Bicycle Mechanics - random bike problems... PLEASE LOOK

I just finished building up my new bike this past week and after one week it is making some strange noises. it makes a "pop" when i put tension the the pedals and give a bit of a push. I took it to the shop and had them look at it and the guy tightend the cranks and it helped but it just decreased how often it happens. I have clipless and I am wondering if it could be them. This is the only thing that was used befor put on. I would swap out pedals but I have not to change with... any ideas? even crazy ones would be great. Thanks again
Jared

I would suspect your crank arm interface. If it went away slightly when he tightened it then it would almost certainly tell me that there is a damaged spindle/crankarm bore. Take the arms off the bottom bracket and look very carefully inside them. There will be the factory shape bored in. If there is a ridge or several ridges that are not of the factory type then they are results of a loose crank arm and are what is allowing the creak which is generated by arm movement.
If there is no ridging/depressions, then there is a chance it was just dirty. Clean it thoroughly and install to full manufacturer's torque specs. (usually its in the 35-45 ft-lb range) The propper torque is critical.

I think I am understand what you mean, I have not yet taken them off. but I have one quick question...
If in the case that there are marks, does this mean that they are bad... please forgive me as I know next to nothing about crank wear problems.

any ideas? even crazy ones would be great. Thanks again
Jared

Here's an idea: buy me one of these (http://www.sevencycles.com/bikes/cyclocross.html)! (my choice)

OK, back on topic: check with you LBS to see if they have some cheap pedals that they could let you borrow to make sure it's not the clipless you're hearing. It would take long, and I'm sure they'd let you do it.

sounds like you need to take out the BB and clean out the shell and grease her up nicely with some white lithium grease( personal fav) I just like the white stuff b/c when you take the BB out again, you can see how much dirt and crap actually is getting into your frame and also it works quite well ;) clean the interface between the BB axle and the crank arms... place a little grease on the BB bolts and as said before torque to spec and that click should go away... Also make sure that's there no wear on that crank arm (splines/square tapper), if so then you're SOL... also check your cassette lock ring, sometimes that'll give you that feeling aswell.. just my two cents worth, good luck....

white lithium grease( personal fav) ...

Used to be mine too, until I saw somewhere (reliable, as I recall) that it is aggressively hostile to Al and Al alloys.

Check the pedals before taking apart the crank and the BB. Might as well dismiss the easy fixes first.

Your pedals aren't Looks are they? Looks are great pedals but are known to creak under mashing or standing tension. Mine do anyway.

55/Rad

Yea that might be the problem

Thank you all for you help. I went to the shop and let me just say that this has been too many time for what I have been thinking it was the whole time. The cranks are aluminum and the BB is steel. THe cranks are old and have been on two bikes now. THe reason for the creaking is indeed the cranks. I guess they need to be tightened like 3 times before they have "kinda molded" on the BB. If they are in bad condition, they my never get to the point that they stop creaking... I hope this is not mine but I have a feeling it is.

Was the bike shop blowing smoke or are they right... they werent really into selling me new cranks so i figured they were telling the truth.

Try taking them off, look at them where the bb goes in and see if ther is a problem. Chances are that if you lube them up and put them on WITH A TORQUE WRENCH you'll be fine. You never said if you put them on with one. Did you? It is important that you do.

Yeah I had the bike shop torque them down from the very first time. What I am thinking I am going to do is give it some time but soon I am going to change it all together. Looking at something newer than square taper...

Thanks again for all your help!
-Jared

I used to grease them but I found that cleaning them religiously before instalation proved to be more effective. If used, put the grease on then wipe it off with a rag. Thats as much as it would need. When there is too much it can alter the fit of the crank, as in allowing it to push too high on the taper. The Idea of having the very minimal ammount of grease is to prevent aluminum/steel interaction, as they will weld themselves together with corrosion. In my personal practice, since my units are dismantled at least every other month, I prefer ungreased and allow the 'welding' to take place. It seems to make them stay seated better. But it is important to check bolt torques on a continual basis.
The shop was not actually blowing smoke. I agree fully with the third time is a charm practice. Once the corrosion sets in the thing is on there. As a procedure, I check the torque every chain lube for about 3 or 4 sessions or until the torque stabilizes. When it is in place and the bolt is on torque(which may be sooner) then you have arrived.