diverguy

This is sort of an extension of a previous thread but that one was specifically asking about a ConneX master link and that has now been ruled out as the culprit.

The short version:rm -rf suggested removing the left crank arm, lubing the splines, and reinstalling it. I loosened the two retaining bolts but the crank arm is apparently pressed onto the splines and cannot be removed without a puller. I lack the necessary tools.

Someone else suggested a test and it has revealed new information. While pedaling under load and the ticking sound was very audible, I unclipped on the left side and pedaled with only the right. The ticking sound was there. Then I switched. Pedaling with only the left shoe clipped in, the ticking noise was not present. As soon as I clipped in the right shoe again, the ticking returned. I have reinspected everything on the right side of the drivetrain but still cannot find anything obvious as the cause.

With that new information above, does anyone have any new ideas or suggestions?

Spoonrobot 

I suggest removing the right crank arm, lubing the splines, and reinstalling it.

FBinNY 

OK, you have virtually pined it down to the right pedal. If you haven't yet done so, replace the pedal with a standard (non cllipless) version and try again. If it still clicks then it's most likely a sloppy pedal thread, possibly fixable with teflon tape, though I prefer using a paint of some sort to build up the pedal's thread slightly. If the new pedal does not click, then it's either in the pedal, or the cleat system, or possibly still the pedal/crank thread. If you haven't yet done so, clean the threads and the pedal and crank faces, and consider a pedal washer.

Now that you have it narrowed down, fixing it should be easy.

FBinNY 

This is exactly opposite to what the evidence suggests. The splines are not involved since the drive is happening entirely within the right side of the crankset. However you raise an interesting possibility, and that the attachment of the right crank to the spindle has a bit of play. Purely torquing from the left side doesn't move it, but the flexing side to side when loading the right arm does.

This may or may not be fixable depending on the crank, or if 100% confirmed by cross check and elimination could be a warranty issue.

diverguy

Interesting suggestion. I have an old set of pedals in the garage and some white plumber's pipe thread tape. Let me play with a few combinations of this and I'll report back what I find. Thanks.

GeorgeBMac

You've probably already checked -- but your description sounds a lot like I experienced. Which was very annoying -- a lot like a dripping faucet)

It turned out that my foot/pedal were brushing against the end of the shifter cable which was sticking out. When I folded it back in behind the derailer and away from the pedal the tick went away...

FBinNY 

Understand that you you conclusively eliminate the pedals, that you'll be left with the right crank, spindle interface. For your sake I hope it's a pedal thread, or cleat problem, because the other possibility isn't field serviceable (one of the many reasons, I don't like this design).

contango 

If you have laces on your shoes, are the laces hitting something? I know it sounds trivial but I had an irritating metallic pinging sound when I pedalled that turned out to be the very end of my lace pinging against my bottle cage.

If you get the sound when you pedal with the right shoe clipped in but not when you pedal with the right shoe not clipped in (I assume you're talking about the right shoe resting on the clips but not engaged) it sounds to me (based on admittedly limited experience of these things) that the culprit is something to do with your right shoe - either the cleat or the clip or something else related to that foot. If you're talking about pedalling with your left foot only and your right foot not even resting on the pedal, that might be a red herring.

If your bolded section means you weren't using the right pedal at all then perhaps you've got some crud in your pedal bearings. To fix that you'd need to dismantle the pedal, clean and regrease the innards of it, and reassemble.

GeorgeBMac

"If you have laces on your shoes, are the laces hitting something?"

i got an easy lesson in that last night. A 9 year old was pedaling past my house when he slowed down, then swerved to the right, then fell over into my grass... Looked a little like the tricycle guy on Laugh-In. He was wasn't laughing -- but his buddies sure were. Acutally he was furious I went down and helped him unwrap his shoe lace from where the pedal attaches to the stem... It had wrapped itself around several times to where his right foot was effectively tied to the pedal!

diverguy

I swapped out the Shimano pedals with a set of platform pedals from my wife's bike. Cleaned all threads and contact surfaces very carefully before installation. The ticking was still present but less prominent. Then I reinstalled my Shimano pedals, again cleaning all surfaces and threads, but applied about six or seven laps of plumber's pipe thread tape before installation. The ticking is still there but not as loud. I'm not sure what this means. That the problem is with the crank/spindle interface? If so, I'll have to take it back to the shop to have them do some work on it. They just had that all apart about a month ago when they serviced the bottom bracket bearings, which they said looked great. I wonder if they didn't put something back together right?

