Where's the Squeak Coming From
 

I have a Cannondale R700 with about 2500 miles on it. It has a 9-spd Ultegra triple crankset. Every now and then, when I put some force on my left pedal, I hear a squeak. Any suggestions on where to look and how to eliminate the noise?

Thanks.

1. Pedal threads. Are they tight?
2. Your shoes and cleats. Do they rub on the pedals? Spray with WD-40 for a quick fix.
3. Are the bottom bracket cups tight?
4. Are the chainring bolts tight?
5. Is there a tight link in the chain?

All of the above, but most likely is the pedal threads. It's steel against alloy Undo and grease then rebuild.

Check your seat for the squeek to.

You'd be suprised how many people come into our shop and ask us to play a game of "find that damned noise" and it turns out to be a loose seat.

Check the crank bolts. Retorqueing the crank bolts is probably the single most important step in a bike shop's standard 30-day new bike checkup. If the crank bolts weren't snugged up after the bike was assembled, the left crank in particular is likely to have worked its way loose on the bottom bracket spindle. (Most of the force you apply to the right crank goes into the chain; all of the force you apply to the left crank has to go through that left crank/spindle connection.) You can easily ruin a left crank (and possibly the spindle) by riding on it when the bolt's loose. It's a cheap fix now but expensive later.

Does it only happen when it's wet out?

No, any time I ride. The cleats and crank bolts are the best guesses.

Thanks guys.

BTW, didn't you have a cool little avatar?

If you've checked everything else (seatpost, cranks, pedals...) and it still squeaks under load, check for frame cracks, especially about the bottom bracket shell area, and especially near the welds. All the alu bikes frames I cracked started squealing under load for no reason before failing. If you have a crack, it may be quite hard to see : if it's just starting, it'll be a very thin hairline, so take your time to check.

what if I'm hearing a creak in the front wheel, or in the general frontal region, every wheel revolution?

Thanks everyone. I loosened and then rethigthen the crank bolt and heard no squeak today during my long ride.