Clonking noise on every pedal revolution

[Learnincurve]

A stone in the seat tube ? How would it have got in ??

I've had it before on my MTB and I have absolutely no idea how it happened.

 

[fossyant]

Hmmm, just had a look at the offending clonky crank.

Greasing the fork dropouts and re-inserting the front wheel didn't help, unfortunately, but doesn't hurt to have done it anyway.

Grabbing both cranks and rocking back and forth (hard) at the clonking position *does* yield a tiny bit of side to side motion. As far as I can tell, the movement is in both cranks, not just the left one, so I guess this must mean the rocking and clonking is coming from the BB.

So it looks like it's back to the LBS for a new one, unfortunately!

Defo new BB. About £15 for a square taper. I find that my MTB tends to eat them. Have square taper on all my bikes, and a UN54 lasted over 5 years on my fixed gear commuter before developing the clock and play. The bearings are still smooth, but you get play in them. Time to change. I also have Ultegra and Dura Ace cartridge square tapers on two other bikes that haven't been changed in 15 or more years.

If you can try and get un55 as they come with the alloy locking cup, miles better than the plastic ones

 

[ChrisEyles]

New BB it is - UN55 sounds good if it comes with an alloy rather than plastic locking cup, I'll ask if they've got any in stock when I take the bike in.

Must take ages to trace back a suspicious noise to a stone in the frame!

 

[Gravity Aided]

BB is at least an inexpensive solution to your problem. I just replaced mine, and about 2 or 3 others around, perhaps it's the international year of the bottom bracket.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

New BB it is - UN55 sounds good if it comes with an alloy rather than plastic locking cup, I'll ask if they've got any in stock when I take the bike in.

Must take ages to trace back a suspicious noise to a stone in the frame!

A crank puller will only cost you a fiver or so and is well worth having - replacing a cartridge BB is a mechanically simple job (but can be a pig if cross threaded or seized) If you are happy using the LBS that's fine - we should all support the good LBS's if lucky enough to have one, but building a tool kit and the confidence and knowledge of how to use it may make your cycling, cheaper, safer and more enjoyable.......(or not!)

 

[ChrisEyles]

This time around I need the issue fixed asap (the clonking is getting worse, and I'm lending it to a friend for a ride soon), so I might go down the LBS route. If I could deal with it in a more leisurely fashion, I'd definitely be tempted to get the crank puller and do it myself. Ah well, next time!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Just in case nobody else has adhered to CycleChat tradition and suggested this; have you checked your knees?

 

[ChrisEyles]

I know the cracking and popping sound my knees make going up steep hills very well, definitely not that

 

[RhythMick]

This time around I need the issue fixed asap (the clonking is getting worse, and I'm lending it to a friend for a ride soon), so I might go down the LBS route. If I could deal with it in a more leisurely fashion, I'd definitely be tempted to get the crank puller and do it myself. Ah well, next time!

At the risk of being flamed, Halfords might be a good option for you. They charge I think £20 for an annual maintenance contract which will cover labour for the BB change and anything else needed, just pay parts.

That said I'm going to flame myself - experiences with Halfords vary widely and it will depend on what your local mechanic is like.

My LBS is really good and does a thorough check and service for £50. I like to be able to do things for myself, but will occasionally book it in when I just don't have the time.

 

[ChrisEyles]

That's certainly a good offer from Halfords. I must say I tend to trust my favoured LBS a bit more based on the advice I've received from both places, but it will probably be rather more expensive for the labour. Would be great if there were more workshops around that would walk you through the repairs/servicing and get you confident to do everything yourself - not good business for them though!

 

[al-fresco]

I'm afraid I wouldn't really trust Halfords with a bike. I have resorted to my LBS for stuff like wheel truing but otherwise I tend to do it myself. Youtube is a godsend.

 

[RhythMick]

I'm afraid I wouldn't really trust Halfords with a bike. I have resorted to my LBS for stuff like wheel truing but otherwise I tend to do it myself. Youtube is a godsend.

True - it's amazing how much you can learn from YouTube and a little experimentation.

Halford - I've had good and bad - but I agree I would personally rather take it to the LBS

 

[huwsparky]

I had a clicking noise coming from mine, not every pedal stroke but most. Seemed to be worse in some gear combinations.

This in itself was annoying but I lived with it for ages.

Last week my free-hub failed. Decided this would be a good time to change the wheels rather than throwing good money on a cheap hub and guess what? All clicking has gone. So for ages my free-hub was causing the noises and I had never even suspected it.

Just a suggestion for you...

 

[ChrisEyles]

Well, the bike's at the LBS right now, getting a new BB stuck in. They seemed pretty sure that's the problem, so hopefully I can have a clonk-free ride back home tonight

I looked at tools, but they are around £40 as opposed to £12 labour, and would only work on the one bike, so I guess I'll just come back in however many thousand miles and get them to stick a new one in!

 

[Sittingduck]

If it's just a crank puller, they can be had for 10-15 quid.