Contango: No laces on my shoes.

GeorgeBMac: Already ruled out the front shifter cable; I have it bent in toward the frame and have confirmed it's far enough out of the way.

mechBgon

Or the bearing-to-frame interface, or the bearing-to-spindle interface. BB30 has a reputation for this type of thing. If it were me, I'd disassemble it and grease the daylights out of everything, then re-test.

diverguy

Unfortunately, I don't have the tools to disassemble it. Looks like, either way, it needs to go back to the shop. Thanks for your insight.

FBinNY 

The fact that a pedal swap made a difference is an indication, though it may not be conclusive). If you were able to thread a pedal with 7 layers of teflon tape in without dislodging the tape, the thread is indeed very loose and sloppy, which is a second indication, though I suspect some of the tape was in fact sheared off.

It may not be the pedal, but since changes there made some difference, that seems a likely suspect, and where I'd focus effort. (plus it's the cheapest to deal with)

remove, clean and re-thread the pedal not quite all the way, and feel for radial play. There should be little or none, and if the not-tight pedal rocks up and down it's the likely culprit in the ticking, and tightening the thread the likely cure.

I'm not a fan of teflon tape because it's intended for jam-fit tapered (pipe) threads, and is easy to shear off on machine threads. If you have dental floss, try winding it into the pedal's threads, then threading in. You'll need more torque than usual, but don't force it. You can also use nylon paint made for threads to build up the pedal axle. In the past I've had success with a carefully applied coat of spray paint (allow 24 hours for a cure).

Of course, it may not be the pedal thread, but since that's something you can work on for free, I suggest you rule it 100% in or out before ripping the BB apart anew.

mechBgon

The Gossamers have a self-extractor, so you could at least get the crankset removed with just the requisite hex key. Did your self-extractor collar fall out?

If the right arm's ticking on the spindle, then that would be a tough problem to fix (well, besides replacing the crankset), because the spindle on this particular crank is permanently attached to the right-hand crank arm, a la Shimano external-bearing designs.

diverguy

Well, I stopped by the LBS today after work and spoke with the mechanic. Lots of good information. He confirmed I have a BB6000 MegaExo crankset and showed me how I could disassemble it myself. Since I lack the torque wrench to put it back together properly (for now. just ordered one), I'm going to drop it off tomorrow morning, first thing. He's going to go through it, find the problem, and fix it in time to pick it up tomorrow after work. I'll let you know what he finds.

ben4345

Did you check your seatpost? Remove your seatpost and apply a thin layer of grease and re-install using the proper amount of torque.

mechBgon

Ahh ok, MegaExo isn't BB30 so that changes things a bit. Keep us posted.

diverguy

I'm not much of a bike mechanic, which is why I posted here. Before yesterday, I wouldn't have known one from the other. The Cannondale site listed the specs for my bike and said it had a BB30 bottom bracket. That's all I knew. Sorry for any confusion.

diverguy

PROBLEM SOLVED! The mechanic at the LBS rode it, heard the sound, disassembled the bottom bracket and found that one of the bearings was stiff and making a slight grinding sound. It was apparently translating through the frame and the crankset into a clicking sound when under load. He replaced the bearings, lubed everything, and reassembled. It's back to it's original ninja-stealthy level of quiet again. He also showed me how to do myself it in the future.

Ranger63

Had identical problem.
I was running spd pedals
Changed out the pedal and the noise stopped.
Identical click at the same place (top of the stroke)

GetUpnGo

I had an identical problem very recently. I removed the pedals and cleaned the threads on the pedals and the crank arms carefully, especially the grooves in the crank arm threads. That cured the noise. My problem manifested exactly as you describe. It was quite hard to identify exactly where the noise was coming from. At first I was sure it was coming from the rear axle.