Help: Something going "tick" "tick" "tick"

Joe S. said:

My bike is a Schwinn Suburban, 21-speed -- 3-speed front, 7-speed rear; bike
is ten days old. Yes, I know, it's an under-$200-department-store bike but
it's my bike.

Something that appears to be associated with the front crank or the right
pedal is going "tick" as I pedal. Here are the details:
-- When I reach the point in a pedal stroke where the right pedal is at the
top of the crank (and the left pedal at the bottom of the crank), something
goes "tick".
-- The tick is definitely coming from the front and seems to be associated
with the right pedal, or, the right pedal is transmitting the tick.
-- At times the tick is so strong I feel a slight bump in the sole of my
right foot; at other times, it's barely audible.
-- Makes no difference the gear I am in (I ran through all 21 this morning),
speed, pumping hard, not pumping -- it's there all the time.
-- It does NOT tick if I am coasting.

I know little to nothing about the derailleur system but I examined the
front crank and gears, and examined the chain, looking for obvious defects.
Nothing found. I held the bike upright and pushed and pulled very hard on
the pedals and the crank assembly, trying to move things up and down, in and
out, side to side -- no movement.

Any ideas?

I am a competent mechanic, having built and rebuilt old VW Bug engines,
brakes, and suspensions for years -- so -- I have two big tool boxes and am
not afraid to dive into the bike.

Thanks.

Good first place to look is:

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/creaking_and_squeaking.shtml

Joe S. said:

My bike is a Schwinn Suburban, 21-speed -- 3-speed front, 7-speed
rear; bike is ten days old. Yes, I know, it's an
under-$200-department-store bike but it's my bike.

Something that appears to be associated with the front crank or the
right pedal is going "tick" as I pedal. Here are the details:
-- When I reach the point in a pedal stroke where the right pedal is
at the top of the crank (and the left pedal at the bottom of the
crank), something goes "tick".
-- The tick is definitely coming from the front and seems to be
associated with the right pedal, or, the right pedal is transmitting
the tick. -- At times the tick is so strong I feel a slight bump in
the sole of my right foot; at other times, it's barely audible.
-- Makes no difference the gear I am in (I ran through all 21 this
morning), speed, pumping hard, not pumping -- it's there all the time.
-- It does NOT tick if I am coasting.

I know little to nothing about the derailleur system but I examined
the front crank and gears, and examined the chain, looking for
obvious defects. Nothing found. I held the bike upright and pushed
and pulled very hard on the pedals and the crank assembly, trying to
move things up and down, in and out, side to side -- no movement.

Any ideas?

I am a competent mechanic, having built and rebuilt old VW Bug
engines, brakes, and suspensions for years -- so -- I have two big
tool boxes and am not afraid to dive into the bike.

Really dumb possibility: is your right foot ticking the FD cable-end?
Otherwise, check/tighten and/or lube all chainring bolts, cleat bolts, pedal
threads, BB, etc.

If all else fails, click on the link that Neil provided.

:-P

Bill Sornson said:

Joe S. said:

My bike is a Schwinn Suburban, 21-speed -- 3-speed front, 7-speed
rear; bike is ten days old. Yes, I know, it's an
under-$200-department-store bike but it's my bike.

Something that appears to be associated with the front crank or the
right pedal is going "tick" as I pedal. Here are the details:
-- When I reach the point in a pedal stroke where the right pedal is
at the top of the crank (and the left pedal at the bottom of the
crank), something goes "tick".
-- The tick is definitely coming from the front and seems to be
associated with the right pedal, or, the right pedal is transmitting
the tick. -- At times the tick is so strong I feel a slight bump in
the sole of my right foot; at other times, it's barely audible.
-- Makes no difference the gear I am in (I ran through all 21 this
morning), speed, pumping hard, not pumping -- it's there all the time.
-- It does NOT tick if I am coasting.

I know little to nothing about the derailleur system but I examined
the front crank and gears, and examined the chain, looking for
obvious defects. Nothing found. I held the bike upright and pushed
and pulled very hard on the pedals and the crank assembly, trying to
move things up and down, in and out, side to side -- no movement.

Any ideas?

I am a competent mechanic, having built and rebuilt old VW Bug
engines, brakes, and suspensions for years -- so -- I have two big
tool boxes and am not afraid to dive into the bike.

Really dumb possibility: is your right foot ticking the FD cable-end?
Otherwise, check/tighten and/or lube all chainring bolts, cleat bolts, pedal
threads, BB, etc.

If all else fails, click on the link that Neil provided.

:-P

Start with the easiest solutions first naturally. If this is only
occurring under load swap out that right side pedal and see if the
clicking stops. The next most likely thing would be a problem with
the bottom bracket. Pedal bearing problems are a lot more common
especially if you get caught in the rain.

Joe, check the saddle area. It could be that the ticking is from one of the
bolts holding the saddle to the seatpost and it only ticks when your right
leg moves downward. That would explain why no tick sound when coasting....

Pat in TX

Suggestions:

1. Grease seat post.
2. Check chainring bolts for loosening.
3. Check front and rear wheel spokes for loosening.

Each time I had ticking noises I could have sworn it was coming from
the front wheel or BB area and each time I was wrong.

Hi Joe, Well, I reckon you have a few options.

If you don't have a shop bike stand, which I asume you don't, can you
get someone to at least hold up the back end of the bike, while you turn
the cranks, and listen, and observe?

Should this problem appear to be a Bottom Bracket, and needs ripping
apart to solve, I'm assuming you do have a 30 day exchange at the store,
so you could just exchange it for another comparable model.

Or, take it to a bike shop, and let them throw you, and your bike in a
Trainer. While you're on the bike, and pedaling away, the mechanic can
then pinpoint the problem much easier than you can, especially when you
are applying more pressure than you can apply by hand. The charge for
just checking this should be quite reasonable, ($5-10 tops) provided
that's all it is, is a pedal, or seat post, etc.

If it is a bottom bracket, then it's your call on what to do, fix it, or
just bring it back for exchange? Mark

Per Joe S.:

Quoted message said:

going "tick" as I pedal

If it were mine first thing I'd do is pedal along until the tick is regular,
then maintain the same cadence as I took my weight off the saddle. If the tick
goes away.....
--
PeteCresswell