Dominover

Recently I've noticed a dull single click sound, and I can feel it vibrate, in my left pedal. It happens when the left crank arm is almost at the 12 o'clock position every time.
I can't seem to reproduce it when turning the pedal or crank arm by hand. I also tightened the pedal up via the end nut so that the peddle spins nice and firm and there's no play at all.

I seem to have to have my foot on the pedal to make this happen, even when pressing very lightly the click is still there. It's a definite dull click but it's only one the left side of the bike.

The bottom bracket on this bike is a threaded VR sealed bearing that screws into the bottom bracket hole as one piece. When I try to wobble the crank arm on both sides there's no play at all. There's no play in the pedals now either.
I'm really not sure where the noise is coming from.
Just remember. It's on the left side only and the click happens when the left crank arm is in the same position every time.
Could this be from the pedal, or the bottom bracket?
Thanks

shelbyfv

Saddle? Pedal while standing to check.

Dancing Skeleton

Skewers
Stem bolts
Pedals
Chain ring bolts
Seat clamps
etc, etc, etc.

Not easy to isolate, but you'll find it eventually

Dominover

It's definitely a click in the pedal. I have checked while standing, same issue. Definitely felt in the left pedal only.

Dominover

Keep in mind that it's only on one side.
I might try switching the pedals to opposite sides and see what happens then.

rangie

Don't try that. The threads are different directions.

CliffordK

What brand and model of pedals are you using?

Many of the mid to high end Shimano pedals are very easy to rebuild. You simply need a pedal wrench to take them apart. All the cones, grease, bearings, etc, all come out in one unit.

Some bikes are sold new with disposable pedals which can be upgraded.

As mentioned above, the right pedal has right hand threads, and the left pedal has left hand threads (helpful to remember when removing pedals).

Dancing Skeleton

Switching to a different pair of pedals may help

JohnDThompson 

The cause of things like that can be difficult to track down.
Remove the pedal and see if you can feel it with the pedal off the bike.
Replace with a different pedal (even if only temporarily) and see if the problem persists while riding.

BobsPoprad

Other than the noise I get from my Mavic OP (since new 20 years ago), most clicks are usually in my cleats or seat post/clamp.
Good luck. Clicks are very annoying to me.

Iride01 

Do you have some other pedals to put on it and see if the click goes away? I had a click that I felt more than I heard one time. It was in my right pedal and would happen when I was accelerating at a moderate power and would occur when the right crank was about the 3 - 4 o'clock position when viewed from the right.

It turned out to be the pedal bearings just needed to be adjusted. The bearings and races in my Shimano PD-A520's are very tiny. So even when out of adjustment there is virtually no visually perceptible play that can be seen. So don't just ignore doing something about the pedals because you can't see anything wrong.

Pedals may not be your issue, but for what you've described they will be the first thing I change out just to see. Then if that turns out to be the case, then you can clean, lube and adjust the old pedals and have a spare set to put on the shelf. Everyone should have shelves of spare bike parts taking up space! <not><grin>

alcjphil

Make sure that the pedal that clicks is firmly tightened into the crank arm. If it isn't tight, the pedal might be moving and it could eventually strip out the threads in the crank arm. Left side pedals and crank arms seem to be very prone to problems

freeranger

"Clipless" pedals? If yes, check your cleat on the left shoe.

Dominover

haha.. Yes, so I found out. lol

Dominover

Thanks for the replies everyone. I responded a few days ago but just got on to see if anyone else had responded and my reply is not there.
It could be my internet that's the issue.
In the end, I remembered that this problem started when I loosened the pedal crank arm bolts in an attempt to remove them. I then tightened them back up, but it seems that I didn't tighten the one on the opposite side enough. I'm not sure how this works, but, with my bike, the Bottom Bracket assembly is all one piece. It's a unit which screws into the frame. It's possible that by tightening the bolds that attach the crank arm to it, I've stopped any excess movement. I didn't think I had any but when I tightened them up, the noise has completely gone. Very very strange.
And yes, my silly suggestion to swap the pedals round was quickly squashed when I noticed the reverse threading. haha..
Thanks again for the help.

CliffordK

It sure doesn't take a lot of looseness for the crank arms to feel loose. So missing the bolt could well be the problem. The crank arms are tapered so they get smashed down tight onto the bottom bracket.

Dominover

It was actually really tight, but the noise persisted.
Now it is really really tight.

It may not have been the problem at all, but I 've somehow de-seated something when I undid those crank arms. Not sure what, but the noise is definitely gone now.

jaxgtr

I had this issue once, it was a loose chainring bolt. Drove me nuts for a month. Happened every time at the top of the stroke.

phughes

Me too. It bugged me all the way across Illinois and Indiana headed to Pittsburgh a few years ago. I had a lot of time to be annoyed by it. I swapped out pedals, nope. I removed and reinstalled the cassette. Nope. I finally checked the chain ring bolts. Bingo!