Clicking/Creaking noise

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Lauris

Active Member
Hi

I recently bought a new bike.

I got gears indexed properly a couple days ago.

Today I went for a ride and this some sort of clicking noise appeared like 2/3 clicks per pedal revolution.

I tried to pedal by hand = no clicking

Spun the wheels by hand = no clicking

Clicking noise only occurs when I am pedalling on the bike.

Also, I checked if all gears shift properly by hand and they do.

Need advice asap.
 

Rocky

Hello decadence
Sounds silly but is it a toggle on a zip (on your clothes) clicking? Or is it your knee? Both have happened to me.

Other things to think about: the pedals clicking (can you isolate right or left by cycling with one leg)? Bottom bracket bearings (a bit early in the bike's life to run dry) - again does it happen under load? Perhaps alternate between sitting down and standing on the pedals as you ride.

Does it happen in all gears to the same extent? Is the front derailleur catching on the chain?

Are the wheels rubbing on the brakes? Perhaps they are a little noisier when pedalling.

Again, another left field idea: I had a very noisy Cateye bike computer and the magnet on the front wheel clicked every time it went past the sender on the front fork. I only noticed it when I was riding.

Good luck!! Do let us know if you find anything.
 

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
Clicks, creaks and rattles are the work of beelzebub and all his little wizards.

Suggestions:

1. Saddle rails. Surprisingly common. Does the click disappear when out of the saddle?

2. Rear QR. Try tightening and/or a little grease on the rear drop outs (I had this one today on my bike)

3. Chainring bolts. Tighten them all up.

4. Chainring interface. I once found that removing the chainring, greasing where it touches the spider, then replacing solved the problem.

4. Cracked frame. Hope not.

5. Pedal bearings. Swap the pedals for another set and see.

6. Any fastenings eg rear rack, bottle cages etc. Check they're all tight. Frame flex can make them creak if not

7. Spoke crossovers. Flex can make these move enough to creak or click.

Suggested diagnostic: to put all your weight on one pedal, then the other while stationary and see if you can replicate. If yes, you might be able to find it quickly.
 
OP
OP
L

Lauris

Active Member
Hi, all thanks for the replies I will apply these methods tomorrow and see if it fixes it. I will update tomorrow. :smile:
 
What sort of bottom bracket is it? If it’s the sealed cartridge type, it sounds like a typical situation when the bracket collars haven’t been tightened up enough. They do need a lot of tightening ( about 40 Nm ) and that is actually quite an effort to do without a big long torque wrench, or a monkey wrench with a 2 ft scaffolding pole over the handle ( I kid you not, that’s what I used a couple of weeks back on mine, when I had a very similar sounding noise on my Hybrid bike ).
 
Don;t forget shoelaces (assuming non-use of Velcro)!
 
OP
OP
L

Lauris

Active Member
@Sharky yes. Although when I was cycling home (1 mile) from the LBS I didn't hear anything.
Today I wanted to go for a 30+ mile ride and the clicking started. Nothing has been done apart from gear indexing.
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
@Sharky yes. Although when I was cycling home (1 mile) from the LBS I didn't hear anything.
Today I wanted to go for a 30+ mile ride and the clicking started. Nothing has been done apart from gear indexing.
Did have a similar problem once. The heel of my shoe was catching the end of the gear cable on each rotation and of course, when I got off the bike and tried to find it, there was no noise. Took a few rides before I spotted it.

Hope you find the click.
 
It says it’s threaded, which is probably where the issue is. Tighten the cups up / get the cups tightened up, and the noise should disappear. It’s a ‘shakedown’ issue. The cups were tight enough originally, but they have loosened slightly as you’ve ridden it. It may take a couple more ‘shakedowns’ before it settles fully. Each time it happens, repeat the tightening process.



Keep an eye on the crank tightness as well.
 
Last edited:

Globalti

Legendary Member
If it's a BB30 bottom bracket the 30mm axle is fretting inside the bearing inner races. It needs to be dismantled and bearing fit compound smeared inside the bearings. A 5 minute job.
 
Top Bottom