Well, I removed the rear fender and went out for a good 50 km this afternoon....

There was silence in the courtroom as the judge asked the foreman of the jury to read the verdict: "We the members of the jury have found the accused rear fender to be innocent as charged."

For the first 35 km, I heard nothing, but in the last part of the ride the sound reappeared in its usual occasional way. I am going to tear apart the cranks and BB, since that seems to be where the sound is coming from.

This is a sealed BB, so I am not sure what to look for. When I installed it years ago, I was joyful that I would not have to deal with my BB for a long time. Any advice?

And, any thoughts as to why the sound only appears after about 35 Km (this fits its earlier behavior)?

Cheers,
Jamie

P.S. It is amazing what one finds when one removes fender. I decided to inspect the rear tire for any signs of funny wear (coming from the much maligned (not to say misaligned) fender. I found about 4 sizeable cuts in the tire, including one with an offending piece of glass still wedged in it. When I pulled the tire off to inspect the inside, I found that the glass had pushed through. I am amazed that I didn't get a flat. Needless to say, I decided to retire this Continental (which has a good 4000 km on it--not too bad for a rear tire, treadwise I could have squeaked another 1000 out it perhaps).