I am getting a "clink" noise, similar sound to the crank arm hitting the chain stay(but thats not it) on every other crank rotation. This noise is always at between 4 and 5 o'clock from looking at the drive side and it is felt on the drive side crank. It is heard when there is force applied during acceleration and climbing. I've moved the chain around to see if the noise happens at a different location but it still happens at 4-5 oclock on any chain rotation. Again, this is not every time the drive side crank hits 4-5 o'clock but only every other rotation.

Any advice on next troubleshooting?

Every other rotation is weird.

Square taper or other?

Check chain ring bolts for tightness.
Inspect chain ring for cracks.
Remove drive side crank and inspect arm, pedal hole, and where the spider fingers join the arm. Looking for cracks.
Check bottom bracket for installation tightness. Check BB bearings.
Sometimes pedals make noises. Try the bike with a different pedal.

Square taper yes.

I do have some taught ring bolts, and I lost my chain ring tool to hold the back side so I can 'crank' them down.
I took crank arm out thinking there may be play on the BB, but did not see any. Pedals are about 10 months old but you never know.
I can try my older pedals, and I think I have another chain ring as well. Hrmm, I still have the OEM BB, so won't hurt to replace all that I can and see what comes up.

This every other pedal stroke is a bit confusing.

Thanks for info!

Make sure your pedals are tight and/or try different ones for sure. If they're not completely tight, pedals will make noise.

One troubleshooting trick (if you're running a freewheel) is to get rolling then pedal slowly (not enough to engage the freewheel) and you can tell if the noise is a direct result of torqure being applied or simply turning the cranks. You can rule out things like chainring bolts this way.

I don't know what your set up is, but keep an open mind while doing the detective work. Sometimes it isn't coming from where you think, and sometimes it isn't the bike at all. Shoe cleats can make noise. I read about a guy who discovered his shoe lace tip (big work boots) was "clicking" the down tube every rotation.

Check your saddle and seatpost as well. As mentioned, sometimes it isn't what you think it is.

Yup. Must keep open mind. I once was almost sure it had to be my chain or crank and... it turned out to be the 12T freewheel on the rear wheel! CraZy! I replaced it and "Clink" disappeared!

This. I rode a century fixed with lace up chrome shoes and it drove me nuts. I kept forgetting the metal tip of the lace was whacking stuff.

I spent the better part of an afternoon trying to track a creaking sound down. I ended up in the parking lot of my complex riding a fixed gear bike with no saddle or seatpost, on flat pedals, with the front wheel of my road bike on it and no brake. Turned out that the headset was a tiny bit loose.

This very same thing had me confused for a few days. I wear insulated hiking shoes over the cold months and the laces were clipping the frame at every down stroke. Drove me nuts 'til I figured it out.

You win.

Yes, I do believe he did.

Only because I figured out what was wrong. Pretty sure that the neighbors assumed that I was high or drunk.

Had a friend who's helmet strap was flapping in the wind, clicking against the the little plastic strap adjuster thing. Drove him insane trying to figure out the high speed rattle on his bike.

My father once bought a Volvo, couldn't figure out a certain flowery smell he kept getting, thought there was some kind of air freshener jammed under the dash or something. Turned out it was the hand lotion he used to put on his hands sometimes at red lights.


-Tim-

I have been having the same issue on my bike recently too. It squeaks when pedalling. (Already checked chain ring bolts, for cracks on chainring, tightened crank arms and pedals). What kind of grease should be used when re-installing the drive side crank?

Dave

Ask 10,000 mechanics and 5,000 will say NO grease and 5,000 will say yes, any kind you like.

It's possible the bottom bracket isn't fully tight. I had the same problem on one of my first bikes and slowly the BB worked itself out from the frame. Had to walk to the LBS for that one.

Just a tiny little dab will do.

The thing that frustrates me about the debate is that both sides of the argument have merit. Real merit. When I've read the opinions of much-smarter-than-me engineers that explain why grease is a good idea I think, "Well yea, that totally makes sense". And then some other genius explains why its a really bad idea, I think, "Hmmm, he's got a good point there."

I don't know WHAT TO DO?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Well, the only engineer I have read talking about this is Jobst Brandt. I would like to see other opinions besides what other mechanics say to do because that's what they have always done. Anyway I don't want my crank and BB spindle seizing together a la seat post to seat tube. I know it's a slow process, but with cartridge BBs a crank can stay on there for a long time and if I sell a bike I might be saving the next person a headache. I have have to use brute force to remove stuck cranks before at the co-op using this wedge

Fun times with my ball peen hammer.

Good luck man, noises are always the hardest thing I've found to diagnose. Wish I could help you out but check everything you can think of.

The BB and crank are about 30 years old, so i'm going to take the crank off next, clean the inside of the tapers, and have a good look at the inside. If that doesn't fix it, the bb is next. I'm wondering if it's just a sound of the 1/8 chain engaging with a 3/32 chainring and freewheel. Its a squeaky kind of sound.

Dave

In my experience, squeaking usually means drivetrain needs to be cleaned and chain needs lube.

That's a good suggestion. I hadn't lubed up this chain yet (had the factory lube on it) so now the chain is squeaky clean and good to go.. Unfortunately that didn't clear up the squeak (but will probably make the drivertrain quieter!). Just did a little more inspection, and realized that the right pedal lost some of its lube (or maybe the seal went bad!). The pedal spins very freely (unlike the other side, which will spin maybe halfway, and slowly go back). Swapped out the pedal with another one, and the squeak is gone! Guess i'll be going back to nashbar to see what they will do about the pedals (they are maybe 2 years old at the most). Thanks,

Dave

It's not a squeak. It's similar to the sound you hear when the crank arm hits the chain stay. It's consistant at the same position and only every other revolution. I swapped the pedals to no avail. I lost my chain ring wrench so I'm unable to swap out the chaing ring. I'm awaiting one on order currently. The BB is about 13 yrs old PW that was repacked/cartridged about 5 years ago. I see no crack's in the crank arm or chain ring. Chain ring is also on the 13 year side of age. Cranks are Sugino75's and are 13 years old now. Driving me nuts and I'm not taking it on any rides until I fix this for fear of it causing major damage.

The chain is a wippermann 1/8th thats about 5 years old by only 2 years of usage. This thing has yet to stretch on me but maybe it's about time to replace? It's the first wippermann i've used so I don't know the life cycle of one of these guys.

Have you tried torquing down the crank with a torque wrench? Cranks need a lot of torque-around 300-400 in/lbs. If there isn't enough, that could be causing your issue. If nothing else, torquing your crank will rule out this issue. Also, rock the crank arms side to side with your hands. Is there any play in the bottom bracket?

I found a noise troubleshooting guide from park, maybe this can help too:

Troubleshooting a Noisy Drivetrain | Park Tool


Dave