Bottle cage bolts? Derailleur cable hitting the cranks? Saddle rails?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Questions/Support/Help
Clicking noise when pedalling
(62 posts)- Started 9 years ago by Kenny
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Posted 9 years ago #
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A dry interface between two components? You could try putting Copper Ease on the various bolts already suggested before reassembling. I don't know if that's the best thing for carbon/metal interface - if you have any - for example seatpost/seat-tube. I know how you feel. I get distracted by clicks and creaks.
Posted 9 years ago # -
And the winner is... @Nelly. As suggested, I should have tried the easy / obvious first. The only rationale I have for not doing that is that I could not figure out any reason why the clicks would be at the exact same spot on each side on each revolution, so I left it until the last thing to check. Stupid, really, since cleaning the drivetrain is really simple and is something I do a lot. I'm now wondering whether I cleaned it just before it started making the noises and maybe I hadn't lubed it enough.
Silver linings? I have a spare BB, and I've regreased lots of bits. My steerer is now attached better than it was before, making far less of a shudder when dropping the front wheel, and I've proven that you really don't need to tighten your pedals very much for them to stay on, since you're clearly pedalling in the tightening direction and thus they're not going to fall off.
(I hasten to add, I am fairly sure the clicking is gone, but it is quite windy today and was a little difficult to tell whether it truly is gone....)
Posted 9 years ago # -
Derailleur cable hitting the cranks
A good shout, and this was what I originally assumed it was, but not this time. I've been stung by that one before!
You could try putting Copper Ease on the various bolts already suggested before reassembling
Another good idea. I've got copper grease, indeed I have many types of grease, and I'm never quite sure which to use where. Whenever I read about copper grease, it talks about using between certain types of something, but how I'm supposed to know what each bit of my bike is made of, goodness only knows.
Thanks to all for your suggestions, I'm sure the variety of things to check will help others (and me!) in the future.
Posted 9 years ago # -
It sounds to me very like worn out pedal bearings. I had this in the way described, especially when exerting power - an irritating clicking noise. Try gently wiggling the pedal and if there is a tiny amount of movement its the pedal bearings, they shouldn't have any loose movement. The solution is pedal replacement.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Copper grease usually used for steel to steel connections. If used for steel to alloy, the copper could accelerate galvanic corrosion, given copper is a very good conductor of electrons!
Posted 9 years ago # -
@crowriver
That one is a myth I'm afraid. See corrosion resistance here;
http://www.molyslip.co.uk/media/upload/files/13-Copaslip-Datasheet.pdf
If the presence of the coloidal copper in copaslip accelerated galvanic corrosion in steel to alloy joints then it would accelerate it in steel to steel joints too.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I spoke too soon. It was back with a vengence while cycling home into the headwind tonight. Have tightened pedals to see whether they are, in fact, too loose. They didn't feel too loose, but tbh I'm pretty much running out of ideas.
Posted 9 years ago # -
OK, I have more data. I have a video below which surprisingly has captured the audio of the clicking sound far better than I was expecting. I suppose it is closer to whatever it is that is clicking than my ears, after all.
The additional thing which I discovered tonight is that I can now make it into a double clicking sound, merely by wobbling my bike from side to side. So, in the video below, the first 8 seconds you will hear a single click as each foot nears the bottom of the revolution. As I go under the bridge, I start to wobble the bike from side to side, not because I was putting more power down, I was merely wobbling it like this because I realised that it was now making a double, or even treble, clicking sound at the same point!
I have absolutely no idea what this could mean. I suspect someone else may be able to immediately point out the obvious to me. Indeed, I might even realise it shortly upon pressing the "Send Post" button. But do please feel free to point out the obvious. It's driving me nuts.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'd check the headset again. Standing astride the bike, with both brakes applied, try to push the bike forward and back. Listen for clicking coming from the head tube.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I did that yesterday but with just the front brake applied, as some instructional website suggested I do to make sure the top cap was tightened correctly. It didn't appear to be clicking in any way when I did it. I shall try again in the morning with both brakes applied though, to see what happens. It seemed to be fairly solidly together; maybe I wasn't pushing hard enough.
