# Clicking!!!



## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

Hi guys,
I was riding my new mtb today when I started to hear a clicking noise every time I pushed down on the crank to pedal. It's only really my right pedal that the sound comes from. 
Is this a problem with the bottom bracket?
Thanks.


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## MarquisMatsugae (25 Oct 2016)

I take it you have made a full recovery from your life threatening bruised chest ?


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## mjr (25 Oct 2016)

Unlikely to be bottom bracket, but could be. More likely to be pedal, crank, saddle or seatpost. You can almost test saddle or seatpost by seeing if it still happens when you pedal standing up. Other than that, I think the clicks from pedals, cranks and BB tend to feel different, but that's not a great deal of help if you've never suffered any before!

http://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html might be more help.


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## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

MarquisMatsugae said:


> I take it you have made a full recovery from your life threatening bruised chest ?


No I just went up and down the street to stretch my legs! 
Was that a hint of sarcasm by the way ?!


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## Yellow Saddle (25 Oct 2016)

I'm voting for BB but we have so little information that I may as well guess that it was loose jewellery on your arm.


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## ColinJ (25 Oct 2016)

Yellow Saddle said:


> I'm voting for BB but we have so little information that I may as well guess that it was loose jewellery on your arm.


Funnily enough ... I wear a medical dog tag on a chain round my neck and that turned out to be one of the sources of annoying ticking/clinking/clicking noises when out riding. The tag was slapping against the zip on my jersey. I now wear the tag _behind_ my neck when out on the bike.


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## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

Yellow Saddle said:


> I'm voting for BB but we have so little information that I may as well guess that it was loose jewellery on your arm.


1) I don't wear jewellery. 
2) What more information do you want. 
It's a medium pitched clicking, not a clunk and not a squeak. 
It happens most when I pedal in a higher gear and uphill. 
It also happens most when I use my right pedal but sometimes on the left. 
Thanks.


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## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

ColinJ said:


> Funnily enough ... I wear a medical dog tag on a chain round my neck and that turned out to be one of the sources of annoying ticking/clinking/clicking noises when out riding. The tag was slapping against the zip on my jersey. I now wear the tag _behind_ my neck when out on the bike.


Haha


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## fossyant (25 Oct 2016)

Lose pedal ?


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## Yellow Saddle (25 Oct 2016)

BretonM said:


> 1) I don't wear jewellery.
> 2) What more information do you want.
> .



You are right. I didn't see the bit where only psychics need reply.


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## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

Yellow Saddle said:


> You are right. I didn't see the bit where only psychics need reply.


Ok


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## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

fossyant said:


> Lose pedal ?


I dunno maybe but it sounds like it's in the bb area.


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## Crackle (25 Oct 2016)

Have you got some pedals you could swop and see if it's still there?

Tighten your stem bolts and anything on the bars as well and seatpost etc. Just nip a few things up and see if it goes away.


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## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

MarquisMatsugae said:


> I take it you have made a full recovery from your life threatening bruised chest ?


Sarcasm ??


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## fossyant (25 Oct 2016)

BretonM said:


> I dunno maybe but it sounds like it's in the bb area.



Noise travels on bikes. Check the saddle is on tight - possible lightly grease the rails.


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## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

Ok thanks


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## fossyant (25 Oct 2016)

I tend to pull bikes to bits, even new ones, and re-grease all the important bits. Check all contact points, pedals, saddle, bars. Wobble cranks to see if there is play. Check nothing is catching or knocked from your crash - especially the mechs.


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## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

Yeah. Thanks.


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## JtB (25 Oct 2016)

BretonM said:


> I was riding my new mtb today


How new? If you bought it from an LBS maybe they will look at it.


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## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

JtB said:


> How new? If you bought it from an LBS maybe they will look at it.


I bought it second hand but it was barely ridden


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## ColinJ (25 Oct 2016)

Apart from the dangling dog tag, the other noise sources that I found were:

Cleat bolts were not tight enough
The raised tread on the sole of one of my (mountain bike style) SPD shoes was rubbing against the pedal so I trimmed it back
The bolts holding the plates on the tops of the pedals were not tight enough
The headset was not tight enough
The brake/shifters may not have been fixed to the bars tight enough
The chainring bolts may not have been tight enough
The reason that so many things were not tight enough was that I don't have a torque wrench and have damaged things in the past by overtightening bolts. I had obviously been overcautious on this bike because all is now quiet!

Oh, and a clicking sound on another bike was caused by my right ankle catching the end of the cable to the front derailleur once per pedal revolution.


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## BretonM (25 Oct 2016)

ColinJ said:


> Apart from the dangling dog tag, the other noise sources that I found were:
> 
> Cleat bolts were not tight enough
> The raised tread on the sole of one of my (mountain bike style) SPD shoes was rubbing against the pedal so I trimmed it back
> ...


Yeah I'm gonna go and check my bike tomorrow morning and tighten things up. But not too much. 
Thanks.


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## Milkfloat (26 Oct 2016)

One extra thing to look at is to make sure you are not clipping the cable on your FD when the crank passes. That could explain it only occurring in certain gears.


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## mjr (26 Oct 2016)

fossyant said:


> Check the saddle is on tight - possible lightly grease the rails.


I thought you greased the saddle clamp bolt, not the rails. You want the rails to be gripped snug.



ColinJ said:


> Oh, and a clicking sound on another bike was caused by my right ankle catching the end of the cable to the front derailleur once per pedal revolution.


Similarly, I've had the bit on the end of my shoelaces ping the FD.


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## ColinJ (26 Oct 2016)

ColinJ said:


> Oh, and a clicking sound on another bike was caused by my right ankle catching the end of the cable to the front derailleur once per pedal revolution.





Milkfloat said:


> One extra thing to look at is to make sure you are not clipping the cable on your FD when the crank passes. That could explain it only occurring in certain gears.


Blimey, there is a really loud echo in this room!


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## fossyant (26 Oct 2016)

mjr said:


> I thought you greased the saddle clamp bolt, not the rails. You want the rails to be gripped snug.



I grease the contact points on the rails. The saddle isn't going to come loose ! Same with bars and stem - grease the contact points where they clamp. I hate annoying clicks, and I don't get any from anywhere by doing this.


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## Milkfloat (26 Oct 2016)

ColinJ said:


> Blimey, there is a really loud echo in this room!



Luckily it is not a clicking noise.


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## ChrisEyles (28 Oct 2016)

Don't think anyone's mentioned this before - if you're using a square tapered BB, are the crank bolts nice and tight? When I bought my first MTB off Gumtree I had a similar clicking develop after a few miles, that only ocurred when putting a fair bit of force on the pedals, and this was the cause. If so, you want to fix it sooner rather than later, or the square holes in the cranks will round out and become unusable. 

All other suggestions equally plausible though, it can be quite hard to track down a creak/click (as others have said BB is often the culprit).


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