Payton1221

I have a new bike now with ~500 miles on it. Just recently I noticed that there's a creaking noise that I'm almost certain is coming from my bottom bracket. Do you agree based on:


1) It's whisper quiet for the first 10 minutes

2) It's whisper quiet for the duration of the ride as long as I'm in the saddle

3) After the "warm-up" period, it creaks in cadence with my pedaling (making a noise with every downstroke of my left food) when I am out of the saddle and pedaling up a hill


Assuming inadequate grease in the bottom bracket is the issue (and not a bearing problem), what would you expect a bike store to charge to repack the bracket with grease?

Flip Flop Rider

creaks can be tough to locate

Lazyass

If it is the bottom bracket it probably just needs to be tightened, not regreased unless you have some vintage bike with non-sealed ball bearings. No clue what a shop would charge, they don't touch my bikes. It's a 5 minute job with a BB tool and a crank puller if needed,

livedarklions

Did you buy it at a LBS? Some of them offer free checks/adjustments 500-1000 miles after the purchase of a new bike.

It could be the BB, but it could also be something else, possibly something you're doing.

I have, during long rides, gone through a few hours thinking I was having a BB problem and then realizing the noise was:
-the sound of my shoes rubbing against the crank arms when I shifted my foot in when I got a little tired,
-dried mud on an obscure spot on the inside of the chain ring, just big enough to make the chain click once per revolution but hard to see until I got the bike up on the rack.

Now I'm not saying you're as stupid as I am, but the weird "only sometimes" aspect of your creak makes me think it's probably external to the BB. Since going up a hill off the saddle is probably about the worst circumstance in which to try to observe your drive train, it might be pretty hard to track down the source. i'm wondering if maybe you change your out of seat posture just a little bit after about 10 minutes of warm up.

You also might want to check out the pedals, are they the stock ones that came with the bike? Some of those are pretty creaky under stress.

TrojanHorse

Is it a carbon bike? If so, good luck isolating the source of the creak!

Start with all your fasteners. Get a torque wrench and go check them all. Make sure the seat post is snug, skewers are tight and the headset is solid. Pedals, chainrings, you name it. There are no shortage of possibilities and with a carbon bike, it can be impossible to isolate the source. Just check everything.

Garfield Cat

Did you check the internet search?

There's actually a protocol in which that noise may not be the BB but something else. What I mean is that there is a check list as to what to do in some kind of order.

Razorrock

I had the same thing happen. Took it into the LBS and they tightened the BB. Creak went away. about 2 months later it came back but this time with a vibration along with a creak. Took to LBS and they said the BB was bad and replaced under warranty. 3 months later a creak came back this time it was the stock pedal. After replacing pedals it has been creak free for 2 years!

bcpriess

If it's in time with your pedaling, check your headset. See if there is any play at all in the position of the fork. If there is, there's a decent chance it could be that. Also you mentioned it may relate to your saddle. So remove, clean, and reset/lightly lube your seatpost. If the noise persists, put on a different set of pedals and see if that changes anything. If that doesn't change anything, remove, lubricate, and re attach the cranks. If that doesn't do it, you're down to the bottom bracket. See if the bracket makes any rough sounds when turning it. See if it has any wiggle. If it has wiggle, tighten it. If it's quiet, no wiggle. Look for cracks in the frame. Not sure what else...

spinnaker

How are you certain it is the bottom bracket? I had an issue with creaking. The symptoms were pretty much the same as yours. I was convinced it was the bottom bracket. Two LBSs ere convinced it was the bottom bracket. Long story short it as the compressible seat post. Noises can travel through the frame. It is not always what you think.

Payton1221

Thanks for all of the replies. I checked the pedals and they seem okay. I tried to tighten the front chain ring (actually, it has a Gates carbon belt) and they were VERY tight. So just for giggles, I sprayed WD40 into both sides of the bottom bracket. I had no idea as to if any of the lubricant would be able to penetrate the outer seals or not, but if it's not fixed it's at least patched I rode for 30 minutes before it got too dark, and my bike was "whisper quiet" again . . . all I could hear was the sloshing of water in my water bottle.

Drago1010

What kind of bottom bracket? If its a BB30, the installation may be an issue. They are notorious for this. I've had creaking or clicking issues with BB30's on two new bikes and so have other guys I ride with. If it's a BB30 it needs to be reinstalled per the rec'd installation technique (certain grade o Loctite needs to be used). I've had it done at two different shops on two bikes. No problem after. However a buddy has had it done twice on his ride.

Hiro11

Things I've had creak on a bike that were a pain to find:
1. Cable housing in a downtube stop.
2. Pedal spindles.
3. Spokes rubbing against each other.
4. Saddle rails where the rail meets the saddle body.
5. Rear hub locknuts.
6. QR skewers
7. Chainring bolts
8. Shoe straps in the ratchet
9. Cleat sub-assemblies on the bottom of a shoe

...etc.
Long story short, I wouldn't assume it's a BB until you're sure it's a BB. Bikes Sheldon Brown has a good guide on finding and eliminating creaks.

spinnaker

10. Rear fender.

Payton1221

Thanks for all of the replies!!!

TakingMyTime

Check your saddle. I had the same problem with a used carbon bike that I picked up. For the first 10 miles I was cursing the BB, but then after some further testing and listening I realized it was the cheap saddle that was on the bike.

Joe Bikerider

Oldguyonoldbike

More low-hanging fruit to check before opening up the bottom bracket:
Shoes - I had a creak that was driving me crazy. Turns out it was the leather of the shoe tongue rubbing against the uppers. After about ten miles I suppose moisture from sweat reached levels that led to squeaking. A little vaseline on the tongue of the shoe took care of it.
Also check cleat attachment and pedal spindles/bearings.

gregf83 

I've had loose bearings in both the BB and headset that were fixed using loctite sleeve retainer https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KKTIG/ . The BB30 and similar BBs are a poor design.