Does Bottom Bracket Creak Do Any Harm?
 

Nobody LIKES bottom bracket creak, but the bike manufacturers have consigned us to it. It's a fact of post-English threaded BB life.


So here's the question: Does bottom bracket creak do any harm if you don't address it? Besides the annoyance of it all, has anyone had any more serious mechanical issue arise because you let the BB creak go on for too long?

I would say probably doesn't. Probably means it's just not torqued properly. But, that's a good question for the Bike Mechanics forum. There are some serious wrench dudes over there.

Dan

It's annoying, and I suppose if it is creaking something is moving that should not be and thus wearing... albeit likely very little and very slowly.

I hate a noisy bike.

I hate when a press-fit bottom bracket isn't torqued properly.

Oh yeah...there is that. Well, what about the cranks?

Dan

It isn't torque usually. It is improper bearing installation technique. It doesn't have to happen. Just install the bearings correctly using one of the proper Loctites and its corresponding primer.

This. Creaking is generally caused by movement of metal on metal. Eventually it will likely get worse.

My son had a bike shop get rid of his creak. Unfortunately when we tried to remove his bearings on the weekend they wouldn't come out. Not sure what the shop used but it was a little too strong.

I love the rosy sentiment. And yes, you can eliminate the creak by using Loctite's glues and primers. But have you ever tried to remove one of those "properly installed" bottom brackets for replacement / maintenance? The potential for destruction of a carbon frame is huge. Less so for titanium, but Loctite + primer is only slightly less permanent than a weld. I've never been able to remove one without destroying the bearing on its way out. (If I'm putting that much force into the bearing, there's an awful lot of force being applied laterally to the frame as well. Not good.) And it is important to hang a blanket or other barrier to catch the bearing pieces as they shoot out the other side. (They become shrapnel that will damage anyone or anything in its path.) BB servicing becomes a brutal ordeal. Not a good system for the customer.

But back to the question . . . does the creaking do any harm?

This. Over time the creaking is likely to get worse as the connection loosens.

The creak means something is moving that shouldn't be, and where there's movement, there's wear. So yes, given sufficient time it will do harm. How long that might take is anyone's guess.

Re: the removal of Loctited bearings, I haven't had the difficulty you describe, but I do place a towel behind the BB shell.

My guess is yes, it does harm by wearing the BB shell surface and making it even harder to get a quiet installation the next time since the shell will be a little bit larger.

Don't know your crank or BB specifics, but if you're using cups you may be able to switch to a different type of BB that screws together or is one piece to eliminate creaking.