http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Mysterious tick en Sun, 28 Jun 2026 06:47:00 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115750 Tue, 25 Jun 2013 11:14:26 +0000 DaveC 115750@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@kappers, you may be right, though my new job in the clock factory has got me wondering..... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115744 Tue, 25 Jun 2013 10:40:18 +0000 Instography 115744@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm developing this into a checklist of potential sources for my clicky bike. First check is over-tightening of saddle on rails. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115740 Tue, 25 Jun 2013 10:29:59 +0000 kaputnik 115740@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>DaveC - if all your bikes tick are you sure it isn't you that is ticking? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115738 Tue, 25 Jun 2013 10:20:52 +0000 DaveC 115738@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Nearly every one of my bikes clicks in soe way. Its slightly annoying but having clicked for years - in one case - I'm not that fussed.</p> <p>Still need a rear mudguard though, that particular rattle is annoying as I don't appear to have any gaffer take for a temporary fix. I have 2 year old pedals on most of my bikes. I wonder if I should just buy 3 new sets? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115736 Tue, 25 Jun 2013 10:08:55 +0000 wingpig 115736@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>A handy thread as I've developed my own click over the past week. The stem clamp has been unfastened within the last month, a chainring replaced at the same time and the saddle replaced shortly afterwards, so lots of candidates even before considering the ageing pedals or the BB. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115727 Tue, 25 Jun 2013 09:45:37 +0000 kaputnik 115727@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>stem clamp bolts over-tightened (or the tightness is uneven across the 4 bolts)? have you tried combinations of one-handed cycling (or no-handed if that's in your bag of tricks!) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115713 Tue, 25 Jun 2013 08:27:54 +0000 amir 115713@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>My next task is to swap the pedals with some from the tickless bike. I don't hold much hope since when I pedal one-footed the tick continues.</p> <p>I've ruled out saddle and post related problems as the tick continues when I pedal out of the saddle. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115709 Tue, 25 Jun 2013 07:07:53 +0000 RJ 115709@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>my money would be on worn out pedal bearig(s). You won't hear the click without some body weight on it. Hold the pedal cage and try moving it from side to side on the spindle without rotating it. If you can rattle the pedal on the spindle, that's the likley source of the click. (My left pedal is doing this at tne moment; it' a regular if infrequent thing). Cure? Replace bearings, or pedals. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115533 Sun, 23 Jun 2013 19:42:00 +0000 kaputnik 115533@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>seat clamp over-tightened on the seat rails? (this was the root of my mysterious pedalling-synchronised ticking) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115499 Sun, 23 Jun 2013 10:30:02 +0000 Cyclingmollie 115499@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>You could try tightening the sprocket cassette. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115491 Sun, 23 Jun 2013 09:31:10 +0000 gembo 115491@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Swap pedals for sure. I had a tick was loose screw in the pedal, very embarrassing for me. Check chain links, you did that though? Next time I had a tick I bought new pedals and turned out 'twas a fairly obvious chunk out of the chain. Might even be your shoe cleats? Anything but the frame </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115490 Sun, 23 Jun 2013 09:15:13 +0000 amir 115490@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Gear cable end now ruled out. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115489 Sun, 23 Jun 2013 09:14:41 +0000 amir 115489@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yep, with ticks you should always check the nipples. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115488 Sun, 23 Jun 2013 08:33:39 +0000 Uberuce 115488@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>OT: my elder sister was playing the family dog and found a tick, which was a great concern since an earlier family pooch had died from something passed on by one. My Dad duly examined the mutt and invited sis to look for other ticks, and to her horror-turning-to-embarrassment found five more, regularly spaced in two lines along her belly.</p> <p>So, they'd be her nipples, then. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115485 Sun, 23 Jun 2013 07:37:41 +0000 amir 115485@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>No, I can't hear it on the stand but I will check the cable anyway.</p> <p>I will try swapping pedals, though I can reproduce it when cycling one legged. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115482 Sun, 23 Jun 2013 07:28:40 +0000 Dave 115482@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>One of the bearings on one of my commuter pedals collapsed a couple of years ago, causing it to ocassionally click just as you describe. I'd recommend swapping on a pair of pedals from another bike (and riding with flat shoes) just to completely rule this part of the bike out.</p> <p>Since you've replaced the BB (and it happens with hands off the bars and also when you're out of the saddle) that really does leave you in a pickle.</p> <p>Can you recreate it with the bike on a stand? If not that would rule out i.e. the front gear cable above (I've had that on a couple of bikes too). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115479 Sun, 23 Jun 2013 01:47:16 +0000 gkgk 115479@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Once per revolution? Check that the end of the front mech gear cable wire is bent out the way, not getting pinged by your foot as it passes. I had this for a week once, and thought it was my knee on its way out. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115477 Sat, 22 Jun 2013 23:53:23 +0000 Two Tired 115477@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The mysterious ticking noise!</p> <p><a href="http://youtu.be/Tx1XIm6q4r4" rel="nofollow">http://youtu.be/Tx1XIm6q4r4</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115475 Sat, 22 Jun 2013 23:01:16 +0000 allebong 115475@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've had plenty of clicks and such that I swore were coming from the BB but ended up being down to slightly loose stem bolts or something else completely unrelated. Frames have an amazing way of transmitting sound. You've already done a pretty thorough job trying to find the cause so if it's still persisting keep going with the stripping and regreasing. Good place to start would be the wheels, I've had the exact problem Instography notes with one side of the wheel bearings going.</p> <p>Also you don't mention if you're using clipless pedals or not, if you are there's a whole magnitude more places for creaks and clicks to be coming from. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115471 Sat, 22 Jun 2013 22:15:37 +0000 EddieD 115471@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>When I was a lad, in the times of cotter pins, getting a wee drop of water into your bearings could cause all manner of clicks, creaks, ticks and pops - be thankful for sealed bearings...</p> <p>You've greased the threads of the pedals - have you tried borrowing a spare set? I had one set of pedals where the internal bearings failed, and caused a click </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115470 Sat, 22 Jun 2013 22:03:35 +0000 sallyhinch 115470@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I had a loudish tick - more of a click actually - and it was my bottom bracket AND a pedal bearing. Twitter suggested it might either be my knee or a loose shoelace though... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115468 Sat, 22 Jun 2013 21:23:30 +0000 SRD 115468@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"a quite loud ticking sound on my Van Nicholas"</p> <p>That really sounds like it ought to be a euphemism! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115467 Sat, 22 Jun 2013 21:17:06 +0000 Instography 115467@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>TractorFactory was getting a clicking / grinding from his front hub that increased dramatically when he leaned the bike to the left as he was moving. Less so leaning to the right. Cone badly worn. </p> <p>Or maybe it's your knee ;-) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10545#post-115464 Sat, 22 Jun 2013 19:41:15 +0000 amir 115464@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>For a number of weeks, I've had a quite loud ticking sound on my Van Nicholas. It sounds nearly all the time when moderate pressure is on the pedals, once per revolution of the pedals. If I put a lot of pressure on, sometimes it creaks as well.</p> <p>I have do some lubing myself and so have the Bicycle Works and so we can rule out the following:</p> <p>Saddle/post - greased and in case sound occurs out of saddle<br /> Bars - sound occurs when hands off bar<br /> pedals - threads greased and sound occurs when pedalling with only one pedal<br /> chainset bolts and spacer - greased<br /> rear hub end caps, axle, drop outs greased<br /> spoke nipples lubed<br /> bb - greased thread and axles then replaced</p> <p>I'd be grateful for any ideas. I hope it's not the frame again - but I can't see any cracks. </p>