Bicycle Mechanics - Clicking sound from Bottom Bracket

Whenever the drive-side crank arm is at the 12 o'clock position I am getting a clicking sound, and occasionally immediately thereafter in the 3 o'clock postion.

I just went out and got the Bicycling Magazing Maintence book, and it doesn't talk about this problem. This weekend I was planning on pulling out the assembly, cleaning it, looking for damage and re-lubing it.

Does anyone have an idea as to possible causes for the noise? When I am not actually riding, and putting pressure on the chain system, there is no noise at all. Even using a mechanic's stethoscope I cannot hear the noise.

Any help would be appricated.. Thanks!

First of all, and this is not a gig just advice to all who read it, questions about chains, deraileurs, cogs, and bottom brackets should be posted under Bicycle Mechanics. There are plenty of very knowledgable people (ie, not me :D) who can help. Joe will probably move these posts when he sees them.

Clicking from the bottom bracket, or apparently the bottom bracket, can drive you crazy because it can be caused by so many things, some not even close to the bb though it sounds that way. First, I guess, you can check the bb itself. If it is the older cup and cone type as opposed to the newer cartridge bearing type, it may need to be cleaned, regreased and adjusted.

Just a couple of weeks ago mine suddenly started making a noise just as I left the office on my way home. I stopped at my LBS (which I originally picked a couple of years ago precisely because it is on my way home. One of my better decisions.). Within minutes my favorite wrench had pulled the bb completely out, cleaned it thoroughly, repacked the bearings and replaced everything. Problem solved. Normally I do such things myself, but a lot of times when things happen between the office and the LBS I just let them do it if they can do it then. That way I don't have to let something go until the weekend when I may or may not snatch the time to do it myself.

I had about the same problem at the beginning of summer.. when I was jsut riding normal, or off the bike, no sound at all.. when i started to crank it a bit.. there was the mysterious "click of death"... I started easy and tightened the bolts on the chainrings first... and voila, the noise went away... I should take the bottom bracket apart this winter and regrease and re-pack it.. i'm sure it needs it....

Jeff

Grab your pedal firmly and try to move it back and forth. I had a practically new Look pedal lose a bearing. Actually part of a an extension of the casing of the bearing broke. I was getting some weird noises that I thought was the crank. The noise would come and go....

Originally posted by SipperPhoto
[B I should take the bottom bracket apart this winter and regrease and re-pack it.. i'm sure it needs it....

Jeff [/B] Not if it's a carteidge type.They just get repalced when they go bad.

The last two times my BB was clicking it ws remedied by:
removing and teflon taping the BB's cup threads and re-assmbling removing, cleaning and greasing my seat post and replacing
as said earlier, it can be a myriad of things that are related to stressing different parts of the bike at different spots in the pedal stroke that seem to be the BB but aren't necessarily.

Originally posted by pokey
Not if it's a carteidge type.They just get repalced when they go bad.

True... the bike is about 10 or 12 years old... a Centurion LeMans, almost all original parts... I've been slowly modernizing as much as I can, without spending a grip of money. I'm not really sure if it is a cartridge type or not.. I'll have to wait until xmas time, when I get into my new place and actually have a garage to work in.

Jeff

p.s. Pokey, you are the man !! I love all yer posts, yer a real pain in the ass :-) heheh