Ha, Phil… the joke’s on you. I had a noise, replaced my BB and the noise went away… until I rode it again 2 days later and the noise was back. Darn you! Haha (was the seat post)
mountain roads are rough i my neighborhood. Despite this, I was stupid enough to buy a bike with a ceramic BB. Several times the creaking WAS my bottom bracket. My current bike has a steel BB.
Guy brought in his bike after being to 3 different bike shops, one replaced the Bottom bracket and the others re greased and re torqued everything etc. Still creaked. Dude was pulling his hair out. After looking the bike over on the stand could see nothing obvious. Take it for a ride and sure enough creaks all around. back in the stand silence. Put the bike on the ground and had one of the sales guys sit on the bike while holding the stand for balance. Got him to lean to the right, silence. Leaned to the left, creak. Finally diagnosed as a the pedal threads due to the owner accidentally cross threading the pedal at one point when swapping pedals and had been slowly tearing the threads of the crank arm out. Replaced the arm and silence again. Needless to say it was not the bottom bracket.
My LBS fund that my seatpost was just dry and needed a little lube (Aluminium frame and seatpost). I had checked everywear but the seatpost. Learning everday!
THIS ONE. Seat post issues sound exactly like the BB ticking (not creaking) on some of our fatbikes. Sometimes it's because the seat clamp needs tightening. Also, can be seat tube burred or not completely square. I rap them down with a rubber mallet these days after carefully deburring them. Post gets fully greased. (The world's creakiest bottom brackets on my trail -- that really are the BB -- are press fit. Threaded may click if they're loose, but they rarely make that sickening creaking.
I once worked on a Liv Langma Adavnced that creaked when I pedaled off-saddle. When I applied downwards force to the saddle, the exact same creak was triggered, so I figured the seatpost was dry and I was right. A new layer of carbon paste later and all is well.
The two hardest creaks to track down for me were from a bad saddle (creaking against its rails), and slightly dirty cleats creaking in my pedals, both of which I diagnosed after replacing the bottom bracket…..
I love this. Last year I was on a group ride here in San Diego and found myself riding next to Olympic Track Medalist, Nelson Vails. Another rider had a creak we could all hear and swore it was the bottom bracket. Nelson said, “It’s never the bottom bracket.” The other cyclist loudly disagreed. Nelson sat up and emoted “WTF would I know? I only have a silver medal in bike riding.” I remembered that and always problem solve creaks starting at other points-and it’s usually my pedals (speedplay needs to be periodically regreased) or a worn chain. FFW to this month where I’ve tried all other points that I can think of and finally took it to my LBS where I described what I’d looked at already and when I experienced the creak. I got a call the next day. It WAS the bottom bracket bearings that were worn out. 😂 So, it’s ALMOST never the bottom bracket.
"Nelson sat up and emoted “WTF would I know? I only have a silver medal in bike riding.”" Sounds like Nelson is a bit of a knob with an engorged ego, that's what it is.
Never rule out the seatpost, particularly an alloy one. I had a nerve-racking creak once (2015 Giant Defy alloy frame) only when in the saddle and pedaling, and very pronounced when climbing. The LBS couldn't figure it out. I ended up removing the seatpost and what I discovered was horrific. After a good cleaning and some anti-seize lube, I haven't had the issue since. Keep this in mind if you ride in inclement weather. Be safe everyone!
Check where your spokes cross each other (if your wheel is laced that way) - cleaning those cross points and potentially a dab of lube has fixed creaks under heavy pedaling that sure sounded like a bottom bracket creak! Oh and external cabled bikes - ferrule contacts/zip tie points/etc! And if you're convinced it's the BB - brakes on hard and step on each pedal without allowing the bike to move - great check for pedal spindle issues too.
For me, it's some stupid spacers in the freehub. I take it apart, clean, lube and it's gone for a few rides. And once, it was the rear quick release. I was able to reproduce it by standing on the pedal with the front wheel rammed into a wall. I asked my son to come and listen where it's clicking.
Clicking noises I’ve found 1)Seat tube shim. I thought it was the seat. Stuffed some grease between the frame and shim. Solved. 2)Folding bike. Cracking sound. Oiled the hinge. Solved. 3)Clicking from pedaling. Loose cranks. Switched to hollow tech no problem with loosening anymore. 4)Another clicking noise from pedaling. It was the BOTTOM BRACKET. Took about 100km for the ceramic bearing BB to spoil. Switched to steel and never a problem and they spin as easy at the ceramic 🤪 5)Clicking from rolling. Spokes got noisy from too much water intrusion. They were tight and not loose. Oil and solved. 3 of these clicking noise were caused by water.
I am engaged in bicycle repair. A creaking appeared on my bicycle on both sides of the pedals, I went through the entire carriage and lubricated it, lubricated the pedals, the threads on the pedals, I also lubricated the square shaft, the creaking did not go away, although once this technique helped. I rode standing up, the creaking did not go away, that is, it is not a squeak under the seat, there was one last point left, change the chain because the creaking came from pressing the pedals hard, not even when driving!
The little rings on the valve stems.... drove me NUTS trying to figure out what was rattling. Also, sometimes the brake cables inside your frame, depending on how they were installed, can knock against your frame if you are out of saddle giving your bike the business..
