brokewheelspoke

OK, I've been trying to figure out this noise for the last couple weeks (this is on a different bike than what my previous questions were about). Here's what I've got:

Weird tonk/click noise when pedaling. Hard to describe it, almost has a spoke-like sound to it, or like the sound when a freewheel engages, but its not those sounds specifically.

• Once per revolution
• Only when pedaling
• Only when sitting down
• Usually on hills
• Doesn't always happen, but often does
• 1x9 drivetrain, no chain guard
• SRAM PC971 chain in excellent shape
• Shimano 9 speed freewheel in excellent shape
• Shimano UN55 68x110 BB in excellent shape
• Happens in different gears, derailleur is tuned well

Things checked/tried:

• Have removed and regreased BB/cups with tri-flow
• Checked chainring bolt tightness
• Checked spokes/wheels are true
• Checked flexing seat back and forth as would happen when pedaling, but no noise without pedaling
• Flexed other potential stress points: bars, rear rack, crank arms, bottle cages, wheels. Can't reproduce sound without sitting and pedaling
• Changed to different pedals (has half platform/half spd, happens regardless of which side used)

Not sure what else to do. Maybe barrel down a mountain and see if the frame fails catastrophically. Don't see any cracks in frame (it's steel).

If anyone wants to see specifically what the bike looks like, it's here: My Pandemic K2 Zed Sport

I did recently change the brake levers, but can't see how that could have caused the issue. Also, not 100% sure the noise started right after that, but I noticed it after that.

Iride01 

Clean your spokes where they cross. I get sweat and spilled drink mix on mine and every great once in a while they need to be cleaned to help with noises. I can pull a damp thin and strong cloth between mine and get them clean. Others just lube them with most anything that we'd argue for chain lube. Wax, paraffin and soap included.

Once a wheel revolution or once a crank revolution. Have you checked the chain ring bolts? The rotor lock ring might be loose or one of the bolts in not center lock. My rear rotor lock was loose and made a noise once per revolution.

Pedals will make a click once a crank revolution when they need attention. But I feel that click more than I hear it. Swap the pedals for some others to check that.

Are you just too finicky about wanting your mechanical beast to be quiet and stealthy? It's nice when they are, many aren't perfectly quiet and never will be with out a lot of your time and effort along with some tweaking that most wouldn't want to do regularly.

downtube42

Where you say once per revolution, you mean pedal revolution, correct?

If so then we're talking about a noise correlated with torque spikes only while seated. Things flex under torque.

The seated non-seated difference could mean it's somewhere from BB to saddle, but could also mean torque is different when seated. Nothing definitive there.

Torque spikes can cause movement virtually anywhere in the bike. Have you tried riding beside someone, and having the listen to identify where the sound is originating?

brokewheelspoke

Yeah, once per pedal revolution. I'll try cleaning and lightly lubing the spokes. Worth a shot.

Riding beside someone is a good idea, but everyone I knew left the state, and now I'm like that guy in the field full of holes at the start of Star Trek V.

Considered taking it to a bike shop, but skeptical they'd actually take the time to ride it and listen...afraid they'll just take a guess and say bring it back if the problem is still there.

RB1-luvr

skewers tight?

Polaris OBark

I just discovered a bent pedal washer can do this.

Iride01 

That's all we can do. Of course you can't bring it back, but you can tell us it wasn't what we thought it might be.

Trakhak

If you have another bike with compatible parts, try swapping parts between the two, one at a time.

I'd start with the easy stuff---swap seat and seatpost assemblies (if the noise goes with the seat and seatpost, you can then narrow it down to which is responsible), swap one wheel, swap the other wheel, etc.

ljsense

Since it only happens when seated, I'd start by removing your seatpost and saddle, cleaning them, and greasing the seatpost.

I'd look at how tight the Brooks saddle tension is, and inspect the rivets. Spread leather treatment around where the saddle frame attaches. You don't need a lot of tension in a Brooks saddle, but the tension bolt and nut should not be loose and free to spin.

Reinstall the saddle and make sure the saddle rails are clean and clamped well. A rider exerts more force on a saddle than is easy to replicate by hand.

