Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - 'popping' at cranks/BB??

lately i've noticed that when i first apply back pressure...or then when i apply forward pressure after backpressure...or when track standing (you get the picture) i get a sort of 'popping' feel in my cranks. i tightened up the allen bolts (which didn't seem loose), but since i dont have a crank puller, i couldnt do much of anything else. any idea what it might be? they're budget truvativ cranks, but they shouldn't be going bad already.

Have you checked your cog and lockring?

yeah. i've tightened the hell out of both. could i have possibly over tightened them, thus stripping them? brand new formula hub.

the thing is, it 'feel's' and sounds like its coming from the cranks, not the rear. the rear makes it's own set of noises, but these are different.

Your chain could be too tight.

nope. if anything, i thought possibly too slack, since at one point it's got maybe a 1/2 inch of play or so, but theres no sag so i figured i'd be fine. i've ridden with it too tight before, definitely a different feeling.

Does the pop occur in the same spot in your rotation of the cranks or does it change? Is your chainring perfectly centered?

you running a master link? those usually stretch out faster than the rest of the chain links.

Try this: If you jump on the pedals (both pedals) with the right pedal forward, and then the left pedal forward, do you feel the play there? That would verify that it's in the crank/bb area, anyways.

i've had this before.
check your BB. my NDS cup had backed out.

is it a cartridge BB?

if so dont worry about it (as long as there is no sticking or play) i see catridge BBs that make little clicks all the time, my canondale does too. they seem to do it after water gets in or they get a little old.
just keep an eye out for it starting to get rough or sloppy.

if its a loose ball, rebuild it.

If you are running unseald bearings, you probably need to have them serviced (removed, cleaned, re-packed with grease).

Not hard to do if you have proper tools.

Won't cost much to have your LBS do it.

check your chainring. make sure your bolts are all tight. i switched by chainring the other day and noticed at one point that i could shift the cranks a bit while trackstanding and have the chainring not move. it made the popping feeling when i did it.

When this happens on my bikes - It is usually because the bottom bracket or the crank arms are loose, sometimes they have to be taken off and cleaned up.

On my SS MTB, I have problems with the ISIS BB and Shimano XTR they loosen up every couple of hundred miles. SS MTB's really put a lot of pressure on the BB and Crank. This just happened on my Roadie also. I have never had a problem on my FG.

You say it's a feeling? Not necessarily making sound? Could be your pedals if you're running clipless.. my eggbeaters are feeling all mushy and make nice little popping noises all the time.. I just need to work on them with external oil and sanding down my soles.

And you said you tightened up the allen bolts (crank bolts I presume?).. you may have not tightened them enough, use a torque wrench and look up the reccomendations for your set because I was surprised how tight I had to make mine..

damn, i just wrote a giant reply to this and it got eaten.

no clue what kind of BB i have. stock khs/mercier.

it really feels like the cranks are just a tiny bit loose. how are the cranks attached to the BB? i know its not just crank bolts, since ive pulled those before (and then tightened the !@#$ out of them.

On my SS MTB, I have problems with the ISIS BB and Shimano XTR .
Shimano made ISIS splined cranks?



I would pull the cranks and the BB (after getting the tools) and regrease every metal to metal mating point. That's standard procedure at the shop for all things creaky in the BB area.

Get that crank puller, take the crank arms off, apply grease, put crank arms back on, tighten them on really tight. Worked for me.

edit: or what AfterThisNap said. Somehow I missed his thread.

if all else fails, do check that there isn't play in the pedal spindle.

Get that crank puller, take the crank arms off, apply grease, put crank arms back on, tighten them on really tight. Worked for me.

edit: or what AfterThisNap said. Somehow I missed his thread.

You're talking about greasing the BB, right? You don't want any grease on the spindle flats or in the cranks, beside on the bolt threads.

sure sounds like chainring bolts to me. do you have the proper tool to hold 'em tight from behind while you crank them down?

Shimano made ISIS splined cranks?



