Solo_rider

Hi.
I've been noticing some squeaking noises when I'm riding my bike but they're mostly noticeable when I'm riding uphill or when I pedal fast (basically under stress) but when I'm riding on a flat street and ride at slow to moderate speed the noise is gone. No rust on the chain and I use WD-40 (either dry lube or the one that says water-resistant on the can) to spray all the moving parts. The chain is pretty clean and so are the pulley wheels on the rear derailleur. I can't pinpoint the source of the noise and don't know why it only happens when pedaling hard or going uphill. Any ideas ?

Thanks.

Maelochs

Bottom bracket.

Is it a press-fit bottom bracket? How many miles on the bike?

Solo_rider

Thanks for the reply, Maelochs. I don't know the type of BB I have. The bike -2016 model- was bought used but hadn't been used much (by the previous owner) as it was in a very clean condition. I know I put on it less than 1000 miles in a year.

cb400bill

I recently had a similar creaking sound issue on my Cannondale. I thought that it was the BB so I took it to the shop. Ended up being the seatpost creaking. All they needed to do was remove it, clean it, grease it, and reinstall it. YMMV

Moe Zhoost

Squeaky noise? When I've had a bit of this it ended up being the saddle or stem (quill type). A bit of cleaning and a dab of grease resolves it for a while. If it is your seatpost or stem, make sure that you have the right diameter. These can be shimmed if slightly too small.

unterhausen

I was going to say it's the OP's saddle. Never heard of a squeaking seatpost before.

cb400bill

Creaking, not squeaking.

Wanderer

It could even be the saddle itself. Where it contacts any metal parts, especially if rivets or screw type attachments are used. If leather, it could be the leather

aRoudy1

Are you using clipless pedals? I've had a creaking noise that disappeared when I lubed the cleats on my shoes.

J.C. Koto

If it happens at the same point of the pedal stroke even while standing I'd assume it's either the bottom bracket or one of the pedals. Possibly a worn sprocket on the chainring grinding against the chain weird. Could even be a shoe rubbing against a crank. I had an infuriating squeak once that turned out to be my shoe leather buffing the crank arm.

If it happens at the same point of the pedal stroke but only while sitting I'd assume something with the saddle or seatpost. Possibly something in your pelvis like your sacroiliac joints squeaking. Mostly kidding about that.

If it happens seemingly at random I'd assume it's part of the drivetrain, e.g. one of the sprocket teeth being slightly bent, jockey pulley bearings needing lube, etc. Probably a good idea to clean and lube the jockey pulleys and check all the sprocket teeth and chain anyway.

Problem with bike squeaks is it could be anything though. Could also have to do with the handlebars or headset, especially if you have a tendency to "pull" the bars when pedaling hard. Or if you have a tendency to tilt the bike a lot when pedaling hard you might be causing the wheel to shift a bit on its axle so the rim or brake disc rubs against a brake pad.

GrainBrain

Yup I've had my saddle creak as well as the seatpost, seat post was pretty loud. Another spot was my headset.

dieselgoat

As I've said before, I'm a sucker for these types of posts. Noises on a bike damn near drive me crazy. I've had many rides where I just turn around and head back home once I hear a noise, if I can't solve it on the road. My protocol looks like this: For creaks, ticks, or similar noises, the first thing I do is stand up to pedal to see if it's coming from the seat/seatpost area.(If it is the seat, I will lube/paste the post, rails and the seat collar) If the noise is still there, I will check both skewers to see if they are tight. When I get home, I will take both pedals off and put a thin coat of grease on the threads and put them back on. Then I go for a test ride. Usually, one of those steps is the culprit.

​ ​​​​​​However, I have had it be headset bearings, spokes, loose screws on the handlebars...you name it. In my experiences, the bottom bracket is usually not the problem. I've had several mechanics tell me that most people assume that is where the noise is coming from, but more times than not, it's coming from somewhere else. Noises are hard as hell to track down, and can be coming from an area you'd never expect. I would start with the easy stuff and go from there.

Solo_rider

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions. I'm pretty sure it's not the seat or seat post. When I pedal with my hand to try to listen to where the noise is coming from, if there's noise it's very faint and almost inaudible and it's infrequent actually but it seems to come from the rear derailleur area even though I hear even a less noticeable and less frequent noise coming from the crankset center area (not sure about the term). So it It has to do with the drivetrain. Maybe the bottom bracket or something in that area -but this bike hasn't seen a lot of usage and I keep all moving parts very clean. These noises I mentioned above don't bother me because they're almost inaudible and not persistent when pedaling with my hand or when riding on a flat/level street even at fast speed but pedaling uphill the noise becomes very noticeable and much louder that you can clearly hear it and you know how annoying this can be especially if you're someone sensitive to noises. I'm not sure if the WD40 is good enough as a lube.

dieselgoat

Two more areas I check are the chain ring bolts and the crank arms. Just had two bikes recently that were making a metallic clicking, and both were due to loose chain ring bolts.

viffer

Second on the chainrings / chainring bolts. I’ve had a creak driving me mad on my Cervelo for a couple of weeks. Thought it might be the dreaded press fit bottom bracket but no, it’s tight. Turns out the cheap ass FSA cranks spec’d by Cervelo are very creak prone. Because the BBRight BB uses a nonstandard 30 x 79 mm sized bottom end only a few cranksets can be used without adapters. So I’m stuck with the FSA’s. Greasing the bolts has helped but I think I’m just going to have to take the whole thing apart and grease every single metal to metal contact point.