Road bike: ticking and clicking driving me mental!

[badgerjockey]

Hello all,

Just got a shiny 'new', second hand Genesis Equilibrium 20 and I love it. However, it was built up with the following drivetrain:

-Shimano 105 Crankset (a bit used/worn)
-Shimano Chain (new)
-SRAM OG 10sp Cassette (new)
-SRAM Rival rear mech (new)
-SRAM Apex Front mech (new)
-Shimano A520 SPD pedals (a bit used/worn)
-Mavic open pros, Ultegra hubs, Sapim spokes (all new)

It works really well, but developed repetitive creaking from this area, once every time the right crank goes down under pressure and another that seems to come from the freehub or rear wheel once everytime the back wheel turns.

In an effort to chase down the culprits, I changed the BB with new Ultegra cups, however the noise didn't stop. On re-fitting the crankset, I tightened everything up supertight and there is no play whatsoever in the cranks. The pedals also seem ok.

I tried wiggling the cassette and found that there is a tiny bit of play if I pull hard. Would a SRAM cassette on a Shimano freehub be incompatible??

Any more ideas for these two noises? Running out of ideas. Will try some other pedals on it now...

Thanks!

H

 

[Baggy]

Does it still make the noise when you stand up? It could be the saddle rails or the seatpost.

 

[NotFabian]

In relation to the first creak, I had similar from my pedal(same type as you) it drove me mad too til I discovered it,

, it stopped for a while when I sprayed degreaser on it and power hosed it and then lubed it. The creak eventually came back so I replaced them.

 

[badgerjockey]

To be fair it could be the pedals. However, if I try new pedals and it's still there could it possibly be a problem with the crank-pedal threads??

Not a problem with the saddle, still there when I stand up. Ta!

 

[Erratic]

Had a creaking on my bike, went mad trying to find out where it was coming from, checked pedals, bb etc, as it always seemed to be coming from the bottom of the bike. Turns out it was the stem either tightened too much or unevenly across the two bolts which attach it to the handlebars. Not sure if it is of much assistance to you, but kind of surprised me that where I thought the noise was coming from was quite a distance from where it actually was.

 

[monnet]

The problem is, it could be anything. The best thing is to make sure everything is greased and tightened to the correct torque. Make sure the gears are set up right and the chain is lubed.

As Baggy says, it could be saddle related. Pedals are another thing, but if you've greased them and they're tightened up ok it might be unlikely.

Creaks have a habit of echoing around frames, making them very hard to track down. A problem with the handlebars could sound like a pedal problem etc.

I find my bikes pick up creaks from nowhere. Sometimes they just go away, if not usually they disappear after a clean and grease.

 

[martint235]

Try tightening the bolts on the crank (4/5 of them)

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

My creek similar, again replaced pedals, checked BB, etc etc
turned out the seat post was wearing out, and when it finally gave way, the saddle could twirl on top of the seat post 360 degrees !

Replaced the seat post and it went, nearly 6 months of trying to fathom it and I would never have suspected the seat post. Was 100% sure it was the pedals or BB.

 

[bonj]

Check:
Dropouts (fork/hub axle interface)
Grease them, and don't do qr skewers up too tight.
Crank splines (non drive side crank arm/bb axle interface). Grease it, and re tighten to correct torque after about 50-100 miles. This can be one of those things that just has to "bed in".

 

[pawl]

Ihad a simmilar problem.a creak as left down stroke.Traced it to a loose shoe cleat

 

[twobiker]

I had a tick noise when I pedalled , it was my shoelace hitting on the downstroke.

 

[PaulSecteur]

I have a strange noise too. Its always there but more evident when ging uphill. Its sort of like a wheezy, gasping for air sound, I cant think what it could be. I let my mate try my bike and he couldnt hear it.

 

[CopperCyclist]

In relation to the first creak, I had similar from my pedal(same type as you) it drove me mad too til I discovered it,, it stopped for a while when I sprayed degreaser on it and power hosed it and then lubed it. The creak eventually came back so I replaced them.

This. My new Boardman developed a click as I rotated the pedals that drove me mad but did nothing to performance. I eventually got rid of it with a liberal dose of muck off and some lube - it was just salt and grit building up under the pedal arms as they rotated.

 

[Fiona N]

I have a strange noise too. Its always there but more evident when ging uphill. Its sort of like a wheezy, gasping for air sound, I cant think what it could be. I let my mate try my bike and he couldnt hear it.

Don't laugh - I tried for ages to find the light clunking noise which appeared on cold days. Took ages to realise it was the zipper puller on my winter training jacket which tapped on the zip as I breathed

 

[Moodyman]

True story - For weeks, I could hear a grinding sound during a certain section of my commute. I could only hear it because there was no traffic along this section of my commute.

Each day I'd get home and clean and grease some part of my bike to quieten the grind and each day along this section of the road, it'd come back.

Then...by chance I discovered it was my watch. I've got a Kinetic watch and it charges itself by wrist movement. When the watch is subjected to a lot of movement - i.e road vibrations - there's a noticeable grind coming from the turning cogs. So I wrapped it tissue and put into my pannier. Silence restored.