Nicodemus

My pedals have just started doing some horrible clicking/creaking noise in the last week. I want to know what is causing this and whether it's me or just bad luck or what.

I'm sure it's the pedals because:
a) with my last bike it was the pedals, and the LBS replaced them (or I assume they replaced, who really knows?) the pedals FOUR times in the first six months I had it.
b) now the exact same thing has occurred with my new bike.
c) I can feel the clicking coming from the pedal, and I have checked for play etc, and I am sure it is not the crank or other things. I have had this happen often enough to know it is the pedals.

New bike is a Specialized Sirrus Elite, so a pretty decent roller, and the pedals are quite solid. I was annoyed enough that it happened with my last bike, but since this is haunting me again I want to know what the problem is.

I take it back to the LBS next week, as the bike's only 3 months old. I don't expect any trouble getting it sorted.

Questions:
1. What is it?
a) I notice that this has happened right on the first day I've done any real riding in the rain. I don't know if there is a connection (I had the last bike when I was in Holland, where it rains pretty much all the time). If there is a connection, then it would seem that water is getting into these pedals and causing a problem. But that seems very strange to me - how could decent pedals be so easily messed up by a little water? WTF???
b) is there possibly something, anything I could be doing wrong in my riding style that could cause this?

2. Can it be fixed, or must they be replaced?
a) I haven't bothered trying to open up the pedal and have a look inside. For that I would have had to buy a new tool, and I figured since the LBS should take care of this as it's new I won't bother. But in future, if the problem is water or something wrong with the guts, can it be fixed? Does something need tightening or relubing?
b) If it is water affecting the pedal, how the hell do I stop this happening?

3. Am I alone with this problem? I've found tons of threads about similar problems, but it usually comes down to the BB. I don't find any other people with a persistent problem of pedals going wacko. What am I, some kind of freak?

madpogue 

See (3) below


Probably not, unless having a shoelace tip hit a chainring (or the like) consitutes "wrong...riding style".


Let the LBS decide that, since it's on warranty.


Actually, the "tons of threads" underscore the fact that it could be any number of things. Because of the way noises telegraph, it could be a shoe cleat, the headset, chainring bolts, etc. etc. BTW, absence of play doesn't rule out a noise possibility. With most moving (esp. rotating) parts on a bike, if the play is palpable, it's way beyond the point where it could make noise.

Shoot, it's a bike on warranty. Yeah, it's good to be armed with the knowledge of what it could possibly be, but leave the agonizing about it to the LBS.