McSpazatron

I have a 2015 Specialized Crosstrail, and within the first 300 miles it developed a clicking in the pedals (not audible, just felt through the pedals), happening on most down strokes (both left and right pedals), and it also felt like the cranks were moving laterally a bit. Since I had one free tuneup at the LBS, I decided to take it in and told them that I thought the BB or cranks might be a smidge loose.

When they returned the bike, the mech said he tightened down the cranks. But when I took it for a spin, I instantly felt the same clicking exactly like before. In fact, it was getting to a point where hand turning the crank would yield the click feeling. I left it there again, and when I came back a few days later, they said they did some "adjustment" to the rear hub. I was a bit skeptical (thinking it was a bad BB), so I was pleasantly surprised that the problem seem fixed! I've only ridden it a mile or so around the neighborhood, but the clicking seems gone.

My question is this: What could be adjusted on the rear hub that would fix that clicking sound? Is it possible for the cassette to somehow get loose? The salesman that gave me the bike didn't seem like he knew details on what was done.

Andrew R Stewart 

Yes, the cassette might have come loose, the lock ring backing off a bit. Or the rear axle bearing adjustment too might have loosened up. Either would be more pronounced when applying pedal pressure. The initial "tightening up the cranks" usually is the crank arm securing bolts and/or the chain ring bolts. Which also might cause under power issues. New bikes can, and do, go through a settling in/break in period with initial use. Some times this is pretty minimal, sometimes greater. Sometimes more n one aspect and later in another. At first take the shop is trying to take care of you but might communicate better. Andy

headasunder

go back to the shop and ask the mechanic, cassettes dont usually loosen off and a slightly wobbly cassette wouldn’t cause a click, ditto play in the rear hub I’m sure the mechanic would have no issue explaining what he did.

McSpazatron

Thanks for the replies. I'll ask what the shop did to get more details. I've only gotten a chance to take it out for a couple of more miles since my first post, but definitely no clicking. So whatever they did seems to be holding. I'd like to be able to take care of it myself next time it happens though. I like quiet bikes.