I work as a bike mechanic. Twice in the last two weeks I’ve had a customer complain about a “creaky clicking noise” when they pedal. Both times it was the bottom bracket 😮 Don’t know if it was a coincidence but both were aluminum bikes with cartridge bottom brackets that were loose a half or full turn on the drive side. Removed crank, snugged it up, noise gone.
My mtb made a terrible sound when peddling under load on bikepack trip. Spent whole say with that sound , could be heard half a mile away. When I decided to just get a new groupset as the noise had forced my hand , I couldn't help notice g how loosely tightened the bb was , which I think 🤔 was the probable cause , but I will never know cause I replaced whole groupset and new bb 😅
I'm dealing with this right now! First time it was new pedals. Now, idk. Bike shop has it right now. They said it's never the bottom bracket. 😂 You're the best Phil!
Press fit BBs get blamed for many noises they don’t deserve… I feel badly for them. Love your process and agree wholeheartedly! I once suffered a noise that ended up being my AL seatpost in any early 1994 titanium MTB frame. It only made the noise when I was out of the saddle!!! When I finally realized where it was coming from, a simple clean and lube fixed it. Another pro tip is to try only one fix at a time so you know what did it… then you learn from your bike.
Mine was cracked glasses, I had to board them up, also I cycled through a rough neighborhood all the windows were boarded up, the window cleaners had sanders…..the pub was so rough even the piano had a bandage on the leg, and the first question in the pub quiz was , who you looking at. There’s millions more just mail me……
Most often, it’s the saddle or the seatpost. Once, I had a squeaky noise from the bottom bracket area, but it was not the BB - it was a slightly loose spindle. I hadn’t applied enough torque when installing the chainset, and it got looser and squeakier with time.
A year ago, I had a nois that could be heard in other countries. I hate nois. I know my bike pretty well, it’s well maintained and silent.Swapped the bb for a Hambini bb, silence…again.
check the quick link in your chain, after a while it deforms and starts making a clicking noise as it moves through the sprockets or derailleurs, that can easily be mistaken for the BB
I had a clicking on my bike that was present upon load and of course sounded like it was coming from the bottom bracket. Took it in and even the mechanic had a hard time finding it but it was a screw on the rear derailleur that wasn't tightened down all the way and the chain kept rubbing against it. The mechanic said that the sound resonated through the frame to make it sound like the bottom bracket.
Traveling to Mareira next month so had to get some different gearing for my trusty old FUSO. Had an 11-32 cassette from an old MTB in the drawer so cleaned that up nice and shiny and all worked fine for a few weeks then developed the dreaded creak. Checked everything (yes BB as well) and even rebuilt the free hub. Then I finally dismantled the whole cassette and cleaned each cog and spacer. That fixed it.
It’s most-certainly the front-derailleur cable slapping against your right crank arm while pedaling. It will drive you insane for almost a month as you are repeatedly trying (and failing) to locate the origin of that obnoxious clicking sound. Have fun screwing around with your limit screws as you wrongfully believe it’s your chain slamming against the front derailleur, you absolute legend.
Seat adjusting bolts were under torqued; took me a dozen rides to figure it out, but once I torqued it down the silence brought me such joy on my rides since.
Silent bike is such a bliss! That's one of the main reasons why i clean my drivetrain so often, i just love the silent humming when i put power through the pedals :)
I replaced the quick releases on an older mountain bike...creaks gone. Old Shimano XT QRs did the trick. But....I did not do this before having LBS clean up the bottom bracket!
I have a Giant Propel which is notorious for bottom bracket problems and I have had a loud creaking noise from what appeared to be the b/b area. After a new Wheels Mfg b/b was fitted the noise persisted. I watched this video and took the fork out and greased the steerer tube and headset bearings - creak gone! Thank you Phil for making me think outside “outside the box”.
I’ve been annoyed for the past few weeks about a creak on the bike. Took off crank, bottom bracket, head tube to bearings (bottom head tube bearing replaced b/c of some mild grinding), and after watching this video I tighten up the chain bolt bearing and Eureka! -No more creaks!🎉🎉🎉
One time I thought it was the BB. It was loose chainring bolts. And some grime had worked its way between the chainring and the crank arm. Removed the crank arm. Removed all the chainring bolts. Cleaned and greased all contact points. Reassembled. Noise gone.
Had a bottom bracket noise on every crank revolution. Tightened up the springs in the pedals where the cleats engaged, and the bottom bracket was miraculously fixed. Another bottom bracket noise was fixed by tightening a crank fixing bolt. A third BB noise was fixed by the bolts holding the handlebar to the stem. It amazes me how far those bottom bracket noises can extend throughout the bike.
THANK YOU! It sure sounded like the bottom bracket, but I lubed everything I could find and the noise went away. Such a joy to ride without that ticking noise.
It was my bb! On my mtb I have a square taper bb and the bearings were toast. I could feel and hear a click on the power stroke on one crank. New bb solved it.
Thanks for the video and loving the comments, lots of good help. I have an ongoing issue with my back breaks. (story time) Took my bike in for the 1-year maintenance after 1000 miles. Had issue with 0 braking, lever to the grip. As part of their bigger 'package' they checked them, bled them and gave the bike back to me. No noise for first ride. Next time I went out, the noise shown up. Brakes "feel" like they're grinding. Figured I either have new brake pads that just need to be worn in a little, or some gunk on the disc. Got some brake cleaner, sprayed them off, that seemed to work, for awhile. After 100 more miles, the issue still persists. Had the shop check them again, no issues, just needed bled again. I don't think so. The brakes are slowly getting worse again, and the noise still happens when they get 'hot' (long descents). My guess is they are leaking mineral oil gunk on the pads causing the noise.
