You all thought I was going to post back with a story of things tried, a problem found and the bicycle rolling sweet and silent didn't you ...

HAH!

The rotten noise has NOT gone away. It has however, become muted ie, it's less loud, but it's still there and still clear. Coupled with that, it's returned to being intermittent. When it's there, it's happening roughly twice per pedal revolution but it's quiet and disappears for long periods, not enough to pronounce a cure and not enough to attempt a diagnosis.

What have I done? The muting started after I re-greased the headset but the manner in which that occured, the frequency at the time and the way it dropped off later all suggests that was a coincidence.

Yes, I did tighten the headset a quarter turn and yes, it was probably an eigth of a turn too much. What are the dangers of a slightly over tensioned headset? When hanging free, the steering turns freely but has a hint of sluggishness which is why I think I went a smidgeon too far.

I also pulled the rear wheel to check if the rear cassette was loose. It wasn't ... but I could pull it down tighter, which I did, all the time feeling as though I was simply overtightening the thing.

And during all this, I've had the muting and decrease in frequency. It's like being stalked by a nutter who's realised you're watching him and has retreated into the shadows ... only you know he's still there.

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

The next step should be to pull the pedals but I'm not sure I feel like it now. Besides, now that I've read up on rebuilding them (I'm using M324's with the clips removed and toe-clips fitted), I'm tempted to give that a go regardless of whether it's the problem or not. I know, I'm a mug and a sucker, but it keeps me from going mad.

Bloody push bikes. I think I'll take up something simple ... like rocket science or brain surgery.

Richard
making his life complicated so you don't have to