Mayberry32

A few questions. I have a new (to me) 2013 Focus Izalco Pro that is set up with full Ultegra groupset. The bike is in great condition, but has one issue: There is a constant clicking/creaking under load while climbing or sprinting. It is in the drivetrain side and happens every time the right pedal reaches 12 o'clock and is under torque on the way down. I have checked wheel skewer tightness, the headset, frame, pedals, derailleur, etc. Today, while getting a wheel trued, I asked the shop owner to service my bottom bracket and see if he could get rid of the click. He cleaned and greased everything and apparently, it is either coming from the adapters going into my bottom bracket or from my crankset itself. He couldn't locate the exact location, but said it was one of those things. So, back to the bike....I said full Ultegra. The crankset is an Oval 720 crankset nd is the only thing ugly on the bike. It's just cheaper than the rest of the bike. So, it is the first and, maybe only, thing besides the saddle I thought I would upgrade. The bike has a bb30 bottom bracket , so anything not already set up for bb30 will need the adapters. Please keep in mind I am new to road cycling. I know how to do standard bike maintenance, but a lot of this is completely new to me. So, now my questions:

1) Is there a difference between going with a stock bb30 crankset or one that requires adapters in a bb30 bottom bracket? Performance, problems, etc?
2) I currently have a 52/36 chainring setup. I believe that is considered subcompact. Would it be beneficial to try another size, like 54/39? What would that help me with?
3) Since everything else is Ultegra 6800 setup, I have looked at tge Ultegra 6800 crankset. What else would you recommend of the same/better quality in the same general price range?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

rpenmanparker 

Most likely it is your BB30 bottom bracket. They are famous for creaking. The problem is resolved by fixing the bearings in the BB shell with Loctite 609 retaining compound. You should address that issue first. If it isn't the bottom bracket now, it will be soon.

Mayberry32

Thanks. I believe he put Loctite in the bottom bracket. I know he re-greased it and made sure the bearings were moving freely. He was certain after doing that it was either the adapters or the crankset itself.

nemeseri

You can run Shimano cranksets without an adapter in BB30 frames. Praxis Works and Rotor both make a conversion BB for BB30 frames and Shimano cranksets. I run a praxis works BB in my CAAD10 with Ultegra 6800 crankset and it works fine.

Here you go:
CONV BB ? SHIMANO ROAD | Praxis Cycles
Rotor BB30-24 Converter Bottom Bracket - Road | Competitive Cyclist

On the other hand there are great third party BB30 crankset out there, so you might want to shop around a bit. I have no experience with them, except with FSA Gossamer what's terrible.

Also if you are thinking about training with power in the near future, you might also want to look into crankset / chainring based options before you buy.

nemeseri

Oh I missed your questions. So here you go

1., In general, I think if you go without adapters it might be better. But that means you can buy any BB30 or standard shimano crankset (see above) and that's a lot of options.

2., I don't recommend to use anything else than a compact crankset (50/34). You can go slightly faster with a standard (53/39) or sub-compact (52/36) crankset on the flats (sprinting)/descents, but you will miss the super low gears whenever it comes to climbing. I'd only consider using standard or sub-compact cranks if I were into racing and only for flat courses / criteriums / flat TTs.

3., You don't need anything better than Ultegra. You might consider the 105 crankset (5800) what is slightly heavier and slightly cheaper. But given your whole bike has ultegra, it seems to be the right choice. As a beginner it won't hold you back for a long-long time (if ever). But just like I said above, I have no experience with BB30 cranksets. There might be something super nice out there (but I doubt it).

=====

Bottom line: if I were you I'd get the praxis works conversion BB + Ultegra 6800 crankset with compact chainrings

rpenmanparker 

You don't Loctite the crank, just the bearings into the shell. If you use Loctite, you can't put grease on the outside of the bearing cartridge. I doubt he pulled the bearings and Loctited them in, but hey, I wasn't there. If it is the pressed in bearings that are creaking, nothing will quiet them as reliably as reinstalling them with Loctite.

