Creaking Bike

Chris Johns <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Hiya

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it didn't
sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

The pedals? 😉

Seriously, I'd check in this order, pedal bearings, chainring bolts/nuts,
crank bolts, bottom bracket tightness.

--
Paul - [censored]
ebay 140127841878 140127834873
140127836641

Chris Johns said:

Hiya

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it didn't
sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

The prime (but not only) candidate is one of the cranks
being slightly loose on the axle.

If you have the relevant extractor, remove both cranks,
clean all surfaces, reassemble and tighten.

Lacking an extractor, just tighten 'em up and hope...

BugBear

"Paul - [censored]" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Chris Johns <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Hiya

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it didn't
sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

The pedals? 😉

Seriously, I'd check in this order, pedal bearings, chainring bolts/nuts,
crank bolts, bottom bracket tightness.

If none of the above, worth looking at the saddle next, and then the
mudguards, if fitted.

in message <[email hidden]>, Chris Johns

(') said:

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it didn't
sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

OK, in time with pedal revolutions suggests

(1) Seatpost: remove, grease, replace
(2) Loose crank: check both cranks for tightness by pull-pushing on them
sideways (i.e. parallel to the bottom bracket axle). If loose, tighten. If
not loose do not tighten, because you can destroy good cranks that way.
(3) Worn bottom bracket bearing: more normally a grunching rather than a
creaking; easy and inexpensive (£10 ish) to replace.

I have seen creaking in time with pedal revolutions turn out to be a
drive-side rear wheel bearing, but this is unlikely. The ones I've given
above, in the order I've given them, are more likely.

Especially with aluminium, creaking can come from any dry (i.e. not
greased) metal to metal joint, and it's possible that it could be (e.g.)
the joint between your handlebars and your stem - but that's unlikely (not
impossible) to cause a once per pedal revolution creak.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; It's dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
;; Voltaire RIP Dr David Kelly 1945-2004

in message <[email hidden]>, Paul - [censored]

(') said:

Chris Johns <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Hiya

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it didn't
sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

The pedals? 😉

Seriously, I'd check in this order, pedal bearings, chainring bolts/nuts,
crank bolts, bottom bracket tightness.

Pedals click or grunch, they don't tend to creak.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; L'etat c'est moi -- Louis XVI
;; I... we... the Government -- Tony Blair

Chris Johns said:

Hiya

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it didn't
sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?
--
Chris Johns

Cracked frame - almost impossible to spot but if everything else is
tight without any cracked bearings that will almost certainly be the
problem. Especially with Aluminum frames.

Depending on the value of the bike consider replacing the BB or asking
LBS to change one over to test this.

Sniper8052

bugbear said:

Chris Johns said:

Hiya

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it
didn't sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy
weight on the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the
pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

(1) All sorts of odd things can happen to pedals, but if the foot rest
bit swings freely on the crank pin and there's no obvious breakage then
don't worry. (I had a reflector work out sideways to scrape the crank
arm once.)

(2) Main bearing is a prime candidate for groans. You'll see the funny
way it is screwed into the bottom bracket on each side (LH thread on the
right also!) Does the crank axle appear to have lots of slack? Does
the whole bearing 'work' in the bracket?

(3) Saddle. Strange groans have preceded complete and sudden shearing
of my seat bolt. If your saddle is held onto the seat post with single
screw clamp then this bolt could be about to fail. Especially if from
time to time you've had to tighten this up. (a) undo, examine (b) carry
a spare anyway (c) get a different fixing method next time.

(4) All fixings, nuts, screws clips etc. It's a good idea to
occasionally do a systematic check of these as often each one is vital
in its own way.

(5) Headset. I think you'd be able to tell if the problem was in the
headset and wouldn't be asking here. However as you're giving the
trusty steed a MOT you might as well heave and joggle.

(6) Front gears. Some people are not too good at locating sound and
'hear' the slight scuffing of the chain against the gear shift cage as
groaning. Obvious test is to change gear.

(7) I've never encountered a fractured frame but these things do happen.

(8) Sometimes the rider or their clothes or accouterments are the cause.
Leather britches anyone?

It can be annoyingly difficult to track this sort of thing down. I know
it looks silly and is often inconclusive but if you cycle 'straight
into' a brick wall at 0mph you can experiment with weight on/off pedals
and saddle and twisting frame by leaning.

Quoted message said:

The prime (but not only) candidate is one of the cranks
being slightly loose on the axle.

I'd rate this as unlikely.

--
Peter Fox
Lots of things for cyclists www.eminent.demon.co.uk

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Paul - [censored]

(') said:

Chris Johns <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Hiya

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it
didn't sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my
lardy weight on the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah
revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

The pedals? 😉

Seriously, I'd check in this order, pedal bearings, chainring
bolts/nuts, crank bolts, bottom bracket tightness.

