Bicycle Mechanics - More mysterious clicking

Unlike Mark4, my click seems to originate from the crank side of the drive train. I can only notice it on the down stroke and while I’m out of the saddle. And no matter which chain ring or how much I’ve trimmed I can always hear it. I was thinking that because I throw the bike to the left as I push down on the pedal it might be causing the chain to rub on the front derailleur. However, if I look down while doing this I can’t see it hitting, nor does it sound like chain scrape. I’ve taken off the crank to make sure it was seated in the bottom bracket correctly (Ultegra), checked the chain ring bolts, the derailleur braze on, water bottle cages, removed the mini pump, and done just about everything I can imagine. So yeah, I’m pretty much stuck on this one. Maybe I’ll completely clean the derailleur cage, leave it in gear, and see if it is hitting the sides. Anyone have any other ideas besides this?

it could be yout bottom bracket shifting in the shell, it could be a crack, it could be your pedal body, it could be something on your person clicking against something else on your person, like, if you wear two necklaces or something...i know it sounds crazy, but sometimes, those sounds can project and it'll seem like it's coming from somewhere else...it could be a metal or plastic part of your shoe hitting the crank arm and you're not noticing it...it could be your cleats moving in the pedal...where are you in the bay area? i could take a look at it if i ever get a free moment...

I do need to check the bottom bracket (should have done that when I had the crank off:() It's a carbon frame, and I made sure to check for any visible signs of cracks when I had the crank off. I don't usually have anything on my or in my pockets that could cause such a metalic noise. My shoes use a velcro strap system and are all soft, cleats are fixed and I tightened them just last week. I'm a little south of you (San Carlos/Redwood City), plus there are like five bike shops within a five mile radius I could take it to. Just haven't had the time lately. Thanks for the offer though. Off to go check the bottom bracket now..

do you have an octalink BB? can you feel a slight shift in one of the crank arms when the click happens? if the cranks and spindle were mis-aligned by even a little, tiny bit when they went together, that could create a click, or, if the spindle wasn't greased when you put them on, the metal on metal rubbing could cause it too. it's it more of a "TINK!" sound, or sort of a quick creak, like "ONK!" as was mentioned in the other mysterious creak thread, it could be the chainrings. i would check all the simple, non-catastrophic things first, and then move onto the more serious things i've listed. i always tend to start off with the worst-case scenario causes...

is it coming from the drive side, or the non-drive side?

how long have you had the bike? if it sounds more like a dry click (like something hitting or rubbing the frame), you might want to check the chainstays, or even the little plate that the der. cables run through under the BB. i bet it's probably the BB. could be the "adjusting" cup is either cracked (if it's plastic) or not tightened enough.

it could even be the chain if it's worn...if it's not any of those things, i'm stumped too.

Octalink Ultegra BB, I've realligned the cranks several times to no avail. Definitely coming from the drive side as far as I can tell, but who knows as sound has a habit of traveling to weird places on bikes. The bike is about a month and a half old, 1300 miles on the chain. I'll give it another try tomorrow and if it's still going on I'll just stop by the local shop to see if they can't figure out what it is. Thanks for the help though.

I suspect that it's probably your BB. My bike developed a creaking noise that occurred on while standing. It turned out that some moisture had gotten into the BB so the threads weren't well-lubricated. The LBS cleaned up the threads and re-tightened the BB. Another, but less likely culprit, would be your bars. Sometimes the bars will creak when you pull hard on them.

Sounds as if the bike is ready to go into the shop for a free inspection anyway. If you purchased it at a LBS, they should give you free service for the first few months after you bought it.

Well, I've already taken it in for the free inspection thing, but I think they'll be fine with checking the bottom bracket. I asked someone I passed on a hill today if he could hear where it was coming from and he also agreed that it seemed to originate from the bottom bracket. Anyways, thanks for all your help but at this point I'll have to take it to the shop.