It's never the bottom bracket...until it is! I've had issues with my Cannondale Supersix bottom bracket for years. The bottom bracket has been unpacked and cleaned so many times it hurts! I finally bought another bike with a threaded bottom bracket. Not the most economical fix, but a fix nonetheless!
I tore down and rebuilt my mtb twice last spring to resolve a nasty creak. Replaced the BB and frame bearings and it still creaked. Turned out to be pedal bearings on right pedal. Live and learn…
I had a mystery creak that I couldn't figure out, turned out to be the spoke nipples and spoke holes were making noise after I went through a shallow flood and let it dry out. Some lube & GT85 worked a treat. Bike shop told me I needed new wheels.
I had a bb30 bottom bracket that was always noisy. In fact it was the bb30 to 24mm conversion cups that creaked. Just required frequent cleaning and the cranks torqued properly. That bottom bracket took a beating over the years from winter commuting/cx/road rides by multiple owners. Never once was it actually the bottom bracket.
Good diagnosing tips. Only happens while standing up does not necessarily mean handlebars or headset. I once had a clicking noise only when standing up and it was my Shimano hollowtech crankset being cracked.
I've had the clicking noise now on 4 of my bikes. 2 I haven't taken the time yet to properly investigate (however, I do have spare bottom brackets ready). 1 sounded like the bottom bracket but upon replacing the bottom bracket I found out it was the pedal. And the last one was *drumroll* the bottom bracket!
If You are still riding a "real" bike with rim brakes, the quick release skewers can make a clicking noise if not lightly greased. It usually happens when standing in a hard climb. Also if all else fails, take your rear wheel out and remove the derailleur hanger and grease the interface between hanger and frame.
One time I had a bike diagnose this for me. It was the bag on the front rack, and definitely nothing my imagination dreamed up (headset or cracked frame)! Great video, will work through these steps before asking the bike shop to check the BOTTOM BRACKET.
@6:27 once when i had a Cervelo S3 set up for hill climbing, it was the rear hub creaking against the frame, due, in part, to installing the wheel dry, and not quite torquing the Tune skewer quite enough. Once i put carbon assembly paste around the hub and inside the frame dropouts.. problem solved :D Cheers Phil for the video.m
Oh, I forgot about the other time it was the BB. 1983, broken bearing in the BB somewhere in Montana. The next bike shop was in Bismark North Dakota, 300+ miles away. I ground that BB into little tiny metal fragments before I could replace it. That one made some noise.
Good tip to start with anything that’s changed recently. My most recent noise was a nasty squeal, which turned out to be coming from a new set of rear derailleur pulley wheels. Derailleur hangar bolts can be a sneaky source of noise, along with chainring bolts.
Dropper post on an MTB... It only made noise when the post was almost topped out (it would stop slightly short of full extension sometimes.) Took weeks to figure it out.
I have a weird clunk in the BB. I pull the BB grease the spindle and reassemble. The noise is gone for a couple weeks. Then it starts clunking again. Here is the weird part: the clunk initially only happens for the first km or so, then stops for the rest of the ride. After about another week it doesn't stop and I regrease the spindle and repeat. I always assumed this was the spindle slipping against the bearing. but now I am wondering if it is the crank are slipping against the spindle. I pull the crank arm and then retighten/torque the crank arm bolt when reassembling, so maybe that is why the clunk goes away. I am testing this hypothesis now.
Bought a 2007 Steel Axiom 2 years ago. Was told it was kept in an attic for 15 years, had less than 300 miles on it. Inspection (drive chain wear, paint,…) confirmed. After about 500 miles, there was a “creak” on every strong downstroke. It sounded like the bottom bracket. So I googled it and found, of course, that it’s “Never the bottom bracket”. Did all the non-BB suggestions here, and more! The creak persisted. FINALLY, I opened the threaded Ultegra BB, noted some dried up thread-lock? Old grease? Who knows. So I cleaned the threads, added a small dab of grease, torqued it down, and, lo-n-behold,… wait for it… It was the… Bottom bracket! It was fun doing all the maintenance! I learned a lot, bought a bunch of tools, got a well-serviced, creak-free bike that I absolutely love to ride! And learned that I should not trust everything on the internet! So for the sake of future ChatGPT hashes, sometimes it *is* the Bottom Bracket.
If you have rim brakes, check the rear wheel quick release skewer and tighten it. A very common cause of creak that sounds like the BB. Grease it if you can.
My cleat on one side just stared making a squeak on one side on the trainer this morning. I think I might have stepped in some oil on the road at a stoplight, from the. look of it. If I were a better person, I might have paused to clean the cleat. Instead I just turned up the music and fan speed, since I was indoors, and I finished my ride.
For me it was actually the upper fabric on my shoes (s-works torch), I figured that out after I replaced the Bottom Bracket. Wish your video was out two weeks ago :)
Had a noise my mechanic couldn’t fix. He insisted it wasn’t the bottom bracket. I thought it was. Got him to replace the BB. Guess what? Noise gone. So it can definitely be the BB.
Took me some time to track a noise down to a frame pump that was coming apart. Seat rails a given. I just end up gluing them in place with JB Weld. Had an odd popping sound once. I eventually pulled the seat tube out, cleaned and put carbon paste on. Took care of that.
