Bike making increasingly loud 'grating' noises.

[pedaling]

Title says it really...

doesn't appear to be the chain, seems to be the bit near where the pedals are, where it all joins up. Loud grating sound, getting increasingly worse, the worse the faster I peddle, and it's so noisy that I've had lots of people staring at me as I cycled past today I spoke to another cyclist today (a randomer) who told me (nicely, but still) that I had a nice bike which could do with some more tlc...

A friend's dad suggested (when it was in the beginning stages of making noise) that one of the ball-bearings (or something like this, I can't quite remember) might have come off and smashed and be moving round. He wanted to take my bike apart! I think I should have let him now, since my bike is categorically ill and I am categorically crap regarding bike maintenance so I don't know what to do.

Is it safe to keep cycling it? Or can things actually fall apart?

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Sure it's not just the chain rubbing on a badly adjusted front mech?

 

[pedaling]

badly adjusted front mech? what's a front mech? :/

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Sorry, the mechanism which changes the chain from one chainring to the other on the pedal crank.

 

[pedaling]

What does it look like? How would I know if it's that? (I really do not know what is what bike-wise!)

 

[Gerry Attrick]

OK......have a look here http://bicycletutor.com/tune-up/

 

[Gerry Attrick]

And this will give you all the information/explanation of terms etc. you will ever need: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

 

[pedaling]

Bike tutor has apparently suffered a hack attack. Alas, no bike tutor for right now

Unless the 'derailleur' thing is to do with what you tried to explain?

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Bad luck. Have a browse on the Sheldon Brown site.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Here is another "how to do" video.
View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ngm6dr-1na0

 

[Randochap]

Is it safe to keep cycling it? Or can things actually fall apart?

It is not possible to give this kind of info over the internet. You need to take it to a qualified mechanic.

It's often difficult to pinpoint where a drivetrain noise is coming from. You could simply have something out of adjustment, or your crank arm may be about to fall off.

Take the actual (rather than virtual) bike into the LBS.

 

[HLaB]

Bike tutor has apparently suffered a hack attack. Alas, no bike tutor for right now

Why would somebody want to do that

 

[pedaling]

to the bike shop it will be then... :/ I hope it's okay!

 

[Randochap]

to the bike shop it will be then... :/ I hope it's okay!

Let us know how it goes.

 

[ComedyPilot]

My money's on a crank bearing