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Mysterious tick

(24 posts)
  • Started 11 years ago by amir
  • Latest reply from DaveC
  • This topic is not resolved

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  1. amir
    Member

    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.

    I have do some lubing myself and so have the Bicycle Works and so we can rule out the following:

    Saddle/post - greased and in case sound occurs out of saddle
    Bars - sound occurs when hands off bar
    pedals - threads greased and sound occurs when pedalling with only one pedal
    chainset bolts and spacer - greased
    rear hub end caps, axle, drop outs greased
    spoke nipples lubed
    bb - greased thread and axles then replaced

    I'd be grateful for any ideas. I hope it's not the frame again - but I can't see any cracks.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. Instography
    Member

    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.

    Or maybe it's your knee ;-)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. SRD
    Moderator

    "a quite loud ticking sound on my Van Nicholas"

    That really sounds like it ought to be a euphemism!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. sallyhinch
    Member

    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...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. EddieD
    Member

    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...

    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

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. allebong
    Member

    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.

    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.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. Two Tired
    Member

    The mysterious ticking noise!

    http://youtu.be/Tx1XIm6q4r4

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. gkgk
    Member

    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.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. Dave
    Member

    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.

    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.

    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).

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. amir
    Member

    No, I can't hear it on the stand but I will check the cable anyway.

    I will try swapping pedals, though I can reproduce it when cycling one legged.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. Uberuce
    Member

    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.

    So, they'd be her nipples, then.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. amir
    Member

    Yep, with ticks you should always check the nipples.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  13. amir
    Member

    Gear cable end now ruled out.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  14. gembo
    Member

    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

    Posted 11 years ago #

  15. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    You could try tightening the sprocket cassette.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  16. kaputnik
    Moderator

    seat clamp over-tightened on the seat rails? (this was the root of my mysterious pedalling-synchronised ticking)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  17. RJ
    Member

    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.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  18. amir
    Member

    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.

    I've ruled out saddle and post related problems as the tick continues when I pedal out of the saddle.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  19. kaputnik
    Moderator

    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!)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  20. wingpig
    Member

    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.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  21. DaveC
    Member

    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.

    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?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  22. kaputnik
    Moderator

    DaveC - if all your bikes tick are you sure it isn't you that is ticking?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  23. Instography
    Member

    I'm developing this into a checklist of potential sources for my clicky bike. First check is over-tightening of saddle on rails.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  24. DaveC
    Member

    @kappers, you may be right, though my new job in the clock factory has got me wondering.....

    Posted 11 years ago #

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