I get what you’re putting out there, and I appreciate it, but after watching this and taking it to heart, and after three afternoons in my garage, I’ve returned to tell you……say it with me now….IT WAS THE BOTTOM BRACKET! Had a creak every time I put some power into my cranks. I was really thinking it was coming from the back wheel. Finally clued into the problem by riding weird, wobbly figure 8s and leaning hard into my cranks in different positions but not pedaling, and hearing that creak. Disassembled the cranks and BB, cleaned everything, little bit of grease, and now it rides like a dream
I'm very happy for your good fortune in only having one true creaking bottom bracket in your experience. From my perspective, almost entirely vintage with some extremely wack threadings, sometimes, yeah, it is the bottom bracket. That said, you don't exactly need a microscope to look down and see a French fixed cup backing off of the shell with 1.5mm of threads exposed.
You're spot on, I took the bike to a mechanic cause I thought the noise was coming from the the bottom bracket. Eight months later after many failures, a new mechanic managed to figure out the noise in fact was produced by the hub in the rear wheel, not the bottom bracket, the hub unfortunately was incorrectly installed by a previous mechanic. Apparently a recurrent problem with this type of wheels, hence the new mechanic knew about it.
@@worstretirementever Nope ... Vision wheels, but it might just be many mechanics don't fallow factory instructions .... for the Vision hubs the rims are different size in the front vs the back.
my worst creak....it wasn't my bottom bracket. it was spokes rubbing at the cross point when under load! tight the spokes and lube the cross point. Yours was a great video. from others on the interweb, I have a list of 12 things to check. I will now move bb to the bottom of the list where it belongs.
Brand new Trek Domane and it turned out to be a bolt that secures the cover around the seat post at the frame for the isospeed was not holding torque and both bolt and cover needed to be replaced. The looseness allowed the post to flex and creak as I rode especially when pushing up hills. The second was on my Emonda and I went through every possible check to figure it out even to the point of replacing the bottom bracket in the end. Thought it was the speedplay pedals clicking so swapped in a different pair. It turned out to be the chain after riding for 100 miles would start to bind and click. Freshly cleaned and lubed no problem. Swapped out for a waxed chain and no more noise.
Is your carbon Domane an early 2020s model? If so, there is indeed an issue with such Domanes having their IsoSpeed hardware coming loose. Same thing for 2019 - 2022 Madone SLRs.
Hate creaks! First; avoid press fit bottom brackets! It’s almost always the bottom bracket. The second most likely source are the pedals. I’ve had creaks where I’ve taken out, cleaned and lubed and torqued every bolt on the bike! The creak remained. I took the bottom bracket out, clean, greased and torqued the BB. No more creak. Hint; don’t use regular grease on threaded and press fit items. Use Morgan Blue aqua proof paste. This stuff was developed originally for marine use and has been adopted by many pro mechanics for assembling bikes. Canyon recommends it for assembling their bottom brackets. It maintains it viscosity in a very wide range of temperatures and is absolutely water proof. It will not wash out like conventional grease or anti seize compound. By the way, creaks are usually caused by a reaction between dissimilar metals called galvanic corrosion. You only have a very small area of this corrosion to make your bike creak like your grandmother’s knees! Grease provides a barrier between metals to hopefully stop them from reacting to each other. Morgan blue aqua proof paste is also marketed by Kogel under their name. It’s nicknamed the bottom bracket silencer. It’s also safe to use on carbon. Do not use it on bearings. It’s not a bearing grease! Sorry Phil. I guess my experiences have been different than yours. Good video. It sucks when we spend thousands of dollars on a bike (or at least I spend thousands of dollars on bikes😂)and it makes a lot of unwanted noise!
Creaks going up a hill on my steel BSA bike were coming from aluminium spoke nipples corroding against the aluminium rim. After 12 years, I should have known. When added some lubricant to the nipple rim interface, it fixed the problem. It is amazing how the noise did resonate as if it were coming from the BB, especially when climbing out of the saddle. Decades ago, I had an Asia-made Bianchi (Tange or Ishiwata tubing) with a steel crown fork and the creak was caused by a crack that ran right through the crown lugs (yes, both layers of the steel). I never looked there because I thought it was impossible for it to break. During the manufacturing of this fork, it is heated red hot to do the brazing and this what likely made the steel more brittle. I was only 16 at the time, and didn't realize that Bianchi should have replaced it, even though my warranty had expired.
Chainring bolts, so often. Remove grease and torque. I keep extras in my small parts bin to save friend’s creaky bikes. The other funny one is mechanical FDs where the cable is too long and sticks out and to the side, where it contacts the crank arm to make a tiny click on every pedal rotation.
On my only two bikes, a Canyon and Trek. It was the bottom bracket both times. Trek had the old style (non-hollowtech) and it was bone dry. Greased it up and worked great until I finally upgraded. The Canyon's Ninja bottom bracket must have had a failure in the seals because the drive side's bearings were destroyed and filled with muck, the other side looked new. Replaced it, no more creak.
I’ve had to replace my bottom bracket 3x in 14,000 miles on my Emonda. Just depends on riding conditions and use. But recently replaced my saddle bc of creaking plastic
On my Cannondale CAAD-12 (BB30)... it's the headset! It's impossible to adjust the headset for no binding and no play in all positions, so the bearings aren't parallel. Great quality control! My daily driver Surly Crosscheck commuter bike DID get a bottom bracket creak, on an ISO bottom bracket. Tightened it up 1/8 turn and done. That was after going through stem, crank bolts, chainring bolts, and pretty much everything BUT the bottom bracket.
