You did so much it's hard to tell what fixed it! But I'm glad you did, those noises can drive you crazy after awhile. The first time it happened to me, many people on this forum told me to check the seat post. I found it hard to believe that the seat post could have anything to do with a clicking that seemed to be in the pedal or the crank or the bottom bracket. But since it was the easiest thing to go after, I removet the post, greased it good along with the tube itself and..........it fixed the noise. The second time it happened I repeated the process but no luck this time. I applied some penetrating oil to the pedals and that did the trick. Strange noises are hard to figure for sure, but I like the bike quiet as well.