Jus' sayin'

Mayberry32

Thanks again. I'll mention to him next week and make sure he Tried/tries that.

rms13

I had one bb30 frame with a threaded adapter loctited in that creaked like crazy. I had another with cheap Wheels Mfg adapters on top of properly installed bearings that never creaked.

Mayberry32

Thank you. The converter route looks solid. I'll check that out, along with the Ultegra crankset.

Campag4life

If your mechanic loctited the bearings and your crank still creaks and you use adapters...then it is likely the preload he failed to tighten properly. Adapters will creak with insufficient light tension laterally on the inner races of the bearings. They will not creak when preload is adjusted properly.
Either that or he didn't Loctite your bearings properly.
Nothing wrong with adapters but preload...either wave washer or preload lock ring must be adjusted properly.

Mayberry32

Okay, I decided to go with the new Ultegra 6800 crankset and the Praxis BB converter. That seems to be a good solution and the Ultegra will match all the other components on my bike.

However, I have a question about how to purchase. I really try to support the local bike shops. I value what they do and want to help them whenever it's feasible. So, I went to the shop I've been working with lately. The Ultegra crankset through them is $299, full msrp. I can get it online through Nashbar, Amazon, Performance, etc for just over $200. So, almost $100 savings. I mentioned that to the bike shop owner and asked what we could work out, stating if he could make it close, I'd prefer to give him the business. His response kind of shocked me. He said if I bought it from him, he'd install the BB and crankset for $20, but he didn't have much markup in the crankset. He seemed to allude to the fact that Nashbar had it listed for less than his wholesale price. I asked that, if he didn't have much markup in the crankset anyway, I could save the money, buy it online and pay them to install it. He said he would do that, but instead of $20, he'd charge me $100 to install it if I didn't buy it from him. That seems like a d!ck move. I understand making money and tryng to keep a small business afloat. But, I've dropped $400 in his store this month alone. I talked to the guys I know in the other two shops in town and, while they agree the online retailers are killing them, they don't blame me and would only charge the $25 to install, whether I bought it from them or not. They both also offered to knock $20-$25 off the msrp if I decided to buy from them. Still more expensive, but shows a willingness to work with me. What are your thoughts: Are bike shop owners that under pressure from the online retailers, or is this a truly poor business model that is costing them customers? It seems like they could buy from Nashbar themselves for less than they are buying from their wholesalers. Or, even better, have their wholesalers get better pricing for them, or threaten to stop using them. I just don't understand the logic. It changed a very good bike shop relationship into a bad feeling where I question whether I'm getting ripped off or not. I thought most on here are more familiar with LBS business, and some may even work for/own them. Am I beng unreasonable, or would this make you not want to deal with a bike shop again?

johnyguy

I would buy it from online maybe from eBay you can get very good deals and if you have some skills you could install it your self its not that hard or find a other shop to do it for you and forget about that place you been. Just shop around for the install for a other LBS and take the best deal! Good luck!

Mayberry32

Thanks. That's what I was thinking. These guys seem mice and have been pretty helpful. Just feels crappy to try to support someone who is constantly losing business to mega retailers, and then feel like they aren't even willing to work with you when you try to give them business.

Wileyone 

I recently installed a nos Dura Ace 7700 crankset on a Bike and on first ride experienced the above "clicking" sound. Old School mechanic said to remove Crankset and chain ring bolts and grease them and torque to spec. Clicking sound gone.

Mayberry32

Mine is on the drivetrain side. When the right pedal comes over the top at 12 o'clock, I hear "Click......click, click". Only on the right side downpedal, only under torque. Never when freespinning or descending. Does that sound familiar? I'm not convonced it's crankset or bottom bracket, but he greased the BB and we tightened the chainring bolts. Not sure what to try next, other than replacing everything.