Case 1:
My old Motobecane 12 speed bike developed a strange, unnerving clicking noise in/near the bottom bracket...although I am not sure what caused it. It always appeared after some warming up/usage. However, strong clicking even occurred when the cranks were in near horizontal position (the right one facing towards the front of the bike). Ironically, the clicking was minor/disappeared when riding with force, e.g. up Edworthy park. Clicking even occured when pedalling slowly to very slowly with next to no force, e.g. when running downhill. One could even try to find the exact location of the cranks when this occurred. Bottome bracket was not loose at all.
Solution: mechanic believed it was due to dried up bearings in the bottom bracket.. it took the remaing grease some time/temperature raise to loose cohesion and fail to lubricate. Bottom bracket and chain were replaced.
Result: was good for 400 kms, then clicking started to occur again after heavy usage (10 km ride)...although the new bottom bracket is sealed. Chain was also well maintained.
Case 2: Exactly the same clicking developed on my 1987 Steve Bauer road bike, which appeared generally in good shape. It first appeared after a ride from downtown to Fish creek...and became successively worse. Bottom bracket appeared to be tight (i.e. not loose). After the winter, the second largest cog in the back developed a strange slippage for no obvious reasons.
Solution: A new set of cogs in the back. Bottom bracket and chain were replaced.
Result: Started slipping on all back cogs, clicking noise worse than ever [does not need any warming up anymore], and rear rim bent after a 2km ride.
Bottom line: this clicking appears to be a common problem, however no one knows where it is really coming from and how to cure it. It is unlikely that the bottom bracket is the culprit. I never had any problems like this with any of my bikes before in 25 years. Got an old Raleigh beater which runs like a charm.
Question: any suggestions?
Cheers,
Jurgen
It could still be any number
Submitted by urban_doug on
It could still be any number of things that you might not expect:
1- Try riding with a different saddle and seatpost or even without a saddle/post if possible. Sometimes after a while your seat tube will ovalize from a slight back and forth movement of the seatpost caused by pedaling. This can cause the seatpost to move back and forth in the tube thereby causing a clicking noise. Alternatively, the metal of the seatpost itself could be fatiguing and causing a clicking/creaking noise.
2 - Check your frame for any fractures or signs of stress/fatigue. I have an old marin with a bit of metal sawed out of the chainstay from an improperly installed crankset and it creaks and clicks like a demon when the chainstay flexes under the force of a pedal stroke.
3- Is the taper on your crankset still good? Sometimes if you have a square taper bottom bracket (which itself will remain tight), the crank will start to click and creak if the taper has come out of shape and no longer fits the spindle of the bottom bracket properly. Definitely make sure that your crank bolt is tightened (best to check it once a week) and that white grease was placed on the taper when the crank was installed . If the wear on the taper is too much then you'll need to get a new crankset (try upgrading to an isis or octalink style bb and crankset to get rid of that problem)
4- Is there any part of the chain rings or crank set that might be rubbing the chain or causing the chain to tap the front deraileur? This could be a bent chainring or tooth on the chain ring or a bent guard of some sort. Alternativesly, the front deraileur could be mis-aligned so that any out of line movement of the chain causes it to tap and make a clicking noise. Bent chain rings in the front could explain the chain slip in the back.
As for the chain slip, make sure the tension on your deraileur is set properly and that you have the correct number of links in your chain. Also, some chains have a smooth side and a rough side. You may have yours upside down (inside out). Also make sure that the tension/indexing on all your cables and housing is properly adjusted and that you have no bends in the cable or stiff links in the chain.
Not sure why any of these problems would be so intermittant though...
good luck!
Crank problem
Submitted by jdevitt on
I agree with urban_doug completely. His point number 3 has happened to me many times (until I got the octalink style). If your cranks were ever overtightened then I would try that first. Adding some white lithium and reinstalling the cranks has worked well for me - for a while anyways.
More issues
Submitted by jkraus on
Thanks gents,
In the meantime, more issues have arisen...see forum topic:
Repair horror: wheel implosions?