#1 Strange noise was the front wheel. The spokes were creaking where they pass through the eyes in the hub. #2 Strange creaking when cornering on an old chrome-moly bike. When I undid the front wheel to investigate the left hand leg of the fork fell off! It was broken inside the crown of the brazed lug.
I creak per crank revolution when right pedal at bottom, and only when climbing hard out of the saddle. Shimano 12 spd Ultegra cranks and Dura ace pedals. Swapped pedals, shoes, cleats. Reinstalled pedals without 1 mm washers, creak stopped.
I hear you. One time I replaced the bottom bracket myself, didn’t fix squeak, then brought it to the shop for them to replace that bottom bracket, still nothing. Many sleepless nights later it turned out to be two spokes rubbing together.
My creak story. Where I mention I changed something, it doesn't mean I bought something. I have a LOT of spares! In no particular order: 1. Swapped out stem and torqued bolts to spec 2, Checked saddle clamp bolts 3. Removed and re-applied carbon paste to seatpost before refitting and torquing to spec 4. Changed pedals, regreasing pedal axles 5. Checked cleat bolts and tried several different shoes 6. Chainring bolts 7. Swapped out wheels 8. Checked rotors for clearance 9. Checked shifter clamps bolt torque 10. Cleaned and regreased headset 11. Removed and replaced all mudguard bolts (several times!) 12. Swapped chainset 13. Swapped over BB 14. Checked all cables for contact with anything else Gave up. Took it to the only local place I trust, more of a bike engineer than a shop. Took him another 3 hours to find it. Where the rear brake hose entered the frame at the downtube there's a tiny metal guide that's held into the frame with a 3mm allen bolt. As I was riding along, the micro steering movements you make to balance were pulling and pushing that hose by just enough to turn the metal guide by a fraction of a mm. Titanium frame, resonant 'click' heard all over the bike!
Yesterday it was the BB! The nice mechanics in the Subaru dealership way out in the Japanese countryside leant me some tools and grease and in 15 minutes I was back on the road.
Mine was the front derailleur clamp on the down tube….after reinstalling the bottom bracket multiple times 😂. Grit between clamp and tube after a wet ride. Thanks Phil!
I've had a case where the bike only made noise when pedaling and it still was coming from the rear disc brake. The freewheel body was worn and had a bit of play/movement on the axle. Force applied by pedaling comes from one side only. That changed the angle of the wheel and the disc brake rotor attached to it ever so slightly and made it rub the brake pad just a tiny bit. This was on cheap mechanical disk brakes that were fiddly to center to begin with, and 8-speed cassette. More modern 10 speed (and up) systems probably have tighter tolerances and hydraulic brakes center better so I doubt anyone with those will stumble on this.
lmao my bike is in the shop (guess what the problem is) But it was definitely echoing throughout my entire bike. Sometimes it's been a simple problem (& one time it was a cracked frame and there was NO warming - I was sailing along, quiet bike riding beautifully and then CRACK, WALKING HOME FOR THREE HOURS DRAGGING THIS BROKEN FRAME) But this was a very helpful video. In terms of the bottom bracket, I've had that once before this time - the repairperson, when I brought in my bike, was worried that the bottom bracket he had replaced on my last bike broke when I told him 'hey, you actually did a fantastic job, that's why I'm back with my new bike.' In the case of the first one, it wasn't just unlubricated, it had cracked - the part was cheap. So I'm looking forward to finally getting my bike back (it's been nine days in the shop and they're just two dudes serving like half a city) and until then, watching great videos like this.
Ha, Phil… the joke’s on you. I had a noise, replaced my BB and the noise went away… until I rode it again 2 days later and the noise was back. Darn you! Haha (was the seat post)
I’m convinced that this accounts for almost as many bottom bracket sales as oatmeal raisin cookies that are mistaken for chocolate chip
@@worstretirementever hahahaha, probably
Whoa the seat post…. I’m gonna have to check that! Thanks 🤣
As a bike shop employee, I can say checking chainring bolts is always on the short list.
I agree 100%. Or the spider - crank interface if there's a direct mount system.
This was my problem, one bolt missing, the other loose, and only creaked on the big ring when power applied on the left hand side (non-drive).
Boom that, was my creak.
I cleaned my chainring bolts and the noise went away thank you
@@dpgrenfree Same as mine, good job I ordered a new BB and sussed the creak before it arrived... LOL
I’m 50. It was my knee. Well both of them. And my hips and ankles.
Bike is working great. It was not the BB.
Im 60 and the same problem...
🤣
We're the bottom bracket.
lol nice one
I had a squeaky bottom bracket the last few days. So the bike shop had to fix it by tightening the bolts of the chainring. Classic bottom bracket fix.
mountain roads are rough i my neighborhood. Despite this, I was stupid enough to buy a bike with a ceramic BB. Several times the creaking WAS my bottom bracket. My current bike has a steel BB.
Guy brought in his bike after being to 3 different bike shops, one replaced the Bottom bracket and the others re greased and re torqued everything etc. Still creaked. Dude was pulling his hair out. After looking the bike over on the stand could see nothing obvious. Take it for a ride and sure enough creaks all around. back in the stand silence. Put the bike on the ground and had one of the sales guys sit on the bike while holding the stand for balance. Got him to lean to the right, silence. Leaned to the left, creak. Finally diagnosed as a the pedal threads due to the owner accidentally cross threading the pedal at one point when swapping pedals and had been slowly tearing the threads of the crank arm out. Replaced the arm and silence again. Needless to say it was not the bottom bracket.