While you're at it, remove that little plastic bracket that is on the seatpost close to the frame. I can't tell if it's touching the top of the seat tube collar, but you might as well take it off because it's one more easy thing to rule out.

If that doesn't work, I'd try removing your entire rear rack and bag -- that's a system with a fair amount of complexity and attachment points and it's easy to rule out as a cause by simply removing it and taking your bike for a ride.

Troul 

tightly wrap electrical tape around the seat post/tube/&clamp then take it for a loaded spin. If you notice a significant noise change, it'd heavily focus in that area, if not, then undo the tape & move on to dropping fresh wax/lube onto the rear der & testing that out with a load ride.

Jeff Wills

I had a bike do that and it drove me nuts figuring out what it was. Eventually I removed the pedals, cleaned the threads, and applied new grease to the threads. Reinstalled the pedals and all was quiet.

Weird.

Kontact

That's a huge amount of exposed seat post. Try a different saddle, or try lowering the post for diagnostics.

AndreyT

An obvious bit of crucially important information is missing: is it consistently associated with a specific position of the cranks during the revolution? Does it seem to be associated with you applying force to a specific pedal?

sd5782 

I second the pedals. I had one that the bearings were just barely on the loose side. It wasn’t enough even to alarm me. After fighting a strange noise for awhile, I noticed the pedal and readjusted the bearings and noise gone.

choddo

Surprised it’s not beyond the safety limit. Got one like that but it’s a long post in a 60cm frame.

Lombard

I'm voting for the seatpost.

_ForceD_

Front derailleur cable excess bent out and shoe/leg/foot hitting it, and deflecting and hitting the frame?

Dan

brokewheelspoke

Thanks for the replies. A few things suggested were already addressed in the initial post e.g. changing pedals, and some things were not applicable e.g. front derailleur on a 1x9 drivetrain, but I've gone through and taken action on other things that were brought up:

• oiled the spoke xover points (3n1 oil)
• pulled the seat post, cleaned, oiled retention bolt, lightly oiled post (maybe should use triflow instead?)
• checked saddle mount, tightness
• loosened skewers, oiled, re-tightened
• loosened rack bolts, oiled, re-tightened

Someone asked about the position of the crank when the noise happens. If you're looking at the non-drive side, it's when the crank arm is around the 7 o'clock position.
Someone asked about seat post length...it extends a good inch under the bottom of the Sheldon Brown sticker.

Have not had a chance to test ride yet since it's not something I can check effectively riding in the parking lot, so will wait until my next store ride. Been riding my other bikes, checking for noises on them, and they're pretty much dead silent in every way that matters to me. Someone asked if the noise really mattered that much, and eh...I mean it doesn't make it unrideable, but it's a challenge that must be addressed. We cannot let the noises defeat us.

grumpus

I've had a creak in the left pedal area of one of my bikes for a while, I removed the pedal and checked the cone/locknut was tight and adjusted and turning smoothly, removed cleaned and replaced the crank, ditto bbkt lockring, greased and tightened the pedal. So everything is clean, greased where appropriate and properly torqued. I'll have to look at the pedal washer - was yours obviously deformed? I'd have thought that between the pressure from the pedal thread and malleability of the crank that it would just spring and bed in. My crank is slightly chewed where the pedal was previously fitted without a washer, but this creak really feels and sounds like it's in the actual pedal. I suppose another possibility is that the bearing cup is moving in the pedal body.

Arthur Peabody

You can buy cheap pedals - pedals you wouldn't want to use - at Mallwart (etc.) to test if it's the pedals. I've had aiguillette slap: the tips of shoelaces hitting the shoes. I've had knee click. I just participated in a thread about it Knee clicking . Loose spokes can cause clicking.

Polaris OBark

Yes.

I just assumed the pedal was destroyed. I was surprised to find a bent washer.

grumpus

I'll have a look, and fit a new one anyway if I can find them - am I the only person who buys ten washers, uses a couple then misplaces the rest and has to buy more? Probably.

Polaris OBark

Nope.

Unfortunately, I think there are some very cheaply made ones. I'm also unclear if they do any good. I have no idea why mine deformed. The pedal wasn't that tightly attached (I just put it on for a bike on a trainer). If anything, it was too loose maybe.