What does creaking in the crankset region indicate?
#1
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What does creaking in the crankset region indicate?
i have creaking on the crankset region. i have a hollowtech BB. what's causing it? there is no play on the pedals or BB when i pull up or down, or when i stand up and pedal...
#2
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Could be many reasons. One issue I’ve had is the cartridge bearings can move slightly in the BB shell. The fix was to use a gap filling loctite between the bearing and shell.
#3
Mechanic/Tourist
In the interest of saving on a lot of typing try these resources:
Creaks, Clicks & Clunks
Google search for Hollowtech creak
Creaks, Clicks & Clunks
Google search for Hollowtech creak
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Lots of causes. I had one of these and I was 100% it was coming from my BB. I took the whole thing apart, cleaned, lubed, re-torqued everything and, of course, it didn't change anything. I finally tracked it down to the cleat on my right shoe. While it wasn't loose, the flex was causing it to creak.
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Bike noises are notoriously difficult to track down. A noise that seems to be coming from the crank could be in the bottom bracket, chainring bolts, pedals/cleats, saddle, or even the headset or handlebars. Start by addressing the easiest possibilities first, and work through everything until you find it.
#7
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i should add, the creaking is not cyclical or in sync with pedaling cadence or wheel rotation, but rather seemingly random.
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IME once a creak becomes annoying it can usually be traced if the rider pays attention. Close attention. I would re-torque the crank bolts first thing. Don't assume. Get the wrench in there and torque it to spec. Or as hard as you can if you don't (likely) have a torque wrench.
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I've also had the cable cut too long from the FD and the cable end would touch the crank only in the little ring.
#11
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Well, that makes it a 100% chance for you, but still is not "most likely" for the general population.
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Could be any parts of the crank or pedals. But it can also be the seat, seat post, rear QR or cassette lockring.
Loose cassette lockrings cause an awful lot of mystery creaks, in my experience.
Loose cassette lockrings cause an awful lot of mystery creaks, in my experience.
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I just mean it is a possibility that shouldn't be ruled out. I agree it's unlikely
#14
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Along the lines of what others are saying, it could be the seat post but seems related to the pedaling/cranks because your weight is shifting as you go through the rotation. I had an adjustable stem and handlebars that was loose and creaked when I got out of the saddle for steep hills off road, happened in sync with my pedal stroke as I provided counter force through the bars as I was applying a lot of low rpm torque to the cranks and could be confused with crank noise and so on. Point being, you have to follow general practice and narrow down the source.
Assuming it actually is your bottom bracket and it is a creaking...
If you have standard threaded BB, make sure it is tight.. If so, take it apart, clean and put a little grease on the threads and carefully put it back together and see if that clears it up. Inspect it while you are there, a new HT bottom bracket is about $20 if that will give you piece of mind.
Last edited by u235; 03-09-18 at 08:09 AM.
#15
Mechanic/Tourist
Words matter. Anklework said it was the "most likely" and I questioned that without ruling it out at all. Again, referring to Sheldon's site and doing a Google search will likely solve the problem, rather than a lot of "it happened to me" posts before the OP has done basic troubleshooting.
#17
Mechanic/Tourist
I merely expressed an opinion about the best course of action, with no intent to demean your contribution. It is simply true that exploring random and rare possibilities is not productive until one has methodically gone through the more common causes.
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This thread is awesome.
One time long ago, on a really long ride, a nearly imperceptible creaking finally got on my nerves. Upon returning home, I cinched down pedals, cranks, chainring bolts, seatpost, handlebar stem, et al. The noise went away, but I was never privy to its cause. I think the memory of the "fix" bothers me more than the memory of the noise itself, LOL.
One time long ago, on a really long ride, a nearly imperceptible creaking finally got on my nerves. Upon returning home, I cinched down pedals, cranks, chainring bolts, seatpost, handlebar stem, et al. The noise went away, but I was never privy to its cause. I think the memory of the "fix" bothers me more than the memory of the noise itself, LOL.
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#21
Banned
indicates it's a lot quieter there than where I live, but yea why not the saddle? as good a guess as any, and that's all we can do.
not being there.. send airfare?
not being there.. send airfare?
Last edited by fietsbob; 03-10-18 at 02:01 PM.
#22
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#23
Senior Member
This thread is awesome.
One time long ago, on a really long ride, a nearly imperceptible creaking finally got on my nerves. Upon returning home, I cinched down pedals, cranks, chainring bolts, seatpost, handlebar stem, et al. The noise went away, but I was never privy to its cause. I think the memory of the "fix" bothers me more than the memory of the noise itself, LOL.
One time long ago, on a really long ride, a nearly imperceptible creaking finally got on my nerves. Upon returning home, I cinched down pedals, cranks, chainring bolts, seatpost, handlebar stem, et al. The noise went away, but I was never privy to its cause. I think the memory of the "fix" bothers me more than the memory of the noise itself, LOL.
#24
Mechanic/Tourist