I never thought I'd see Jim Carrey play a bike mechanic playing Sherlock Holmes
#1. Stand up and pedal. If the noise goes away, it’s the seat/seat post. This is number one because it’s the easiest. Do the easy stuff first👍😀
I've had seatpost clamp to saddle rail creaks on 5 or 6 occasions. Never anywhere else.
My LBS fund that my seatpost was just dry and needed a little lube (Aluminium frame and seatpost). I had checked everywear but the seatpost. Learning everday!
it's always the seatpost or quick release skewer or dirt between the spokes where they touch.
THIS ONE. Seat post issues sound exactly like the BB ticking (not creaking) on some of our fatbikes. Sometimes it's because the seat clamp needs tightening. Also, can be seat tube burred or not completely square. I rap them down with a rubber mallet these days after carefully deburring them. Post gets fully greased. (The world's creakiest bottom brackets on my trail -- that really are the BB -- are press fit. Threaded may click if they're loose, but they rarely make that sickening creaking.
I once worked on a Liv Langma Adavnced that creaked when I pedaled off-saddle. When I applied downwards force to the saddle, the exact same creak was triggered, so I figured the seatpost was dry and I was right. A new layer of carbon paste later and all is well.
My bottom bracket creak was my rear quick release not being tight enough. Yes, I ride a bike with rim brakes. I even have the lawyer tabs filed off.
For how many Cannondale’s Phil has rode, it’s amazing how it’s never been the Bottom Bracket.
Came here to say Cannondale. It’s never not the bb
Have a Cannondale Synapse. Never has been the bottom bracket. Has been, seat bracket, seat post, cable knocking on frame, quick release.
My thoughts exactly 😂
@@ukestjohn Every brand has issues. I’m just poking fun at issues that they had in the past.
On my cannondale caad10 it's DEFINITELY the BB
Still pretty sure it's the BB
It's not !
Right?! It feels like it is
Mine was the bottom bracket a while ago
The two hardest creaks to track down for me were from a bad saddle (creaking against its rails), and slightly dirty cleats creaking in my pedals, both of which I diagnosed after replacing the bottom bracket…..
same here with the saddle rails.
I have had creaks from seat rails front QR and yes, BB. BB got wet during a rainy gran fondo and I had to get the bearings replaced, so it CAN happen.
I love this. Last year I was on a group ride here in San Diego and found myself riding next to Olympic Track Medalist, Nelson Vails. Another rider had a creak we could all hear and swore it was the bottom bracket. Nelson said, “It’s never the bottom bracket.” The other cyclist loudly disagreed. Nelson sat up and emoted “WTF would I know? I only have a silver medal in bike riding.”
I remembered that and always problem solve creaks starting at other points-and it’s usually my pedals (speedplay needs to be periodically regreased) or a worn chain. FFW to this month where I’ve tried all other points that I can think of and finally took it to my LBS where I described what I’d looked at already and when I experienced the creak. I got a call the next day. It WAS the bottom bracket bearings that were worn out. 😂
So, it’s ALMOST never the bottom bracket.
Hell yeah that’s a solid endorsement
"Nelson sat up and emoted “WTF would I know? I only have a silver medal in bike riding.”"
Sounds like Nelson is a bit of a knob with an engorged ego, that's what it is.
Never rule out the seatpost, particularly an alloy one. I had a nerve-racking creak once (2015 Giant Defy alloy frame) only when in the saddle and pedaling, and very pronounced when climbing. The LBS couldn't figure it out. I ended up removing the seatpost and what I discovered was horrific. After a good cleaning and some anti-seize lube, I haven't had the issue since. Keep this in mind if you ride in inclement weather. Be safe everyone!
i was in the exact same situation few weeks ago! The dirt can get in between the top tube, clamp and seatpost.
I had the loudest click on the down pedal but only on the left. Wasn’t the BB but the seat post! I would had bet a $1000 it was the BB #neverTheBB
Similar experience--removed the seat post and was stunned by the amount of gunk and sandy grit I found. If you ride in the rain, you gotta deep clean.
Check where your spokes cross each other (if your wheel is laced that way) - cleaning those cross points and potentially a dab of lube has fixed creaks under heavy pedaling that sure sounded like a bottom bracket creak! Oh and external cabled bikes - ferrule contacts/zip tie points/etc!
And if you're convinced it's the BB - brakes on hard and step on each pedal without allowing the bike to move - great check for pedal spindle issues too.
For me, it's some stupid spacers in the freehub. I take it apart, clean, lube and it's gone for a few rides. And once, it was the rear quick release. I was able to reproduce it by standing on the pedal with the front wheel rammed into a wall. I asked my son to come and listen where it's clicking.
Clicking noises I’ve found
1)Seat tube shim. I thought it was the seat. Stuffed some grease between the frame and shim. Solved.
2)Folding bike. Cracking sound. Oiled the hinge. Solved.
3)Clicking from pedaling. Loose cranks. Switched to hollow tech no problem with loosening anymore.
