trek madone 5.2 (2013) clicking noise

plamen123

Hi guys, I am pretty new to cycling and bought the above bike 2nd hand; it was in pretty solid condition. Did some quick repairs and upgrades to it but nothing major.

Recently it has starting making this very distinct clicking sound. The sound is similar to that of a poorly indexed RD but not as loud or constant.

The sound occurs at short, random intervals only during pedalling and I've noticed it while cycling on pretty much all gears. It appears almost always when going uphill but not as much on flats.
I cannot reproduce the sound with my bike on my stand. It only comes about when I ride my bike.

So far I have:
-checked the indexing is perfect
-lubricated the chain
-cleaned the seat post and the drivetrain
-made sure all bolts in the drivetrain are tightened to the correct torque
-ridden with different pedals and also without cleats
-cleaned out/greased the bottom bracket without removing the bearings

I just want to get some ideas from the cycling community about what this noise could be/where else it can originate from before I commit to changing the BB90 bearings to a Token Ninja BB3724.

abishek_l

Hi, have you checked the rear dérailleur isn't brushing the spokes when on the lowest gear - if climbing then must be on the sprockets near the wheel?

plamen123

Hi abishek_l, yes there is no rubbing between those parts. Only occurs while pedalling so I doubt the issue has anything to do with the wheels as sound would also be present when coasting.

First.Aspect

If it sounds like an almost gear change, could be worn jockey wheels.

plamen123

Thanks Fire.Aspect. The jockey wheels look fine and they are lubbed up. I will have a closer listen when on the bike next to see if the sound is coming from there or anything seems off about them when pedalling.
Also forgot to mention that I cannot reproduce the sound with my bike on my stand. It only comes about when I ride my bike.

First.Aspect

The can't reproduce ona workstand thing is pretty common.

Re the jockey wheels, if the teeth wear or there is too much side to side play, the chain can periodically unship. Sounds like a rough gear when that happens, but you don't normally lose drive (unless it jams)

plamen123

Thanks for that info Fire.Aspect. Doing a closer inspection on the bike I noticed these 2 cracks. The two spoke nipples are close to one another, separated only by 1 other spoke nipple. Not sure how superficial the crack is however. Could this be causing the noise/ lead to a problem down the line?

woodywmb

Yes, could indeed be the rim/spokes. This is generally a creaking sound that occurs randomly at the rear wheel when pedalling. You won't work up enough tension on your workstand plus your weight is not above the wheel. To confirm it's this, borrow a wheel from someone and go ride your bike. No need to match the wheel totally (brake system etc). You can check over a short distance without needing to brake.

plamen123

Thanks woodywmb, will do! Or even test it out on a turbo trainer.

Ben6899

I wouldn't ride any further on that wheel. At best, you'll end up stuck at the side of the road; at worst, you'll crash.

First.Aspect

Yeah that rims on the way out. It isn't going to spontaneously combust though.

You describe the sound as being like a gear issue, which is a regular sound with a periodicity dictsted by cadence. If it is from the wheel, the periodicity will be associated with speed.

plamen123

I can definitely say the sound is metallic and rattly. After bringing back the wheel into consideration as a possible culprit, I can say that I can also relate the noise to spokes rubbing/clicking against each other in the rear wheel.
I might take my wheel to my local bike shop and have then check out the tensions and get an opinion about the cracks.
Thanks for all the insight guys.

First.Aspect

LBS will tell you to bin the wheels or have the hubs re-laced to new rims. That would be good advice.

Ben6899

No one’s mentioned the bottom bracket yet?

MattFalle

Ben6899 said:

No one’s mentioned the bottom bracket yet?

that lot won't help. they're all too busy messing around, chatting, getting caught speeding, looking out for each other, treating this place like a pub.

Bloody useless the lot of them.

plamen123

Ben6899 said:

No one’s mentioned the bottom bracket yet?

We are still on main course, that is for dessert. If it's not the wheel its the BB. It'll be easier to test the wheel by swapping it out with another before deducing that it's the BB by process of elimination.

masjer

Have you checked the front derailleur cable isn't striking the crank arm, giving a regular click whilst pedalling? This would occur more when on the inner chainring (climbing) as the cable is closer to the crank arm. The noise would occur on the stand though.