BB30 creaking....what's the solution?

Sammyw23

Got 2 cannondales with bb30 both with brand new bearings which run smooth but both BBs creak constantly under load. It's driving me insane!!

Read a few posts about the seating of the bearing assembly in the frame and suggestions of loctite-ing them in to ensure no movement. Is this the answer. Anyone done it and know it works?

Alternatively if I used a bb30 to BSA adaptor and changed chainsets would that sort it or would it be same issue with the adaptor in frame?

Need to sort it ASAP so any advice gratefully received. Thanks

sungod

did you grease the shells before putting in the bearings? if you did and it still creaks, something is out of tolerance, loctite 609 is commonly used to fix issues when parts that are supposed to be an interference fit aren't quite right

you mention new bearings, were the old ones ok? if they were then i'd suspect the new ones are just a bit too far from 42mm (bb shell should be 41.96 - 41.985, so a 42mm bearing is just snug, there's not much room for error)

gaddster

Are you 100% sure it's the bearings creaking and not chainring bolts/pedals etc? I used to run bb30 without issue, you could try some loctite 641 which is not a permanent bond and helps with bearing installs. I believe rotor also do a bb30 to bsa converter which puts the bearings outside the shell, works well. http://www.rotoruk.co.uk/convertors.html

Praxis also do a similar converter!

Bozman

We all no how shite BB30 is compared to other BBs, as I've mentioned before I've had on go after 400 miles due to water ingression, but I've never had a bearing creak or squeak......yet.
When I replace the bearings I load them with grease, the BB gets stripped and re-greased once a month too, If I spend a few days riding in the wet....stripped cleaned and greased.

Sammyw23

I have checked all moving parts, bolts etc and pretty certain that its the BB. I will be taking them to LBS this week who are a cannondale specialist so hopefully have some experience of this issue!

Just wanted to hear any advice on here beforehand.

So is it loctite 609 or 641??

gaddster

I used 641

http://www.loctite.co.uk/fullproduct-list-loctite-4995.htm?redDotUID=1000000IZT4

TheRealGuybrush

gaddster wrote:

I used 641

+1 for 641. I've used it in the workshop for BB30's and Trek's BB90 design. Also works well on pivot bearings in frames.

sungod

609/641 are similar, 609 has higher shear strength, you can safely use either for this

according to loctite...

make sure the shell and outside of the bearing are clean and completely grease free

with 641 you've got about 20 minutes from application to get things set up (609 is 10 minutes), i.e. seat bearings, mount cranks and set preload, then leave it all to cure for 24 hours

primer 7649 or 7088 will speed curing, especially if the surfaces are inactive (such as aluminium and stainless steel)

mamba80

This is what happened to my GF's CAAD10, constant creaking, LBS smothered the whole area with grease, which just attracted more dirt, more creaks, after several re visits, i stripped it down reassembled with minimal grease and torqued up the LH crank bolt to 42nm - problem solved, this torque setting, or lack off seems to be an issue, i ve fixed one other Canondale BB30 using a torque wrench.
She then needed a 165mm crank, got a Shimano 105 set and used whls manufacturing adaptors, no issues what so ever.

Sammyw23

mamba80 wrote:

This is what happened to my GF's CAAD10, constant creaking, LBS smothered the whole area with grease, which just attracted more dirt, more creaks, after several re visits, i stripped it down reassembled with minimal grease and torqued up the LH crank bolt to 42nm - problem solved, this torque setting, or lack off seems to be an issue, i ve fixed one other Canondale BB30 using a torque wrench.
She then needed a 165mm crank, got a Shimano 105 set and used whls manufacturing adaptors, no issues what so ever.

Going to try this - just checked the SRAM BB30 crankset guidelines and it suggests 49-54NM so I am thinking that it is not tight enough on either bike. Worth a try before I get the Loctite out! Thanks all for your replies

Buckie2k5

iam thinking of using loctite myself. Where would i apply it? to the bearing outer or the frame. Would it not be scraped off as you press the bearing in? questions questions questions

Sammyw23

I have read that you are best to apply to the bearing so that when you press it in, any excess is pushed outwards and can be wiped away whereas if you apply to the shell it will be pushed inside.

sungod

it's quite thin stuff, you do not need much, you'll be filling in gaps < 0.01mm so the volume needed is tiny

just a very thin layer around the rim and on the outside of the bearing

the data sheets have recommendations for use...

http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/609-EN.pdf
http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/641-EN.pdf

Ben6899

@Sungod

When you're stripping down your BB30 on a regular basis, is this a full strip? I.e. bearings out of the bottom bracket shell, everything cleaned and greased and then everything back together?

