Ticking - BB?

[fossyant]

I'd definitely start with removing the crank and BB, regrease it, and re-assemble. The old Square taper cartridge units can click if not greased up and tight enough, and the same with GXP. Then if not gone start with other areas. QR/through axel tight ?

 

[fossyant]

One mans tick is another mans creak

The only creaks or clunks on my bikes come from the rider ! I get a rather large clunk from my left leg when I put that down at traffic lights. Re-greasing hasn't worked

 

[T4tomo]

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/my-bottom-bracket-is-making-a-hell-of-a-racket.283211/

this was my issue that started with a bit of ticking

 

[All uphill]

Has anyone said yet?.. check the seat post and saddle.

I did in #3

 

[cyberknight]

I'd definitely start with removing the crank and BB, regrease it, and re-assemble. The old Square taper cartridge units can click if not greased up and tight enough, and the same with GXP. Then if not gone start with other areas. QR/through axel tight ?

I found greasing the inside of the non drive side cup where the bb sits inside it cured many a tick or creak with screw in bb designs

 

[Paulus]

I was going to suggest this, @cyberknight beat me to it.

I found greasing the inside of the non drive side cup where the bb sits inside it cured many a tick or creak with screw in bb designs

 

[laurentian]

From experience when I thought the BB was ticking, and after hours of fiddling, removing, regreasing, etc etc., just check that the quick link on your chain is engaged correctly . . .

 

[dimrub]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Very cool! I felt a little lost so I decided to summarize them.

Shoe hitting the cable - 7 votes. Nope, it was among the first things I checked. I do have a feed bag on the handlebar that attaches to the forks, sometimes the attachment gets loose and hits the tire/fork, but no, not this time.
Saddle/seatpost - 4 votes. It might be a Brooks creaking - it does that sometimes, but I can tell the difference by the sound and the pattern.
Cranks need greasing - 3 votes. Seems quite possible, but I lack the cap removal tool. I've already ordered one, so this one is on hold.
BB needs proper reinstall - regrease - 3 votes. Same as above, ordered a BB removal kit, currently on hold.
Indexing - 3 votes. Nope, the bike did come with indexing out of whack (for some reason, some bike shops can't figure out how to adjust indexing properly - I mean, you watch Calvin do it and do the same until you've memorized it, how hard can it be?), but I fixed that first thing, and now it's top notch.
Chainring screws - 2 votes. I didn't even think in this direction, this being a new bike, but just in case, went ahead and checked them - they are fine.
Chain issues (quick link improperly installed, or lubing issue) - 2 votes. Nope, everything seems to be fine with the chain.
Rear derailleur pulleys - 1 vote. An interesting idea, I might do that, although by the sound of it, it sounds unlikely.

Something (a piece of grit, a metal shaving) between the crank axle and the BB - frankly, this is my primary suspect, but as I said, I can't verify this just yet.

Loved the tip about keeping my teeth out of the way of the pedals, have been doing my level best to follow it. Alas, I did take the chain off and tried listening to the cranks - it was music to my ears, but I'm not sure it was a true representation of the real life scenario (i.e., there was no load).

As to the nature of the sound - well, imagine a spoke nipple hitting a hard surface. That's the sound. Definitely more of a ticking than creaking.

 

[Punkawallah]

Broken spoke?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It’s a ticking time bomb, ruuuuuun

 

[FishFright]

It’s a ticking time bomb, ruuuuuun

 

[dimrub]

One more thing nobody has mentioned. This bike has cables internally routed. I've just noticed that if I pull lightly on the gear cable's housing where it goes into the frame, then release, it makes the same exact sound. Maybe that's what's happening: the ferrule (?) at the end of the housing (which is inside the frame) rattles occasionally against the frame? If that is the case, I'm not sure what can be done about it. Perhaps wrap the ferrule with an electrician tape?..

 

[dimrub]

I've unscrewed the port through which that cable goes into the frame, hoping the ferrule is close enough that I'll be able to wrap it, only to discover belatedly that it's actually the rear brake line (what can I say, it's a new bike. And also, I'm an idiot). So the new plan is: unscrew the caliper, unscrew the port again, pull the line for as long as it would go, wrap it, return it all to normalcy. And a new question is: if this is indeed the reason, why didn't they think of bloody solving it at the factory?

By the way, I think I understand why it only happens under load. The key factor here is not the load, but the side to side motion that accompanies the load - and that causes the line to hit the frame.

 

[raleighnut]

I've unscrewed the port through which that cable goes into the frame, hoping the ferrule is close enough that I'll be able to wrap it, only to discover belatedly that it's actually the rear brake line (what can I say, it's a new bike. And also, I'm an idiot). So the new plan is: unscrew the caliper, unscrew the port again, pull the line for as long as it would go, wrap it, return it all to normalcy. And a new question is: if this is indeed the reason, why didn't they think of bloody solving it at the factory?

By the way, I think I understand why it only happens under load. The key factor here is not the load, but the side to side motion that accompanies the load - and that causes the line to hit the frame.

Common problem with cables running through the frame.

 

[AlBaker]

It has developed an annoying tick(ing) sound. It only happens when pedals are turning,

I had a similar problem with my Izip step-through bike with 3,000 miles on it. I stopped and checked everything I could think of and found nothing. Eventually I removed the triple chain ring and noticed small welds that seemed to engage with the chain which was a bit worn. I used an angle grinder to remove part of the welded blobs, but still the ticking was there, once with every revolution of the cranks. So I bought a new triple chain ring and cranks. While installing them, I went to the non-drive side to put the crank on, and I noticed a short length of gear cable that operates the front derailleur. Somehow it got outside the chain stay and brushed against the crank. As the crank moved it with each revolution, it flicked back against the chain stay. Tick. Tick. Tick. Ah well, at least I've got a nice, new crank set on it.