Solving Bicycle Noise Issues
November 6, 2008 by Scott Mosko
Filed under Tips
Bicycle noises can be one of the most aggravating problems for cyclists. Although most do not cause any damage to the bicycle, they can make a ride completely miserable. I have seen cracked frames on rare occasions, but the culprit of a noise is normally something simple. There is not one root cause for squeaks or creaks, but they can usually (key word) be found quickly if investigated in a thorough and logical manner. I will not mention torque specifications since the average rider most likely does not own one, and these numbers can vary.
Whenever two metals come in contact with each other (especially dissimilar metals), there is a chance for a noise issue to occur. Application of grease not only allows the threads, spline, etc., to become tighter, but it also acts as a noise insulator in case there is any gap between the metals. Lithium bicycle grease is the most popular.
When trying to eliminate a squeak or a noise, perform one adjustment at a time, then test ride the bicycle. Although the disappearance of the noise is the end goal, nothing is gained by eliminating it without discovering the root cause. Do not wash the bicycle before the problem has been solved - water acts as a lubricant, and will cause the noise to disappear until the water evaporates.
The most common noise is a clicking while pedaling the bike. This is a drivetrain issue. The first thing to investigate is whether the pedal threads have been greased and/or that the pedals are tight. Although greasing threads seems counterintuitive, adding grease to (most) threads on a bicycle can eliminate almost all creaking Remove the pedals, lubricate the threads, and reinstall. Make sure that the pedal is tight, but do not over tighten.
When a creaking noise originates from the crank, it is most likely the left pedal or crank. Why would this be, since we apply the same pressure to both the left and right pedals? The left pedal receives the torque in a binary (on/off) manner — when the crank is pressed down at the top of the stroke. This is then transferred to the bottom bracket in the same position, time after time. The right pedal (drive side) receives torque in a much more distributed manner, since it is being divided over four or five arms on the spider from the chainrings. Of course, with the introduction of two-piece cranks, the loosening of the crank at the bottom bracket spindle is no longer a factor. However, 99% of the time, the left pedal is still the pedal which is creaking.
The next thing to check are the chainring bolts. If I am checking them, I normally remove them and apply grease to threads before tightening. Again, use uniform torque without stripping the threads.
Working backwards from the bike, check anything that the drivetrain might affect — grease the dropout and frame interface as well as the bolts/screws, check the tightness of the quick release skewer (even grease the face of the frame where the skewer attaches), etc.
Creaking seats can be a major problem as well.Often the noise is associated with the drivetrain, but it is actually caused by the rider changing position on the saddle, causing the rails and/or clamp to creak. Try wrenching the saddle back and forth to see if the seat is the problem. If so, remove the bolts and grease the threads, grease the rails, etc. Sometimes the point of attachment at the nose or in the back — spray a teflon lubricant in these areas if greasing the clamp/bolts did not eliminate the problem.
Due to the in-depth nature of suspenion problems, I will discuss this at length in a future article.
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This post was written by:
Scott Mosko - who has written 2 posts on Mountain bike product reviews, bike builds, trail reviews, forum, and tips - MTOBikes.com.
He’s right. Grease is a necessity for bicycles. I’ve had countless countless clicks over the years. Often its the bottom bracket. Often its the pedals. Just this last time, once I had retightened the bottom bracket, headset, rear cassette, I realised that indeed it was the seat and greasing up the seat removed the squeak.
This is something that your shop won’t do properly, because they don’t have the luxury or the willingness to ride your bike around for half an hour before starting on the repair. For this you need the right tools, you need grease, and you need to have a bit of time and motivation.
thanks….I subscribe…this article caught my attention. time to pay attention and work over my bike…