Posted 9 years ago # -
When checking head bearings it's often hard to tell the difference between clicking/movement from the (applied) front brake and from the head races, I find it easiest to lightly put one hand over the steerer/top of head tube or top of fork/bottom of head tube and then it's easy to feel any movement between the two while you are applying the front brake and rocking the bike forwards and back. Good luck!
On a separate note, I often hear an inexplicable clicking noise whilst browsing internet bike parts shops.. :-o
Posted 9 years ago # -
I sat on the bike, put both brakes on hard, and rocked the bike forward and back really hard. Not a peep from the headset, I'm afraid.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@Smudge, gave that a shot but can't feel anything moving :(
Posted 9 years ago # -
Watching the video you are tapping finger on your left hand along with the click. That is no help, just an observation.
Perhaps a very small woodpecker has taken up residence inside the handlebars and it needs to peck every rotation.?
Again no help.
Seriously, with such a loud regular tick it is curious that nothing else has gone wrong.
Posted 9 years ago # -
with such a loud regular tick it is curious that nothing else has gone wrong
Indeed - is the bike about to collapse when I'm on a busy road? Who knows. It's getting to the point where I'm thinking about giving up and heading to a LBS. I'm pretty much out of ideas. Cycling in this morning has given me no more clues.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Are you pulling the handlebars a lot when this happens?
Another thing to check (perhaps) is for cracks in the frame?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Do you have access to an assistant? It can be much easier to pinpoint the source of a sound on a bike you're not riding than one you are.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Are you pulling the handlebars a lot when this happens
I'm not. I had that thought while cycling in this morning, due to the suggestions re: the headset, so I cycled up from Silverknowes on the cycle path while essentially going no-handed, and the noise continued.
Do you have access to an assistant
Not sure how that would work; they would need to essentially cycle alongside me, low down and right next to my cranks? I can't get the sound to be audible on a flat or on the workstand, because there's not enough power being applied to generate it, annoyingly.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I didn't mean to suggest the tightness of the pedals to the crank. I meant to check if the bearing [b]inside the pedal is worn. If you hold the pedal and see if there is any movement if you try to move it up or down (as opposed to rotating it) it may indicate wear. Hope its not driving you nuts, noises can be irritating.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I've found the Keep it Quiet site quite helpful. It's a pretty loud clicking/ticking noise but you seem a fast rider and may have worn out some obscure component listed on that site.
Posted 9 years ago # -
SPOKES! No not the campaign group, the clicking could be coming from your spokes. I had an unidentified clicking recently that I thought was coming from the BB and it was worse when I put down any power. Someone suggested it could be creaking from the spokes. Either from the nipples, or from where they touch and cross. This was confirmed when I realised that cycling straight while leaning the bike to the side made the clicking worse it came from my rear wheel.
I oiled the crossovers and the nipples. The problem was still there for a short while until the oil worked its way in and...hey presto...the clicking stopped. If oil on it's own doesn't work you could check the spoke tension.
Just a thought.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Of course you can check for a wheel issue if you can temporarily swap it for another. Slightly more tricky with the back one.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@JohnS - ok, I think we may be on to something. And I might be trying to persuade myself, I recognise this. However, when I do what you describe to the pedal, there is definitely a little movement on both pedals. It's not a lot of movement, but there's definitely something there.
So, on the way home, I tried different ways of pedalling to see if it made any difference, which it did. What I have "discovered" is that when I push hard on the pedal and then start to ease off when the pedal is almost at the bottom, the clicking noise happens. So it appears that relinquishing foot power from the pedal/crank is when the click happens.
Then what I did was try to pedal in a more "always keeping power evenly on the pedal throughout the pedal stroke". Tricky, but sort-of possible, and the clicking was less, or not there at all.