I would pull the cranks and the BB (after getting the tools) and regrease every metal to metal mating point. That's standard procedure at the shop for all things creaky in the BB area.


You are right, my Shimano XTR is an "ISIS like non-square taper splined crank"....... I have had problems with them since I put them on the MTB.

damn, i just wrote a giant reply to this and it got eaten.

no clue what kind of BB i have. stock khs/mercier.

it really feels like the cranks are just a tiny bit loose. how are the cranks attached to the BB? i know its not just crank bolts, since ive pulled those before (and then tightened the !@#$ out of them.

Have the bearings checked and repacked. It should be maybe $20 at the shop.

Are you a clydesdale? I had the same problem and it was the chainring coming loose. I eventually had to use blue loc-tite on all the chainring bolts to keep them tight enough.

You're talking about greasing the BB, right? You don't want any grease on the spindle flats or in the cranks, beside on the bolt threads.

Hmm. That is part of what what my LBS did and it solved my problem. Sounds like AfterThisNap was saying the same thing, but maybe he can clarify.

Funny you should ask... I have the same cranks, and had the same exact problem over the last two days. It turned out that all I needed to do was tighten my right side pedal. No more popping, and it took 2 seconds.

tightened up the chainring bolts...they were a little lose, but nothing serious.

just checked pedals. both are in tight as hell. i suppose i'll take it to the LBS tomorrow and see what they have to say about it. i'd rather mess it with myself, but it'll cost me more to buy a crank puller than it will to have them deal with it. especially since once i get the cranks off, i still have to figure out what the hells wrong with it.

anyone know what kind of BB this has?

Are you a clydesdale? I had the same problem and it was the chainring coming loose. I eventually had to use blue loc-tite on all the chainring bolts to keep them tight enough.



had the same problem with truvativs creaky creaky pop pop sold the cranks and bb to a guy that weighs about 75# less and he says they are really stiff and he loves em

You're talking about greasing the BB, right? You don't want any grease on the spindle flats or in the cranks, beside on the bolt threads.

That's just wrong. You DO want to grease the spindle flats. It means the crank seats right down more easily, and then acts as anti-sieze. You should always do it.

anyone know what kind of BB this has?
If it's from the past 10 years, odds are it is a sealed cartridge style BB, in which case it is either the crank/spindle interface, the cranks themselves, or the bb itself (if all your information is accurate). You can't rebuild the BB, so if it is that, just junk it and buy a new one.

I would definitely yank the cranks and grease the spindle. Probably even pull the BB and regrease those threads.

once you pull cranks, how difficult is it to pull a BB? you need any type of fancy ****? ive tried to look it up on park a couple times, but since i dont know what style of BB it is, it's hard to figure out what i've gotta do. all the different terms (isis, etc) confuse me and my complete lack of knowledge.
it's a stock khs/mercier BB.

def not a clydsdale. 160ish.

once you pull cranks, how difficult is it to pull a BB? you need any type of fancy ****?.
Well, it's not fancy, but it is specialized. Usually costs about the same amount as a crank-puller. You need a BB tool to fit into the splines of the BB cups (not the spindle splines). Look at the cup of the bb, and you can see what the tool will have to look like to get it off. Then, when you finally have the right tool, put it on the BB after the cranks are on, and with the handle up, turn it towards the front of the bike. Do on both sides, and your BB is free.

Are you a clydesdale? I had the same problem and it was the chainring coming loose. I eventually had to use blue loc-tite on all the chainring bolts to keep them tight enough.

I was having same problem also, sounds like, and am in the 200+ pounds range. I kept having to tighten the chainring bolts, but the problem would come back. Finally I got blue loctite and an actual chainring bolt tool rather than a wide slot screwdriver, and only very rarely have to tighten them anymore. I figure alternating hauling all my weight on the cranks when skidding and accelerating was enough to loosen the bolts over time.

If it's from the past 10 years, odds are it is a sealed cartridge style BB

Really?

