j_scott_elblein

Hey all, first post.

I've got a bike that's making a loud click whenever I pedal. It happens at any speed (not just when I pedal hard). I cant particularly tell exactly where it's coming from so I figured avid bikers here might be real familiar with this issue and know right off the bat what it is?

It's rather embarrassing out on the trails with this sound, as people hear it coming from quite a distance and always turn around to see what it is.

Here's a short video of it happening: veed.io/view/ce5b8397-5a03-48a2-88af-cd3449ba7e21?sharingWidget=true

Barry2 

Welcome to bike forums.

you are going to need to provide more details.

1. Brand, type and age of bike.
2. Does the click always occur when the crank is in the same position
3. Does the bike click if you stand up and pedal
4. Does it click in all the gears
5. Does it click on all chainrings
6. Does it click if you pedal with one leg (assumes clipped in)
7. Does it click with different shoes
8. Count the turns required to move the chain once around. Let’s assume 3.5
Do you have to turn the crank 3.5 times for every click
9. Does the click keep time with the rotation of the wheels

There, that’ll do for a start

Barry

wheelreason

Sorry, crystal ball is in the shop...
Magic 8 ball says crank hitting kickstand though...

DorkDisk

First, ascertain whether it clicks once per crank revolution or once per wheel revolution.

BTinNYC 

You should get the bike off the ground (on a bike stand, on a car bike rack, hanging from a rope in the garage, etc), pedal, and you'll figure it out.

j_scott_elblein

lol, thanks bud. Can your magic 8 ball see the vid I posted?

j_scott_elblein

Here's the bike I have: youtube .com/watch?v=qNg98Xkm5yY

I just noticed on Amazon in the questions someone else had asked about the same clicking sound, and others responded that they have/had it as well. 1 person said they tightened the crank to solve it. Gonna give that a try tomorrow.

veganbikes

I don't believe YouTube is a bike brand. Do you know what bike you have? If it is from Amazon I would see if you can return it to Billionaire Jeff Bezos and get a bike from a place that sells and services bikes would be a good option. Amazon doesn't really sell bikes of any sort of quality and they don't have mechanics to put the bikes together properly and even if they did the parts used are generally of the lowest quality so noises and issues are not uncommon.

Sonofamechanic 

Watched your vid…very helpful!
Its not the cranks hitting anything (that’s clear from the video) but the fact that it happens every revolution of the crank AND that it clicks twice each time would point to a loose crank bolt(s). If you grab a pedal in each hand and pull up on both and then push down on both you may be able to figure out which crank it is. Either way, tighten them both and let is know if that helps! (It might quieten the noise but not silence it in which case you’ll need to take the cranks off (special tool—local bike store can help) check and grease everything and then tighten them back on). Good luck!!

JanMM

This the bike? youtube.com/watch?v=qNg98Xkm5yY

fat tire e bike with throttle.

KerryIrons

Not really. Lots of creaks and clicks require the weight of the rider on the bike and/or pressure on the pedals to make the sound occur.

Barry2 

Over 48 hours and not a single question answered by OP !
OP has even returned & posted in thread without addressing the questions, or time to get information together.

In Summary
OP, the help you receive is proportional to the help you provide.


Unsubscribed and Out

Barry

tyrion

I'm not the greatest mechanic but generally speaking, things point to a slightly loose connector (bolt) somewhere in the crank, and the solution is to take the crank apart and clean it and grease all the nuts and bolts and tighten them close to the specified torque. It's a cheap bike and might not have been assembled with the greatest to detail.

Possibility #2: I'm not joking, the problem might be in the saddle or saddle seatpost connection. If you stand up and pedal and the creak goes away, then the problem might be in your saddle area. Same procedure - take it apart and clean it and grease all the bolts and tighten them to a reasonable tightness.

_ForceD_

Longtime ago a friend got a new road bike and there was a clicking when peddling each rotation. He put it on the stand and rotated the pedals. Nothing. Rode again and the clicking was there. So he took it back to the LBS where he purchased. The mech put it on the stand. Nothing. So then the mech rode it and heard the clicking. Turned out that the excess front derailleur cable was bent outward in such way that the foot RIGHT foot was hitting it and the recoil of it was hitting the frame and creating the clicking…and why it didn’t happen on the stand.

Dan

Sonofamechanic 

…the video the OP posted answered most of the very relevant questions you asked. So…the OP’s neglect in answering you is rather equivalent to you not watching the posted video in the first place before asking, no?

Barry2 

Video was removed

Sonofamechanic 

Fair enough.
It was still up the day after your post, but your point still stands—OP isn’t sticking around for an answer. It was a short clip taken of the bb as he pedaled…clearly a crank bolt issue as there was no interference with the (bolt on) cranks and it was clearly in time with crank rotation. It had a double clunk separated by half cycle of cranks so very likely a loose crank on a square spindle.

Barry2 

And BTW
when I offer help on this forum, it’s on my terms, not those of the requester.
If I’m disinterested in the usual low quality, out of focus, trained on the wrong spot video, but choose to take the time to offer pertinent questions, I’m a nice guy. Just ask my mother!

All too often OP’s appear, post, and ghost.

I wonder why nobody has done a flowchart for click diagnosis. Maybe it would get a Sticky.

Barry

oldbobcat

No. Host says it's archived.

oldbobcat

Link doesn't work. Goodbye.