Why do bikes give me so much grief?

[Kookas]

Well, I'm about to leave for home again. Before I do, how do I know that I've tightened my pedals enough without a torque wrench? I tightened them fairly firmly, but didn't go 'all out', so it shouldn't be over tightened. I just used the pedal spanner until the resistance was 'significant'.

 

[fossyant]

You will be fine.

Sounds like your front mech may be slightly out or the rear mech if you are getting any ratchet noises. Is it happening in any particulate gears.

You do get rub on the front mech depending upon gear, so you trim it. Also if in one of the smaller front chainrings, but you are in one of the smallest sprockets, you'll find the shifting pins may want to try and pick the chain up onto the big chain ring.

You shouldn't be using big big or small small as this distorts the chain too much and causes noises as a starter. It's also not good for wear and tear.

 

[Kookas]

You will be fine.

Sounds like your front mech may be slightly out or the rear mech if you are getting any ratchet noises. Is it happening in any particulate gears.

You do get rub on the front mech depending upon gear, so you trim it. Also if in one of the smaller front sprockets, but you are in one of the smallest sprockets, you'll find the shifting pins may want to try and pick the chain up onto the big chain ring.

You shouldn't be using big big or small small as this distorts the chain too much and causes noises as a starter. It's also not good for wear and tear.

It's not in any particular gears, and it isn't rubbing on the derailleur cage either front or rear. I'm careful not to cross chain, too.

It happens at any cadence in any gear, though at really low cadences it's just too quiet to hear over wind, traffic, etc.

Anyway, I regreased both the cleats and the pedals with white lithium, so will see how things go on the ride home now.

 

[fossyant]

Oh and cheap Chainrings don't tend to run true, so this could also explain the noise on a left leg downstroke.

Drop the chain off the inside of the Chainrings and spin them. Watch for lateral (side to side) movement.

 

[fossyant]

Indexing ?

 

[Kookas]

You're right, the chainrings aren't true. The bike seemed fairly quiet on the ride home, although the ratchet noise persists. It's a quiet and tolerable noise, though.

What sort of price am I looking at for chain rings that do run true?

 

[Globalti]

Check that the big bolt that holds the cranks together is done up tight, if there is one and not two small pinch bolts on the LH crank.

 

[Moodyman]

Bikes really are simple, but you have to go through a frustrating period of 12-18 months to get to know them. Gradually buying the correct tools are getting into more technical maintenance.

But you have to be prepared to have a go and take things apart and then put them back together.

 

[Globalti]

Your "ratchet" noise may be caused by the chain rattling against the sides of the cage on the front derailleur. This is either because the derailleur limit screws need adjusting or because you have the chain on an extreme combination like small front and small rear.

 

[Dragonwight]

saddle maybe? or cleats.

 

[Kookas]

I think it's some part of my seat assembly, so either seat post or saddle. It doesn't squeak when I ride out of the saddle.

What grease should I use to grease the seat post? Since that should cure it, from what I've read on squeaky seats. Ideally something I can get from a high street shop, so I don't have to wait much to fix the problem.

 

[Cyclopathic]

Bikes really are simple, but you have to go through a frustrating period of 12-18 months to get to know them. Gradually buying the correct tools are getting into more technical maintenance.

But you have to be prepared to have a go and take things apart and then put them back together.

Often more than once. It may seem like a bit of a hassle at first but the satisfaction of fixing something is fab.

 

[oldfatfool]

Your not catching any part of the bike on your left hand side when sat pedaling are you, heel on crank arm for instance, or catching an overly long cable end on your front deraileur on the crank arm?

 

[Dragonwight]

On a new bike I would have thought it was more likely to simply be a case of needing to tighten the saddle clamps and post rather than greasing them. Also if its like riding a bag of bolts in general I would check all the bolts especially the headset to make sure its tight enough. The grease I use by the way is just standard lithium grease nothing special. (Note: If its a carbon post you will need grease suitable for it.)

 

[Kookas]

Your not catching any part of the bike on your left hand side when sat pedaling are you, heel on crank arm for instance, or catching an overly long cable end on your front deraileur on the crank arm?

It's a very rapid ratchet sound, so not once every revolution. Nothing's catching.