Another thought, do both pedals spin relatively free ? I had to replace one that felt like it was binding as it rotated thru it's orbit. What a pos that was. Combinations of cheap parts with problems.

the problem persists with both the original bottom bracket and the new tange bottom bracket.. they are the same size and have the same spacers.. the chain line is pretty much straight on both

I don't exactly understand where or how exactly I should take pressure off the chain though.. could you please elaborate? Should I just loosen up the chain in general?

The pedals are spinning fine as well... nothings wrong with them to my knowledge..

Try that first.

If all things fail, wait for members to wake up to give your more informations and if that doesn't work...LBS.

I tried taking some pressure off the chain, didn't work...

The shocker:
2 of my LBS were stumped... Long story short we went through everything on their checklist and everything checked out okay. Properly installed, chainline straight, etc. etc. but as soon as we get back on the bike... the clicking persists. One store even went out of their way to replace everything with pretty much brand spanking new parts tested to be working... nope... they then checked for clicking from the saddle/seatpost and the handlebars/stem area... but we pinned down the noise to the drivetrain area... They sent me out of the store telling me something could be up with my frame.

What about the square taper interface on the crank being worn? It could cause minor movement between the crank arm and BB, and that would make a noise with each rotation(at 1-2 oclock most likely) and with harder pedaling it would make more noise.

everything in the drivetrain was switched out for pretty much new parts and there is still some kind of clicking..

I think someone planted a bomb in your seat tube.

Is there any way this could have happened to the frame as a result of hard wear and tear? I mean this bike has been thrown around and rode almost everyday since at least 2007

Is it a feint clicking (something you can live with), as opposed to a clunk ?

It's a pretty faint clicking... but it's been getting worse and worse lately... louder and clicks more often, it's not a clunk or anything yet though.

Well, here is a list of remedies that I found on line that might work. I realized the SST AL is a Dawes Aluminum frame and I have no experience with them. Aluminum and Carbon frames are something I'm on record for saying I want little to do with, even though they are the pricier bike frames. Anyway:

https://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html

Some think I'm OCD for what I do, this guy oils his spokes and rims to quiet clicking sounds ? But perhaps his clicking was similar to what you're experiencing currently ? I wonder if I can be this guy's OCD apprentice ?

Sorry my mistake, he has a Windsor Hour.

Yeah the bike that I'm talking about is the windsor hour...
i've actually eliminated most of those issues... im sure if the wheels had problems they would have clicked on my other bike as well... but nope.
I almost eliminated all of those issues except for the water bottle mount clicking... which I doubt would be the issue because the clicking is definitely coming from the drivetrain.. but I'll try it out anyway

Given that it's had a lot of "hard use" over many years, the problem is now just starting and is getting progressively worse, it is possible that the frame has developed a crack in a weld that is hard to see and only becomes visible under load. I'd closely inspect all the welds in the BB area and also look inside the BB to see if anything is visible.

Could be something with the frame just being worn out too ? Years of stress, expansion and contraction might have taken it's toll ?

If they replaced everything in the drivetrain, I can't see how it's anything other than the frame.

If you've been riding it daily for 3 years you've gotten your $200 worth. Might be time to move on. Maybe something steel.

It IS steel. Originally the OP said it was Reynolds but then said it was a Windsor Hour, which is plain unbranded CroMo, but actually the same material. The main difference is that the weld quality on the BD Chinese made CroMo frames is very poor, whereas it is pretty good on the Taiwanese made Reynolds 520 Kilo frames. So I could see where the welds on a cheap frame like the Windsor Hour might have an initial weld defect that could eventually develop into a crack.

Kinda like a car that has problems, without having it physically to live with and experience the specific bike and problem it's beyond me. If it's a crack in a tube or weld, that's a matter of putting the frame back to where the tubes are aligned as was designed and putting a bead/weld at that point which has the stress fracture.

Yeah... Thanks for all the help guys... Guess it's time to move on from the Windsor Hour....
(b> new frame)