Originally Posted by
cny-bikeman
No, spinning them puts no stress on the BB, so that does not eliminate anything. You may be able to isolate w/out taking pedals off - just put your feet directly on the cranks and stand up off the saddle while holding onto something to keep the bike upright. I would think it unlikely that both pedals would have the same problem or that one pedal would make a noise twice per crank revolution.
I switched the pedals out and the creak is still there, so it is not the pedals. Probably BB. It had caged bearings and when I went in the cage on one side was a mess. I replaced it, but I should probably go loose all around. Is this sensible? Seems bike shops aren't into selling ball bearings. Are there good alternate shop spots?