Brand new Pista Concepts come with Sugino 75 which are loose bearing.

just took it to LBS. couldn't work on it today, but said they think it's possibly the BB not being tight enough or something like that. wont be able to check it out till next week, but said there's definitely something wrong.

just looked up BB...apparently it's simply 'cartridge'. i'm assuming that means sealed cartridge? i'm looking at nashbar right now, trying to find a replacement.... which of these (http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?subcategory=1096&category=73&browse=&storetype=&estoreid=&brand=&searchbox=&start=1&orderby=price1&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Bottom%20Brackets) would work for it?

Really?

Brand new Pista Concepts come with Sugino 75 which are loose bearing.
For a Mercier Kilo TT, yes. Of course some high-end bikes have nice cup-and-cone BB's.

just looked up BB...apparently it's simply 'cartridge'. i'm assuming that means sealed cartridge? i'm looking at nashbar right now, trying to find a replacement.... which of these (http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?subcategory=1096&category=73&browse=&storetype=&estoreid=&brand=&searchbox=&start=1&orderby=price1&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Bottom%20Brackets) would work for it?
Depends on the cranks. If they are splined, what spline pattern (octalink, Isis (most likely), power spline)? What is the length of the spindle? Those are the main things to take into account.

haha. see, this is why i can't figure this **** out on my own. every time i think ive know something, all i really know is that i now have 8 more questions to answer.

cranks are truvative touro (http://sram.com/en/truvativ/roadcranksets/touro/triple30.php).
site claims 'square/power spline'.

site claims 'square/power spline'.
It's either one or the other. If you've got the cranks off, take a look. If the spindle is square, it's a square taper. Otherwise, it's a power spline BB (if you trust the spec sheet) and a replacement will have the same spline pattern and spindle length, as well as a 68mm shell. Here (http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=9463&category=2867) is one with a 113mm spindle.

do i want 113mm? everything i've read seems to point in the 107/108/109 range. wouldnt 113 be too long?

do i want 113mm? everything i've read seems to point in the 107/108/109 range. wouldnt 113 be too long?
MEASURE THE EXISTING ONE. All your problems are now solved, eat a cookie.

just took it to LBS. couldn't work on it today, but said they think it's possibly the BB not being tight enough or something like that.


that's what i said a page ago :):)

well, for the record, it's also what i assumed from the beginning. ;)
but thank you for being right (for now anyway).
i was hoping the 'just tighten the pedals' guy was right, since that would have been a much easier fix, but oh well.

aeroplane,
thanks for your help.

I had the same problem a month ago. Just came down to me needing to grease up the BB (stock IRO cranks). Now if I could figure out why my bike makes a "shhhhook shhhhook shhhhhhook" sound when I'm pedaling..

is your chain too tight? that could be it. is it well lubed? otherwise it's probably just standard chain noise.

its also if your drive train is worn out, i have just been there/done that

i just fixed this, sometimes the cranks sit on the spindle a bit screwy (also if your spindle is in the wrong way this happens too, i wouldnt worry about this unless you put the bike together yourself though) - due to bad design or misplacement - you should def pick up a crank puller though. also i wouldnt tighten down your crankbolts too much - should only be 30lbs of torque i think on yer bb/crank. if you happen to pick up a crankpuller you might aswell clean everything up 100% denatured alcohol etc etc and check over whatever else everyone has said, sometimes its the littlest thing.

i have a 2006 specialized langster that i am having a problem with a popping when i am putting a lot of pressure on the pedals...i thought maybe it was the chain...maybe a stiff link or something but i just had the chain replaced and i still have the same problem....what should i try next? i have the stock sugino crank on it. any help would be appreciated...thanks

mine has started to do it worse since i posted this. can't get the bike in till thursday though.

i'm pretty damn sure it's just the BB needing to be tightened. go to your LBS. they should be able to fix it pretty quickly/easily/cheaply.

i was hoping the 'just tighten the pedals' guy was right, since that would have been a much easier fix, but oh well.

Girl, and you completely misunderstood me :)
I meant the bearings in the pedal, not where the pedals thread into the cranks. If that was loose, you'd know it in a hurry.

i'm sorry ma'am.