Originally Posted by
Andrew Duff
I am hoping somebody can assist me with this. I have a COLNAGO CT1 Titanium. It is older bike ~2002 I think. I generally love the ride, feel, handling of the bike, but recently in the last couple of months it has produced a truely nasty grinding/growning sound from the bottom bracket area. I ride with a large group most saturdays - everyone can hear it. I have replaced the grease in the BB twice, it is ok for only a few days and then returns. My LBS says it is "common to Titanium frames" and it is the sound of the Titanium BB thread on the Aluminium of the BB cups. Can anyone confirm this is true? Can I do anything about it? LBS says "nothing you can do it will always return" therefore "would you like to buy this carbon frame"?? Can anyone help?
There have been some very good suggestions and I'd like to add another. Rather than plumber's tape or grease on the thread, coat the threads with a titanium specific anti-seize (Finish-Line makes some good stuff). Cooked bearings are another real possibility. I can see where the "checking for hairline cracks" is going as well, I'll add that it looks like a bonded CF rear triangle...so I'd be checking the bond area where the chainstays meet the bottom bracket.