loimpact

Ok, I'm about 99% sure you can add me to the list. Long story short.....

Super climbing ride this morning & noticed a slight tick from drive side when out of the saddle. (felt like it was coming about when my right foot stroke was at 6 o'clock or so) Anyway, thought it could have been something else, so didn't worry much.

Later in the ride I noticed it again during extended medium-grade climbing out of the saddle.

Then the real show was back to the 14% grade climb. Granny-gearing it for all it was worth, I was already dying of exhaustion and then I heard.....the CREEEEAK! There it was for as long as it took me to get to the peak. (sigh)

It's fine on the flats & doesn't make any noice unless I pick a tall gear & try to sprint from an almost stop but it's definitely there.

I checked crank bolts. (Maybe a hair loose but still not what I would consider "loose") Test drove, still the tick at 6 on the right.

I found 1 chainring bolt loose. (T30 torx on the FSA-K Lite cranks) I tightened up, but alas that wasn't it either. Still the tick at 6.

Should I pull apart & regrease?

Swap bearings now?

Burn the bike in a sacrificial fire?

(SuperSix EVO 3, less than a year old......Any recourse w/ Cannondale/LBS?)

Thanks in advance & sorry to be the bearer of yet another BB30 creak.

spdntrxi

praxis

rpenmanparker 

First tighten your skewers.

Flyingblind9

My BB30 never really creaked, but I have a nasty clicking problem with mine that I believe I have traced to the crankset. I have replaced the bearings myself, but when reinstalling them I put copper based anti-seize between the outer race of the bearing and the shell to add a soft metal buffer. Sadly, the noise persists after 40 miles of silence....

When re-installing the hardware, it is a very good idea to regrease most mating surfaces, including on the chainring bolts (everywhere but the threads) and the spindle. However, when messing with chainring bolts, it is a good idea to use a torque wrench when able using the manufacturers recommended torque rating so that the bolts are evenly tightened. Even if they are tight, but one is slightly tighter, it can create a creak or click. Do not rule out the creaking as possibly your pedals too. Take them off, and reinstall them using some grease on the threads after cleaning them. Never assume that it is the bottom bracket, even though BB30 is notorious for being irritating. Most frames tend to resonate quite a bit and the sound could easily even be coming from a wheel dropout or even the cassette on the hub straining on the splines. Choose a methodical approach to eliminating sounds and see where that leads.

If all else fails, you could always convert the bottom bracket to another standard. That is done a few different ways. The first is to have a sleeve pressed in that is permanent to accommodate threaded BBs I.E Hollowtech II as one of them. Or you could use adapters that fit into the inner race of the bearings already pressed into your frame that convert to the standard 24mm spindle size. The method I might do is that Wheels Manufacturing makes that has a press in conversion kit that fits in the shell like the original bearing, but converts it to an outboard bearing. If I cannot get this noise to stop on mine, I will change it to a Shimano 24mm crankset to see where that goes. Since that is my last exhausted option as I have literally tried everything else for noise reduction, Its worth trying. Only then scrap the bike.

milkbaby

Google BB30 creak and loctite fix.

Also: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/bottom-bracket-standards-1

loimpact

I did do that and normally run pretty tight anyway........(friction at halfway close to ensure proper tightness. most folks don't do this & run a bit too loose)

I used my Ritchie torque key on the chainring bolts, that's how I knew the one was definitely loose. Got a good 3/4 turn out of it before it clicked.

I'm tempted to drip a little TriFlow between the crank & bb to see if it gives any temporary relief.

(I'd also like to really make this Cannondale's problem but I fear a "regular wear & tear" response)

EDIT: And I should say.....I'll check the pedals but I'm pretty anal about slathering those puppies and get them nice & snug. Pretty slim chance it's pedals.

UnfilteredDregs

Sure it's not your headset?

bt

do you have disc brakes?

loimpact

Not headset....(I did have a different kind of creak/crick from there a while back but troubleshot that one gone!)

And no disc brakes.

Definitely coming from the bb area.

BoSoxYacht

Calling Campa4life.

he knows the cure.

lennyk

as mentioned, clean and grease pedal threads
if when out of saddle it could also be the headset crown race needing grease also

otherwise try the Loctite fix

Blue Belly

Pedals, headset, skewers, BB, chainrings, cracked frame, rear hub assy. Go through everything. It isn't always the case but, budget parts can fail a lot faster. I have a cheap bb on a bike that drove me nuts for months. It was new!!!? I was so sure that wasn't the problem that I rebuilt everything around it.

Campag4life

I have written exhaustively here on how to fix a BB30. Even though you own one, apparently you haven't read all of these posts or even some of them.
How often do you remove the crank and regrease the bearings? My guess is never. Do you ride speeplay pedals? Good luck with never servicing their bearings either. They are as loud as a neglected BB30 crank when they run dry.

If there is a lesson from the forum, it is...perhaps the majority should not work on their bikes. Especially, if you don't mention what kind of crank you have and if you have ever had it off for preventive maintenance. Support your local bike shop.

Campag4life

Why?

roadwarrior

It's a 10-15 minute fix if you have the tools.

Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » BB30 Bearing System Service

Take note...in the Park Tool photos, they are working on a Specialized bike. The only reason I mention this is most of the complaining seems to come from Cannondale folks...like only Cannondale uses this.

