

If you've got a Hollowtech II BB, I've read a couple of things that can cause clicking:

1. External BB cups not greased or not torqued.
2. Crank arm pre-tensioning cap too tight/allen retaining bolts too slack.

I recently fitted a Hollowtech II BB which was clicking. Removed, re-greased, re-fitted..still clicked.

Embarrassing, discovered the clicking was caused by the crank arm hitting the front mech cable end cap :oops:

maringirl

It may sound daft but remove, clean and regrease then refit handlebar stem clap bolts.It is quite common for them to be the problem even though it sounds like bb or pedal!

wishitwasallflat

Whats the frequency of the click - is it once every pedal rotation, every wheel rotation or something else?

chatlow

thanks for the replies. it is not consistent with wheel rotation, more like pedal roatation but it's not all the time.

Going up hills it's almost always there. Funnily enough i adjusted the handlebar stem clamp recently. I have noticed that whenever I turn the handlebars they are making a creaking sound.

in order to look at the crank arms I will need to get a tool to remove the bolts.

only other thing i can think of is that the teeth on the chainset are a bit worn and perhaps its the chain clicking when it slips slightly?

smidsy

Pedals?
Cleats?
Crank?
Hip? :-)
But essentially could be coming from a myriad of places.

chatlow

pedals - very possible.
cleats - unlikely.
crank - very possible
hip - almost gauranteed

declan1

Could be your knees? :P

bernithebiker

I had this recently - drove me nuts - was convinced it was from the BB/crankset area.

Turns out it was the lower headset bearing was dry, hard pedalling out of saddle pressured it and caused it to creak/click. Worth a look.

chatlow

bernithebiker wrote:

I had this recently - drove me nuts - was convinced it was from the BB/crankset area.

Turns out it was the lower headset bearing was dry, hard pedalling out of saddle pressured it and caused it to creak/click. Worth a look.

How easy is it to get to and clean/grease this bearing? I know for a fact that its making a lot of noise but still think the clicking is coming from the crankset as i can feel in the pedals when it happens..

Cleat Eastwood

I tested it by going in the biggest gear and standing pedaling up the street - and for the life of me it sounded like the headset. :x

I had this sorted so- changed and greased headset - no change - really annoyed me - took pedals off for annual clean, greased and coppered - and....the click went - I think it was just the drive side pedal too as the left one was quite hard to remove. No need to emove the pedals in your case, if it is them, just give them a tighten.

chatlow

right i've just spend half an hour taking off the front wheel, brake, stem and handlebars and expected the fork to be easy to pull down when everything is loose. I cant get it off!! i need to check out the lower BB as i know is creaking and clicking loads. any ideas? no more bolts to remove. it's a claud butler san remo.

also, will i require a special tool to remove the crank? or is it just a standard bolt?

thanks..

Jon_1976

chatlow wrote:

right i've just spend half an hour taking off the front wheel, brake, stem and handlebars and expected the fork to be easy to pull down when everything is loose. I cant get it off!! i need to check out the lower BB as i know is creaking and clicking loads. any ideas? no more bolts to remove. it's a claud butler san remo.

also, will i require a special tool to remove the crank? or is it just a standard bolt?

thanks..

Fork should pretty much fall out when the stem is removed, or a gentle tap at most. What type of crank and bb have you got?

Jon_1976

Another thought..I recently changed the cable inners and outers. I don't know if the outers I fitted are slightly longer/shorter than the originals but I've found they 'click' on the headtube sometimes. Never noticed it happening on the originals.

This pales into nothingness compared to my creaking seat post which is seriously annoying. A sound, I originally thought was coming from the fork, by the way

chatlow

Jon_1976 wrote:

chatlow wrote:

right i've just spend half an hour taking off the front wheel, brake, stem and handlebars and expected the fork to be easy to pull down when everything is loose. I cant get it off!! i need to check out the lower BB as i know is creaking and clicking loads. any ideas? no more bolts to remove. it's a claud butler san remo.

also, will i require a special tool to remove the crank? or is it just a standard bolt?

thanks..

Fork should pretty much fall out when the stem is removed, or a gentle tap at most. What type of crank and bb have you got?

Think its a shimano 2300 setup. Just to say i have found the cause of the creaking.... It was the sodding ahem.. gear cable. Well the plasic shield covering the cable going to the RD. Was twisting as i turned the handlebar and creaking!

That being said i may still need to clean the fork assembly in future so thanks for the info!

As for the original click.. Im convinced its the left crank. Struggling to remove it though think i need a special tool

Jon_1976

I had 2300 on my bike originally, which had a square taper bb. So if its the same (and looking at web pics suggests it is) you need a crank puller to remove the cranks and the appropriate adaptor (to use with a socket/spanner) to unscrew the BB. I recently swapped to a Tiagra/ hollowtech II setup and just took my bike to lbs for them remove the 2300 setup. Thieving bastards charged me £15 and I was stupid/desparate enough to pay it On the plus side, Hollowtech II only requires a cheap Shimano HT II Spanner and an allen key to fit. Super easy to do as well.

chatlow

Ah unlucky mate! Just looked and after removing the plastic 'cap' i removed a 14mm bolt and can see what looks like a square piece inside with thread that the bolt screws into. Guess i need that removal tool

Jon_1976

chatlow wrote:

Ah unlucky mate! Just looked and after removing the plastic 'cap' i removed a 14mm bolt and can see what looks like a square piece inside with thread that the bolt screws into. Guess i need that removal tool

Yep, deffo need a puller. Think they range from £7-15, then you'll need the shimano socket to get the BB out, which is another £5-7. So you could spend something like £25 tops on tools and however much a decent square taper BB costs.

For me, I was intending toswap to a Tiagra chainset and Hollowtech II BB anyway but this decision was cemented when I knackered the thread in the crank with the puller (something to watch out for) which rendered the puller useless. I had to hacksaw the crank off (which took ages). So I was expecting to turn at lbs with just the drive side crank and BB to remove and for them to say it would be a fiver or somet. Not £15! This was 4.45pm on a Saturday evening and I was itching to get back out on the bike as I had the new components and tools at home ready so just (grudgingly) paid them and lost a bit of respect for myself

chatlow

whipped the chain off and the crank is super smooth when turned. not sure if i can rule it out completely though as the noise only really happens under pressure.

will take the pedals off and see if that helps. if not i guess its the front mesh or chain is slightly too long

g00se

chatlow wrote:

right i've just spend half an hour taking off the front wheel, brake, stem and handlebars and expected the fork to be easy to pull down when everything is loose. I cant get it off!!

Sounds like a stuck compression ring (the wedge-shaped split-ring that the stem/spacers push down on to hold the headset together). If wiggling the fork doesn't help, put a piece of wood across the top of the steerer and give it a little tap or two - then push the fork back up and try and take it off. Be careful when knocking the steer down, that the fork doesn't fall out onto the floor.

Jon_1976

chatlow wrote:

whipped the chain off and the crank is super smooth when turned. not sure if i can rule it out completely though as the noise only really happens under pressure.

will take the pedals off and see if that helps. if not i guess its the front mesh or chain is slightly too long

Sounds like the bottom bracket isn't the culprit then :? unless it only does it under load. Before spending any money, maybe try pedalling the cranks (with the chain removed) out of the saddle. you'll need a helper to hold the bike 8)