Clicking when pedalling hard

Quoted message said:

I bought a new Specialized Hardrock a few weeks ago from a bike shop
which is a long way from my home. I just got it back from a free
service, and noticed I can hear a faint click on each pedal push when
I'm pushing hard on both right foot and left foot pushes. It's only a
faint click and isn''t heard when cruising along, only when pushing
hard. Can anyone say what it could be? I really don't want to take the
bike all the way back to the shop if it's something trivial and I can
fix it myself.

Check your chainring bolts.

Seriously.

/s

Per [email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I'm pushing hard on both right foot and left foot pushes. It's only a
faint click and isn''t heard when cruising along, only when pushing
hard. Can anyone say what it could be?

Very small chance, but it's low-hanging fruit: check your shoelaces. The ends
can make a sound as they strike the cranks. Been there.
--
PeteCresswell

(PeteCresswell) said:

Per [email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I'm pushing hard on both right foot and left foot pushes. It's only a
faint click and isn''t heard when cruising along, only when pushing
hard. Can anyone say what it could be?

Very small chance, but it's low-hanging fruit: check your shoelaces. The ends
can make a sound as they strike the cranks. Been there.
--
PeteCresswell

Wow... I thought I was going low....

Sorry if it seems like we're dancing around the obvious problem source,
but the drivetrain is an area where it's easy to mis-diagnose. There's
lots of wee bitty bolts down there and any of them coming loose can
create the sensation, especially when 'pushing hard'. Almost everyone
has encountered the 'clicking pedal' at some point, and I've discovered
(after spewing much venom at my friendly LBS for a replacement) that it
wasn't the pedal at all. D'oh!

To isolate whether or not the pedals are indeed the source, have you
any access to a different set of pedals you could use as a control?
That is, see if you can swap pedals with a friend, turn on the gas, and
see if the clicking sound disappears?

Also, what type of pedals are these anyway? Two more quick possible
solutions:

- If they're clipless (you snap into them with a cleat), check the
tightness of the bolts that connect your cleat to the shoe. What you
may also be hearing is some friction in the interface between cleat and
pedal. Cheap fix recommendation: rub a bar of soap against the outer
edges of the cleats to quiet that down.

- If they're standard platform pedals, it's likely that there's a body
with a cage that bolts onto it. Check those little allen bolts and make
sure they're nice and tight.

/s