JochenRindt

I am hearing a clicking noise when I pedal. From what I can tell, it seems to make the noise when every time the cranks are in a certain position. Is this an issue of the chain needing replacement (I believe it has around 2k miles) or perhaps a bottom bracket issue?

Russ Roth

Would assume the click appears around the 1-3 o'clock position and has to be a pedal, crank or bottom bracket; the easy one is the pedal which can be removed with a 15mm wrench, regreased and reinstalled, you can also try to wiggle the pedals up and down to see if they're loose. Remember the left side is reverse thread but you can remove them and reinstall. The crank and BB can be more complicated or easy. Grab the crank arms and If you have a square taper, or isis drive, push and pull them towards the frame to see if there's any play in them, if there is, try to see if the spindle moves as well. If there's play in the arm and not the spindle you can bolt them down tight. If the spindle wiggles it may need to be tightened which requires special tools, or replaced which requires the same tools.

Bill Kapaun

Something as simple as the end of the FDER cable or shoelace "flicking" the crank**********?

Crankycrank

Also check chainring bolts, clicking from a saddle that's not tight or needs grease wherever there's metal to metal contact on the seat post clamp.

Edit: Meant to say the SADDLE clamp as well.

andrewclaus

Ditto the above about the seat post clamp. If the noise goes away when you stand up to pedal, this is probably it. It's amazing how noises telegraph to the bottom bracket.

Rolla

In all of the many, many times I've had a mysterious noise from that part of the bike, it has never once been the pedals. Wish just one time it would be!

KerryIrons

Many possible causes:Clicks tied to your pedaling can come from

- BB (grease all threads in contact with the frame and BB, all metal to metal contact surfaces, and torque to the recommended settings, which can be quite high), the faces of tapered BB axles if they have a little corrosion

- bolt holding the BB cable guide onto the frame (grease threads and make sure the bolt is not touching the BB shell inside the frame)

- BB cable guide (grease threads and tighten)

- crank bolts (grease threads and washers)

- chain ring bolts (take them all out and grease the threads, the faces where they contact the CRs, and the CRs where they contact the crank spider arms)

- a dirty chain, inadequately lubed chain, stiff link in a chain or a burr on one of the "break off" special links used to assemble the chain

- front derailleur clamp (clean and put a light film of grease on the inside of the clamp where it touches the seat tube)

- front derailleur cage hitting crank arm

- the pedals (grease the threads and the shoulders of the axle where it butts against the crank arm, get some wax, silicone etc. on the cleats, check for play in the bearings, squirt some lube into the guts of the pedal machinery if possible)

- shoes/cleats - loose cleat nut rattling around in the shoe sole, shoe/cleat interface, cleat bolts, cleats touching pedals (wax lube, silicone, or furniture polish)

- seat post and saddle (grease the post, seat post clamp, seat post bolts, saddle rails, and add some oil to where the rails go into the saddle body)

- bars and stem (grease the stem where it clamps to steerer or goes into the steerer if quill type, top cap, stem bolts at both ends, h'bar bolt if quill stem, and h'bar where it goes through the stem)

- grease/tighten QRs and where the hub axle contacts the frame

- tighten cassette lock ring, grease cassette hub body and cassette spacers

- grease steerer tube spacers (if threadless)

- replaceable derailleur hangers (remove, clean, grease all parts and threads, reassemble)

- any other bolt (bottle cages, derailleur clamps, derailleur bolts, shift cable casing stops, etc.)

- cables hitting the frame (cable donuts), or shifting in their end ferrules (lube contact points).

Wheels can make noises when pedaling or coasting (check for spoke tension, particularly on the rear non drive side, put a drop of lube where each pair of spokes cross and where each spoke enters the rim and the hub flange, check for loose metal bits or spoke nipples in the body of the rim and cracks in the rim at spoke holes.).