So you you have the right tools to remove and reinstall the bearings? Or have you improvised?

sungod

yes, it's every few months depending on distance and weather, pretty much inline with sram's instructions

the frame is stainless steel and the bb shell is smoooooth, i've got a tool, but the bearings are just about finger extractable/replacable, which suggests bearings and/or shell are on the opposite edges of tolerance, just some grease, no loctite

btw these are sram branded bearings, never had a problem with them

so aside from a chunky torque wrench for doing up the crank bolt, or a pick if i take out the circlips, it's tool free

for a spare set i did try some other bearings that i got on special offer, they went in much more easily, within an hour they creaked like buggery and were fretting on the axle - took them out, calipers showed they were undersize vs. the upper end of bb30 shell tolerance and the inner race seemed iffy too though that was harder to measure, but last time i buy those, i probably could fit them ok with loctite, but i think they'll just become paperweights

Ben6899

Cheers mate.

I'm looking at buying a BB30 frame and am just getting an idea about everything involved. I'll either spec Rotors (BB30) or a DA7900 with an adapter, but I'm not sure yet.

Buckie2k5

loctite 641 ordered i will update on wether it stops the clicking under load thats slowly driving me insane.

robbo2011

sungod wrote:

yes, it's every few months depending on distance and weather, pretty much inline with sram's instructions

the frame is stainless steel and the bb shell is smoooooth, i've got a tool, but the bearings are just about finger extractable/replacable, which suggests bearings and/or shell are on the opposite edges of tolerance, just some grease, no loctite

btw these are sram branded bearings, never had a problem with them

so aside from a chunky torque wrench for doing up the crank bolt, or a pick if i take out the circlips, it's tool free

for a spare set i did try some other bearings that i got on special offer, they went in much more easily, within an hour they creaked like buggery and were fretting on the axle - took them out, calipers showed they were undersize vs. the upper end of bb30 shell tolerance and the inner race seemed iffy too though that was harder to measure, but last time i buy those, i probably could fit them ok with loctite, but i think they'll just become paperweights

Kudos for having the dedication to regularly carry out the maintenance. I would not have the energy to do it. If it was my bike, I'd junk it and get something else with a better design that lasted >5000 miles before requiring any work.

sungod

it only takes 15 mins out of the time when i'm doing any other maintenance/cleaning, no big deal

gloomyandy

Is this a BB30 or PF30 bottom bracket? Either way there has been a lot of discussion about creaking problems with the BBright bottom bracket used by Cervelo. This is basically a variant on PF30. As a result instructions for how to install have been created here:
http://bbright.net/default.aspx
So they may be of interest.

Buckie2k5

loctite 641 applied and left to cure. The clicking continues aghhhhh... Iam now thinking of loctiting the spindle and inner race. Has anyone done this or have thoughts about it? Cheers.

sungod

if the spindle or bearing are out of tolerance (or worn) that could also cause noise

does the area where the spindle contacts the bearings look smooth? or are there signs of wear? loose bearings can cause accelerated wear of the contact surface (fretting)

if you grease it does it go quiet?

you can use loctite, but extraction may get interesting

Buckie2k5

Noisey with grease, never tried without. I'll try a light coating of loctite on the inner's tonight. Cheers.

Sammyw23

Let us know how you get on. Tightened up the synapse tonight which is the new bike so was obviously never tightened properly when built but the CAAD is already tightened properly so that is not the reason for the creaking.

If the loctite works for you then I will give it a go. Cheers

Buckie2k5

its still clicking away under load, i give up lol. all i got left to try is new bearings.

jgsi

Buckie2k5 wrote:

its still clicking away under load, i give up lol. all i got left to try is new bearings.

Well, I did read and was told, that once extracted do not re use bearings - an expense I know, but as long as you fit new ones correctly, you should not have issues.

Proff

I had this on my bike. Bike mechanic told me to spray a little bit of GT85 around the outside of the bearing where it is in contact with the frame. After two rides, no more creaking! Problem solved.

ADIHEAD

Both my Synapse and Orca made noises after a few hundred miles with new Sram bearings and chainsets fitted. Never had any trouble with the original FSA chainset and factory fitted bearings on the Cannondale from new though. Anyway, took both back to the shop and they cleaned and re-greased everything and all's fine now on both bikes.

Sammyw23

Anyone progressed on this? I am taking Synapse to LBS this weekend to try and rectify and will suggest loctite solution as I can't see that anything else will help.

Interested to hear from anyone who has used Loctite and it actually worked!

paulmon

Sammyw23 wrote:

Anyone progressed on this? I am taking Synapse to LBS this weekend to try and rectify and will suggest loctite solution as I can't see that anything else will help.

Interested to hear from anyone who has used Loctite and it actually worked!

I had issues with my CAAD10 within a few months of ownership. Started clicking then turned into this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYCzIN4epwE

I replaced the bearings and haven't (touches wood) had any problems with it since.