Seriously, if you are that averse to entering a bike shop for service, then buy the tools and do it yourself. Like I said, it's maybe a 10-15 minute service job. If you know what you are doing.

The bearing press tool, if you shop around, $150-$160.

dvdslw

Like others have said, there's a proper way to address the BB30 Creak. Seeing as your bike is less than a year old you can most certainly take it back to the bike shop and have them service the bottom bracket. The bike comes with a one year warranty on small parts and lifetime on the frame so take advantage of the free service while you can. For me the application of green loctite to the bottom bracket bearing to frame surface upon reassembly was the ticket. Be sure to tell them that's what you want, otherwise they might just clean re-grease and reassemble in which case you'll be back soon. Mine is creak free going on a year now, and thanks to this post I'll be doing a complete service on my bike soon.

rpenmanparker 

I just saw a Park model (maybe for amateurs, I dunno) for installation and removal for $37 on ebay.

pdedes

you can make your own bearing press for about 20bucks

rpenmanparker 

I already have the threaded rod, washers and nuts from a set I have used for decades on 1" headsets. Recently adapted to 1 1/8. But it is good to have the specific adapters to snugly fit the bearing ID and press on the proper part of the bearing not to damage it. They are also on ebay separately. Not too pricey.

roadwarrior

The HHP-2 tool is what you really need. But if you are feeling adventurous...

eBay is in the $150 range for that tool.

the BBT 30.3 gets the caps out and it's around $35. But you need to pop them back in.

Or, like I said you can get adventurous....

dr_lha

The Park BB30 bearing removal tool comes with the bearing press adapters. That plus a 8 dollar home made bearing press worked fine for me.

Campag4life

Don't even need a threaded rod, fender washers and nuts. Just use a large C-clamp and two pucks of wood. Everybody should own a large C-clamp for household uses anyway. If bearing OD is slightly sub flush to the BB shell, simply cut out a diameter of wood that will fit just over the outer race. On other side without a bearing pressed in yet...use a larger generic piece of wood for stability. Press one bearing in at a time. Even using a threaded rod, I suggest press one bearing in at a time. One bearing at a time is better because one side of the clamping force isn't subject to cocking and therefore more stable. As to removal...use a wood dowel and a hammer and tap them out lightly around the periphery. If you use a green Loctite and the bearings are in good shape and greased and crank preload is adjusted properly, BB30 can't creak.

loimpact

While I think that would do the job, I have no hesitation buying the tools. (The BB30.3 is a great looking tool) And for installation, there is always the HHP-3. (the cheaper home-style tool)

No, I have not removed my cranks. (Why would I.....The bike isn't even a year old yet)

Yes, I service the heck out of my bike. (Headset, chain, rings, cassette)

As to the reason I'd like to make it C'dale's problem......(assuming that's what you're asking)......I'm probably the poster-child for a clean/well maintained bike. No way a BB should be creaking inside of a year. ("maintenance" be damned)

And, no, I hadn't seen any of your posts about green loctite, though I'd thought I'd read it all. (I saw a post on another forum about someone using teflon-tape around the bearing OD, of all things, to keep quiet. Apparently it worked, but if consensus says it's green loctite, then I'm happy to buy some).

FWIW, if this is "the" cure......why hasn't C'dale, Park and every forum on the planet posted the heck out of it yet??

And THANKS for the replies!! Glad to hear there's a surefire solution!! I don't think BB30 is inherently bad. (I've worked on bearings in vehicles for decades) But I'm wondering if they couldn't have done better.

(shrug)

P.S. By "Crank Preload".....do you just mean, how tight/loose the cranks are mounted???

dr_lha

Green Loctite is the way to go, it fixed up my BB30 (so far). But in my opinion BB30 is inherently flawed design. Failing in under a year from a factory install is not that uncommon in my experience, mine did (although not a C'Dale) and my friend's Super Six Evo's failed after about 2000 miles. Both of us take good care of our bikes.

That said if you complain about BB30 on the forum it will lead to two things. 1) People chiming in who "never had a problem" and 2) People telling you didn't fix it properly if you still get creaks. You really can't win with BB30, this is why I went old school English threaded on my new bike!

Campag4life

A no. of things:
- You haven't gotten the memo on how often to service a crank. How many miles do you ride in a year? If you don't ride in the rain, which I presume you do from time to time, the crank (not bearings) should come off every 3K miles...for inspection of the bearings. Clean grime, re-grease bearings from inside depending on dust seals obscuring the balls and a light coating of grease on the crank spindle and reassemble.

What crank is on the bike?

You mention you service your bikes and you ask what crank preload is? This is no slight on you. But crank preload is bike maintenance/build 101. Your maintenance efforts are misdirected if not focused on the BB which requires more attention than any other aspect of the bike including headset and wheel bearings.

Preload is the axial pressure or lack thereof that the crank spindle/spider/left crank arm applies laterally to bearing inner races.
Preload too tight? Bearings wear out prematurely and bearing drag increases.
Preload too loose? Click...click...click....bearing balls rattle between inner and outer races depending on grease content.

Good you are OK with BB30 in spite of your woes. You will get it resolved. Honestly, BB30 is perhaps the simplest BB ever created and completely reliable with adequate maintenance. But if you haven't pulled your crank in one year, unless your bike is a garage queen and unridden, it hasn't been adequately maintenanced. Btw, if you ride twice a week in the rain, the crank should come off every month at least.