Clicking on the upstroke - Brompton M3L

[suecsi]

This varies depending on how much effort I am having to make - i.e. if the weather is nice and I am pootling along on a segregated cycle lane or quiet road it doesn't seem to do it as much - but when I am making more of an effort, there is a clicking noise from somewhere down near the pedals. I have worked out that it is every time the left pedal is at the top of the stroke. On the Brompton, the left pedal is the folding one.

Any ideas what this could be as I can't see anything obvious, is this just a Brompton usual noise? I only hear it when I am on quieter roads anyway, usually if I am in traffic I can't hear it.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Check to see if there is any play in the BB. Hold the crank arms and see if the is any movement as you try to pull them back and forth. If all is well there it is almost certainly an issue with the pedal. Swap it out and see if the issue goes away. Hope this helps.

 

[suecsi]

If there is any slight play in the BB, is this something I can tighten up myself or do I need to take it back to the shop for them to fix? I have only been riding it since January, for about 5 miles a day.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I am not sure what type of bottom bracket the M3L uses. If it is a sealed unit then it would need to be swapped out (not that expensive). If you find play I would pop it into your LBS, show them what you have found and see what they say. My money however is on the pedal . Let us know how you get on.

If there is any slight play in the BB, is this something I can tighten up myself or do I need to take it back to the shop for them to fix? I have only been riding it since January, for about 5 miles a day.

 

[Holdsworth]

Just a thought, try and make sure that it isn't movement in your saddle that is making the noise. Sounds tend to reverberate through the frame to make them appear as though they are coming from elsewhere. I had a clicking on the same part of the stroke and it turned out that my seat post clap was a little loose, tightening it up a little more made the click magically disappear.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Very good point. I vaguely remember having this issue on my MTB.

Just a thought, try and make sure that it isn't movement in your saddle that is making the noise. Sounds tend to reverberate through the frame to make them appear as though they are coming from elsewhere. I had a clicking on the same part of the stroke and it turned out that my seat post clap was a little loose, tightening it up a little more made the click magically disappear.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

check the pins on the folding pedal (the long hollow ones, there's 2), they are meant to be loose and sometimes just move backwards and forwards. well known annoying click on the brommies. next check the suspension bung, sometimes they get dry between the frame and rubber. sometimes just rotating / twisting is enough.

shaun

 

[danielsz]

Funny, I have the exact same thing, only on the downstroke, ie. when the folding pedal is down.

Here's the checks I've run, alas, with no results.

* Swapped the pedal with another one. Ruled out pedal.
* Removed and examined bottom bracket: it's sealed, but nothing seems wrong there.
* Stiff links in the chain: nope.
* Checked firmness of seat and suspension block: OK.

Did you get better luck?