munski1968

Im also having this problem on my 2007 Fuji Crosstown 2.0 Hybrid. The bike was originally bought as a commuter, but I got layed off back in Oct. Since then I've joined a bike club, and am putting a lot of miles on it weekly. I'm also a Clyde. I weigh about 300 lbs. (dropping quickly though). I used to play football in high school, and also have very strong legs. This causes me have a tendency to over torque instead od spinning going up the grades. Is this really bad for the gears? I try spinning, but I just feel more comfortabe in a higher gear, and using a little more leg power when climbing. Is this a bad habit I need to try to get myself out of? Spinning in a lower gear just doesn't feel comfortable. Also, I haven't made the transition to clipless pedals, and still use platforms. I'm also getting that clanking noise when climbing, and downshifting. I usually stay in the saddle when climbing, but my legs are now strong enough again where I'm starting to stand on the pedals while starting a climb. I was on a 40 mi. ride yesterday, and a few times when I stood up on the pedals the clanking was so bad it sounded like the steel frame was going to split in two!! Does anyone think this problem might just be a RD adjustment, or have I over torqued where the cassette might be bad? I plan on taking it to my LBS for a tune-up (I get free lifetime tune-ups), but they're closed today for Presidents Day, and they're still on winter hours, and will be closed tomorrow too.

dabac

Never mind the gears, they can be bought new at any old place. What you should be concerned about is the cartilage in your knees, as pushing hard & slow is a very common cause of knee troubles. I trashed mine as a teen riding that way.

For the immediate future you might want to concentrate on not pushing all out while shifting gears though, as that can actually shear a tooth off.

It takes some getting used to particularly if your legs are chunky.

Clipless will make spinning easier too.

The way you describe yourself and your riding style I'm more inclined to suspect the BB. A bearing damage there can clank at high loads.

munski1968

Thanks. Great advice, and knowledge. I'm gonna take it to the LBS tomorrow afternoon. Did a short ride today (rain......aaargh!), and was trying to concentrate more on spinning, and shifting earlier on the grades, and the clanking seemed to be a lot better. Thanks again.

operator

It is *really* hard to diagnose something like what you describe over the internet. Make sure your LBS is competent enough to explain things to you

1) Where the noise is coming from
2) Why there is said noise
3) What can/or cannot be done about it

From your vague description I can list problems until the server exploded from the document length and we probably still won't help.

Mr. Underbridge

Now, it could be anything. But noises that bad under load aren't generally good. Since you're a Clyde and you mash like a beast, the things I might want to eliminate from consideration would be issues of metal fatigue - like a cracked frame, crankarms, stem, handlebars, and the like.

I'm lighter but I tend to mash as well - I once bent a handlebar from leaning hard on it to get leverage at high torque. If you're twice as heavy as me and used to play football, I imagine you could easily do worse.