Pedals click or grunch, they don't tend to creak.

Cleats and shoes can, though.

Eliminate bars and stem by riding no-hands (or with only a light finger-tip
touch). Eliminate saddle and seatpost by standing up.

Anything you suspect: remove, regrease and refit.

~PB

"Chris Johns" wrote >

Quoted message said:

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it didn't
sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?
--
Chris Johns

Start looking at crank/bottom bracket axle interface. Stand on pedals whilst
stationary next to wall. Bounce, then rotate 180 degrees backwards.. Bounce.
If you can produce the creak or click by this action, you have found it,
most probably. Other problems could conceivably cause this symptom, but it's
very likely that it is a slightly loose crank. If you allow it to continue
the square hole in the end of the alloy crank might become slightly,
permanently deformed, which leads to a depressing cycle(! sorry) of working
loose again and doing more damage. Tighten with a tool that fits. A struggle
with a socket which won't go in far enough to properly grasp the bolt is not
good enough.

Mike Sales

Pete Biggs said:

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Paul - [censored]

(') said:

Chris Johns <[email hidden]> typed:
> Hiya
>
> Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it
> didn't sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my
> lardy weight on the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah
> revolution of the pedals.
>
> Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

The pedals? 😉

Seriously, I'd check in this order, pedal bearings, chainring
bolts/nuts, crank bolts, bottom bracket tightness.

Pedals click or grunch, they don't tend to creak.

Cleats and shoes can, though.

Eliminate bars and stem by riding no-hands (or with only a light
finger-tip touch). Eliminate saddle and seatpost by standing up.

eliminate cyclist by riding no-hands standing up.
I think it's most likely to be saddle or seatpost.
--

Martin Bulmer

Budstaff said:

"Paul - [censored]" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Chris Johns <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Hiya

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it didn't
sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

The pedals? 😉

Seriously, I'd check in this order, pedal bearings, chainring bolts/nuts,
crank bolts, bottom bracket tightness.

If none of the above, worth looking at the saddle next, and then the
mudguards, if fitted.

Handlebars, you forgot handlebars!

Imho, the hidden creak can only be found by dissassembling the bike
until it has no place to hide, then reassemble while keeping a careful
eye open.

Quoted message said:

"Chris Johns" wrote >

Quoted message said:

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently,

I get exactly that creaking if I've had the back wheel off and it isnt
*quite* done up tight enough. A good clean and tighten might be all it
needs.

Robert

Peter Fox said:

[snip]

Quoted message said:

(7) I've never encountered a fractured frame but these things do happen.

[snip]

I've just had this - first time ever. The seat tube of my Mercian broke
just above the bottom bracket shell. It took me a couple of days to
discover what had happened. It didn't creak; I felt the saddle move and
click intermittently and kept tightening up the clamp, without effect.
Then the bottom bracket moved as well and finally I spotted the crack as
it became worse.

--
Anthony Campbell - [email hidden]
Microsoft-free zone - Using Linux Gnu-Debian
http://www.acampbell.org.uk (blog, book reviews,
on-line books and sceptical articles)

Chris Johns said:

Hiya

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it didn't
sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?
--
Chris Johns

Check the pedals for loosenes, if they are loos get them checked.
Next hold the crank and push it towards the bike and out. If there is
play here get a dealer to check out the bottom bracket. Unless you
have the specialist tools and know how its cheaper to take it to a
dealer.

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Paul - [censored]

(') said:

Chris Johns <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Hiya

Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it didn't
sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.

Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

The pedals? 😉

Seriously, I'd check in this order, pedal bearings, chainring bolts/nuts,
crank bolts, bottom bracket tightness.

Pedals click or grunch, they don't tend to creak.

Only if they're Yorkshire pedals. Like the dolphins with Welsh accents ;-)

"Budstaff" <budstaffdotusegroup@btinternetdotcom> wrote>>> Chris Johns
<[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> Hiya
>
> Something on my bike has started to creak fairly recently, and it
> didn't
> sound too healthy yesterday. I don't think it's just my lardy weight on
> the thing, but it seems to occur with eaah revolution of the pedals.
>
> Any suggestions as to where i should start looking?

The pedals? 😉

Seriously, I'd check in this order, pedal bearings, chainring
bolts/nuts,
crank bolts, bottom bracket tightness.

Pedals click or grunch, they don't tend to creak.

It is possible brakes can grate / creak if "off middle".

I hope you find cause because the psychological damage from creaking can be
lifelong and truly devastating. My great grandfather had a creak on his
grocery delivery bike which rendered the poor man impotent with associative
trench foot.

John Clayton
www.calder-clarion.co.uk