4)Another clicking noise from pedaling. It was the BOTTOM BRACKET. Took about 100km for the ceramic bearing BB to spoil. Switched to steel and never a problem and they spin as easy at the ceramic 🤪
5)Clicking from rolling. Spokes got noisy from too much water intrusion. They were tight and not loose. Oil and solved.
3 of these clicking noise were caused by water.
I am engaged in bicycle repair. A creaking appeared on my bicycle on both sides of the pedals, I went through the entire carriage and lubricated it, lubricated the pedals, the threads on the pedals, I also lubricated the square shaft, the creaking did not go away, although once this technique helped. I rode standing up, the creaking did not go away, that is, it is not a squeak under the seat, there was one last point left, change the chain because the creaking came from pressing the pedals hard, not even when driving!
The little rings on the valve stems.... drove me NUTS trying to figure out what was rattling. Also, sometimes the brake cables inside your frame, depending on how they were installed, can knock against your frame if you are out of saddle giving your bike the business..
The first thing you remove from a new bike are these valve rings and valve caps, exactly for the reason to eliminate one source of unwanted noise.
I work as a bike mechanic. Twice in the last two weeks I’ve had a customer complain about a “creaky clicking noise” when they pedal. Both times it was the bottom bracket 😮 Don’t know if it was a coincidence but both were aluminum bikes with cartridge bottom brackets that were loose a half or full turn on the drive side. Removed crank, snugged it up, noise gone.
My mtb made a terrible sound when peddling under load on bikepack trip. Spent whole say with that sound , could be heard half a mile away. When I decided to just get a new groupset as the noise had forced my hand , I couldn't help notice g how loosely tightened the bb was , which I think 🤔 was the probable cause , but I will never know cause I replaced whole groupset and new bb 😅
Mitch killed it on the editing on this one! Not that your videos aren't normally great, but this was a step up!
Haha that’s because Mitch did it
I'm dealing with this right now! First time it was new pedals.
Now, idk. Bike shop has it right now. They said it's never the bottom bracket. 😂
You're the best Phil!
Press fit BBs get blamed for many noises they don’t deserve… I feel badly for them. Love your process and agree wholeheartedly! I once suffered a noise that ended up being my AL seatpost in any early 1994 titanium MTB frame. It only made the noise when I was out of the saddle!!! When I finally realized where it was coming from, a simple clean and lube fixed it.
Another pro tip is to try only one fix at a time so you know what did it… then you learn from your bike.
Mine was cracked glasses, I had to board them up, also I cycled through a rough neighborhood all the windows were boarded up, the window cleaners had sanders…..the pub was so rough even the piano had a bandage on the leg, and the first question in the pub quiz was , who you looking at. There’s millions more just mail me……
Most often, it’s the saddle or the seatpost. Once, I had a squeaky noise from the bottom bracket area, but it was not the BB - it was a slightly loose spindle. I hadn’t applied enough torque when installing the chainset, and it got looser and squeakier with time.
Surely riding out of the saddle would rule the seat post in or out
For me it has frequently been the pedals. It goes away lubing up the little springs that keep you cleat in place or the thread that goes in the crank
A year ago, I had a nois that could be heard in other countries. I hate nois. I know my bike pretty well, it’s well maintained and silent.Swapped the bb for a Hambini bb, silence…again.
check the quick link in your chain, after a while it deforms and starts making a clicking noise as it moves through the sprockets or derailleurs, that can easily be mistaken for the BB
I had a clicking on my bike that was present upon load and of course sounded like it was coming from the bottom bracket. Took it in and even the mechanic had a hard time finding it but it was a screw on the rear derailleur that wasn't tightened down all the way and the chain kept rubbing against it. The mechanic said that the sound resonated through the frame to make it sound like the bottom bracket.
Traveling to Mareira next month so had to get some different gearing for my trusty old FUSO. Had an 11-32 cassette from an old MTB in the drawer so cleaned that up nice and shiny and all worked fine for a few weeks then developed the dreaded creak. Checked everything (yes BB as well) and even rebuilt the free hub. Then I finally dismantled the whole cassette and cleaned each cog and spacer. That fixed it.
It’s most-certainly the front-derailleur cable slapping against your right crank arm while pedaling.
It will drive you insane for almost a month as you are repeatedly trying (and failing) to locate the origin of that obnoxious clicking sound.
Have fun screwing around with your limit screws as you wrongfully believe it’s your chain slamming against the front derailleur, you absolute legend.
I had a clicking when pedaling hard on my Canyon. It was the bottom bracket.
Seat adjusting bolts were under torqued; took me a dozen rides to figure it out, but once I torqued it down the silence brought me such joy on my rides since.
Silent bike is such a bliss! That's one of the main reasons why i clean my drivetrain so often, i just love the silent humming when i put power through the pedals :)
I replaced the quick releases on an older mountain bike...creaks gone. Old Shimano XT QRs did the trick. But....I did not do this before having LBS clean up the bottom bracket!
I have a Giant Propel which is notorious for bottom bracket problems and I have had a loud creaking noise from what appeared to be the b/b area. After a new Wheels Mfg b/b was fitted the noise persisted. I watched this video and took the fork out and greased the steerer tube and headset bearings - creak gone! Thank you Phil for making me think outside “outside the box”.
I’ve been annoyed for the past few weeks about a creak on the bike. Took off crank, bottom bracket, head tube to bearings (bottom head tube bearing replaced b/c of some mild grinding), and after watching this video I tighten up the chain bolt bearing and Eureka! -No more creaks!🎉🎉🎉
One time I thought it was the BB. It was loose chainring bolts. And some grime had worked its way between the chainring and the crank arm. Removed the crank arm. Removed all the chainring bolts. Cleaned and greased all contact points. Reassembled. Noise gone.
