Noisy Bottom Bracket

samfailed
samfailed Posts: 82
edited May 2018 in Workshop
My bottom bracket has become quite noisy. It moves very smoothly but kind of sounds like a train chugging along!

Is this normal? Or a sign of problems to come?

Comments

  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    samfailed wrote:
    Is this normal? Or a sign of problems to come?

    No and yes.
  • samfailed
    samfailed Posts: 82
    Helpful
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,811
    Problem is a noisy bottom bracket is difficult to diagnose even if you can hear the noise, it's impossible to be sure over the internet. Without stripping it out and checking it you probably still won't be sure. If it moves smoothly ignore it for now and replace it when it no longer moves smoothly or the noise is so bad you can't stand it, or when you realise it's something else.
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Struggling to imagine a BB that's simultaneously noisy and smooth.

    You sure about both facts??
  • hopkinb
    hopkinb Posts: 7,129
    It's never your bottom bracket. Unless it is. It has never been mine though.

    The front page of Bike Radar today has a useful guide to creaks & how to fix them.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    keef66 wrote:
    Struggling to imagine a BB that's simultaneously noisy and smooth.

    You sure about both facts??

    Actually, thinking about that, my first 105 HTII BB developed a click. Only happened when I was on the bike and out of the saddle, and it was once every revolution. Still felt smooth when rotating the cranks by hand, and also when the axle was whipped out I poked a finger in there to turn it. It went away briefly when I removed and reinstalled the BB cups, but then came back.

    So I replaced it with an Ultegra one, just because CRC were selling them stupidly cheap. Blissful silence for 7 years now...

    Still can't imagine one sounding like a train though...
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    samfailed wrote:
    Helpful

    Two straight answers to two vague questions. Maybe you need to ask better questions.

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