Now, I realise that this does not prove anything, but I think it's enough to suggest the pedal might be the problem. So, the question is, what should I do? I could swap in my pedals from my MTB to see if the problem goes away tomorrow. Or is there something I can do to try to "fix" the issue with the pedal? Maybe it's life is over. It's seen quite a few thousand miles.
@Cyclingmollie - I shall certainly have a look at that!
@magnatom / @amir - hmm, interesting suggestion. I think it's unlikely, but I have spare wheels (for some reason that I now cannot remember), and swapping the cassette on to a Shimano R500 and trying that shouldn't be difficult, if the pedals turn out to be yet another red herring. Indeed, I might even have a spare cassette - ooh, and a spare tyre. Could be ludicrously simple to try...
Posted 9 years ago # -
tl;dr - I think I've now, finally, fixed it for reals.
So, based on the last post, I decided to swap the pedals, with some confidence that it would resolve the problem. Off came the MTB pedals, on they went to the commuter bike.
Didn't make a difference.
Testing this was quite easy. I stay right beside a very small but steepish hill, and thus riding up this hill easily replicated the problem. Riding up it with the normal pedals caused it to click. Riding up it with MTB was exactly the same.
With a cloud hanging over me (mentally and in reality), I got back to the house. And then I thought about it. It had to be something in the drivetrain, based on what I was discovering while pedalling in different ways coming home. What makes up the drivetrain? Well, there's the chainrings, the chain, and the cassette, amongst other bits. So I turned the bike over, and gave them all a nudge.
And then it became surprisingly clear...
My cassette was not on tightly. Even with the chain still on, I could move the cassette sideways, independently from the wheel. I can explain why this was the case. A few months ago, when I was changing the entire groupset, I managed to pull a muscle in my back trying to get the cassette off my wheel. So, I decided when I put the new Tiagra cassette on my wheel, I'd not put it on quite so tight. Alas, it appears I did not put it on tight enough... or at least, it has worked its way loose.
Off came the wheel, and I tightened the cassette quite some way (while still making sure I could get it off again), and back on went the wheel. Off to the hill to test.
Up the hill the first time, it sounded silent. There was one click, but it didn't sound the same, and wasn't at the same point. Still, let's try again.
Up the hill the second time, I got to the top, for another noise to happen. I was sure it wasn't the same click, but still, no harm in trying again.
Up the hill for the third time, in perfect silence.
Now, I know I previously thought I'd fixed it, but this time I'm even more sure. 99.9% sure. However, I'm not counting my chickens just yet. All the clues seem to agree that this is the resolution, and I appear to have proven it with the testing, but the total proof will be when I come home tomorrow.
Fingers crossed...
Posted 9 years ago # -
That's good news. I have had that one myself but it was more obvious. Next time someone has one of these mysterious noises we should have a sweepstake
Posted 9 years ago # -
I think what we've established is that pretty much any part of a bike can be the cause of a mysterious noise, and usually not the one you think it is!
Posted 9 years ago # -
It was a glorious cycling experience today. Even this morning, when I (and everyone else, no doubt) got completely and utterly soaked. But I got soaked in beautiful silence!
Posted 9 years ago # -
This thread started with
"
I've got one of those annoying "I've got a clicking noise, any ideas?" questions,
"
Last but one post says
"
I think what we've established is that pretty much any part of a bike can be the cause of a mysterious noise
"
Well today I was visited by the oddest noise/cause.Went out on a bike that I haven't ridden for months.
As soon as i reached a quiet side road I heard a regular metallic ding.
I quickly realised that it occurred once per wheel revolution and was coming from the rear wheel.
Getting off the bike and spinning the wheel didn't reveal anything.
Rim not rubbing on the brake blocks or the frame.
BUT
I did notice that some spokes were slightly loose.
So I tightened them all 1/4 of a turn - and a couple more like a turn.
Problem solved!
Posted 8 years ago # -
@chdot Well done. Wheel truing is something I've always shied away from because (a) I don't have a stand, and (b) I'm worried that tightening a spoke that's been on a few years will cause it to break. Any advice please?
Posted 8 years ago #
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