Solis91

Hello, I am seeking help from you guys and I have no where else to turn. I have been looking up this problem but, although people say possible solutions it is never really clear to what this clicking is. It is coming from the drivetrain side of the bike, and it happens every time I make a pedal rotation at about 2 o clock. I had originally thought it was the bottom bracket. So I took it to the bike shop and got it replaced. So new BB installed, cranks re-installed, chain ring bolts, and pedals are re greased. I'm all excited and about 10 miles later the clicking comes back. Can anyone tell me what it is and how to fix it? I see many forums witht his question but I dont think many people know the answer.

10 Wheels

Mine was the crankset....

Put the bike on a trainer and have some look for the click as you pedal.

FBinNY 

While the BB is a common cause of DT clicking, it shouldn't be where you start.

When investigating a problem with multiple possible causes, always start with the simplest, or cheapest place to rule in or out. Not that it's the likeliest, but why spend serious time and money before ruling weeding out other possibilities and raising the odds.

At this point, remove both pedals, and try a pair you know not to have problems. If you have step in cleats, you're better off with toe-clip or even plain rubber pedals for this test so you can rule out cleat/pedal noise at the same time.

If changing pedals solves the noise you're 90% home. Clean the threads, and the mating faces on both the pedals and cranks and re-install your original pedals. There's a good chance that they won't creak, and the problem was as simple as a loose pedal with a bit of dirt on the mating face where it meets the crank.

BTW- sometimes using a stainless steel pedal washer is the only way to keep pedals from creaking.


Now, is changing pedals doesn't help, you can move on to the long list of possibilities, including seat rails, seatpost/frame, broken or bent rear axle (creaks timed with pedals because the tight chain flexes it forward), or just about anywhere where shifting weight can cause movement, all the way up to the handlebars --- including, of course the BB.

If it isn't the pedal, or rear axle, and you can't find the problem, come back with details about your cranks and bottom bracket, because this is also a common cause, and your dealer might have replaced it and still not solved the actual problem.

AnkleWork

Shoe lace end?

Pibber

next time you ride, lean forward, lean backward. not too far....

if the clicking lessens when you lean forward, it's most likely your rear axle. when you're on the bike it will make sounds it doesn't make when you have it on a stand, or if you prop it upside down.

if the clicking increases when you're sitting you could be short a bearing in your axle, your axle could simply be loose, or in the extreme, broken.

check the nuts and washers on either side of the rear wheel. make sure they're tight. make sure your skewers, if you have quick release(QR) wheels are adequately tightened as well.

still, check your seat and seat post. your seat may not be homed in on the rails or the post may actually be just a tinge loose or ungreased, even. i've had a click that i couldn't find for miles, then at an intersection looked down to finally notice that the cable from my FD was just in the way of my spokes. if you notice that the clicking starts when your in your highest climbing gear, your RD could be just a little close to your spokes and catch occasionally.

speaking of which, i must now go look for the bearing i'm probably missing from my rear wheel because i have a click coming from my drivetrain as well...............

good luck!

Solis91

I am surely hoping that it does not have to do anything with the rear wheel......but I do have some decent news. I usually use toe clips, so I swapped them out and put on my shimano clipless pedals. It is late at night, but with me not having to wake up early I had to get this taken care of! Anyways, I'm almost sure that the clipless pedals quit clicking...and if it did, it quieted down significantly. Problem is, that when I do put back on my regular pedals, it begins to click once again. I did re grease the pedals threading and do my best to keep it clean, but it still keeps clicking. I've only started using the pedals in june..

IthaDan 

Could be anything.

I had a phantom clicking that turned out to be the capped end of my FD cable hitting my crankarm.

FBinNY 

If changing the pedals causes or resolves the problem, then you know it's a pedal problem. It could be in the pedal bearing, but just as likely on a toe clip pedal is a loose toe clip mounting screw.

Also if one pair of pedals always and the other sometime clicks the same way, it could be that the face of the pedals and cranks don't mate perfectly. This isn't that rare, but is usually solved with the pedal washers now supplied with most carbon cranks.

Check your toe clips and try the washers. Then if one pair of pedals still clicks, check the pedal bearings.

cny-bikeman

Anywhere on the pedal (or any other component) where one part interacts with another can be the source of a click. You seem to be overly focused on bearings, which as FB noted are rarely the cause of a click. You can easily isolate further by removing the toe clips. If the click is gone then it's something about the mounting of the clips or the clips themselves. If not then you need to look at the places on the pedal that meet each other - front/rear cage to sides, sides to center section. You need to apply observation and logic rather than guessing. Otherwise you spend a lot of money on unneeded "solutions" like a BB overhaul. By the way, if you went in asking for a BB overhaul then you made the mistake of jumping to the solution before you deterimined the cause. If you told the shop you wanted the BB overhauled to get rid of the click they should have done the same isolation, as they obviously did not solve the problem with what they chose to do.