Had a bottom bracket noise on every crank revolution. Tightened up the springs in the pedals where the cleats engaged, and the bottom bracket was miraculously fixed. Another bottom bracket noise was fixed by tightening a crank fixing bolt. A third BB noise was fixed by the bolts holding the handlebar to the stem. It amazes me how far those bottom bracket noises can extend throughout the bike.
THANK YOU! It sure sounded like the bottom bracket, but I lubed everything I could find and the noise went away. Such a joy to ride without that ticking noise.
Thank you Phil. I was so sure it was the BB. I used your method to decipher the steerer tube bearings as the failure point.
It’s the dirty bolts fixing the front drivetrain to the crankset. Unscrew and screw in again fixed it
I just changed my BB. It was the BB. But I did check those other things first. 😂
It was my bb! On my mtb I have a square taper bb and the bearings were toast. I could feel and hear a click on the power stroke on one crank. New bb solved it.
Thanks for the video and loving the comments, lots of good help. I have an ongoing issue with my back breaks. (story time) Took my bike in for the 1-year maintenance after 1000 miles. Had issue with 0 braking, lever to the grip. As part of their bigger 'package' they checked them, bled them and gave the bike back to me. No noise for first ride. Next time I went out, the noise shown up. Brakes "feel" like they're grinding. Figured I either have new brake pads that just need to be worn in a little, or some gunk on the disc. Got some brake cleaner, sprayed them off, that seemed to work, for awhile. After 100 more miles, the issue still persists. Had the shop check them again, no issues, just needed bled again. I don't think so. The brakes are slowly getting worse again, and the noise still happens when they get 'hot' (long descents). My guess is they are leaking mineral oil gunk on the pads causing the noise.
Click with every crank rotation? Test the chainring bolts (thank you Zinn & The Art of Road Bike Maintenance!).
It's never the bottom bracket...until it is! I've had issues with my Cannondale Supersix bottom bracket for years. The bottom bracket has been unpacked and cleaned so many times it hurts! I finally bought another bike with a threaded bottom bracket. Not the most economical fix, but a fix nonetheless!
It was the hairline crack on the in-side of dura ace Crank arm
I tore down and rebuilt my mtb twice last spring to resolve a nasty creak. Replaced the BB and frame bearings and it still creaked. Turned out to be pedal bearings on right pedal. Live and learn…
my frame slightly twisting and making the bottles squeak, no bottles no squeak, or take off the bottle cages and put them back on.
I had a mystery creak that I couldn't figure out, turned out to be the spoke nipples and spoke holes were making noise after I went through a shallow flood and let it dry out. Some lube & GT85 worked a treat. Bike shop told me I needed new wheels.
I had a bb30 bottom bracket that was always noisy. In fact it was the bb30 to 24mm conversion cups that creaked. Just required frequent cleaning and the cranks torqued properly. That bottom bracket took a beating over the years from winter commuting/cx/road rides by multiple owners. Never once was it actually the bottom bracket.
Good diagnosing tips. Only happens while standing up does not necessarily mean handlebars or headset. I once had a clicking noise only when standing up and it was my Shimano hollowtech crankset being cracked.
I've had the clicking noise now on 4 of my bikes. 2 I haven't taken the time yet to properly investigate (however, I do have spare bottom brackets ready). 1 sounded like the bottom bracket but upon replacing the bottom bracket I found out it was the pedal. And the last one was *drumroll* the bottom bracket!
If You are still riding a "real" bike with rim brakes, the quick release skewers can make a clicking noise if not lightly greased. It usually happens when standing in a hard climb. Also if all else fails, take your rear wheel out and remove the derailleur hanger and grease the interface between hanger and frame.
It may not be the bottom bracket, but sometimes it is a nearby. A loose chain ring or crank bolt will sound like it’s coming from the bottom bracket.
One time I had a bike diagnose this for me. It was the bag on the front rack, and definitely nothing my imagination dreamed up (headset or cracked frame)! Great video, will work through these steps before asking the bike shop to check the BOTTOM BRACKET.
@6:27 once when i had a Cervelo S3 set up for hill climbing, it was the rear hub creaking against the frame, due, in part, to installing the wheel dry, and not quite torquing the Tune skewer quite enough. Once i put carbon assembly paste around the hub and inside the frame dropouts.. problem solved :D Cheers Phil for the video.m
Oh, I forgot about the other time it was the BB. 1983, broken bearing in the BB somewhere in Montana. The next bike shop was in Bismark North Dakota, 300+ miles away. I ground that BB into little tiny metal fragments before I could replace it. That one made some noise.
The moment you showed the pipe trick, I knew it's gonna be a proper how-to for bikers video. Definitely thumbs up!
Phil how true. My non-BB creak was rear through axle not tight enough. Cheap fix👍🏽
Good tip to start with anything that’s changed recently. My most recent noise was a nasty squeal, which turned out to be coming from a new set of rear derailleur pulley wheels. Derailleur hangar bolts can be a sneaky source of noise, along with chainring bolts.
Lol I'm still trying to find my creak and replace the BB and yes creek is still there
Dropper post on an MTB... It only made noise when the post was almost topped out (it would stop slightly short of full extension sometimes.) Took weeks to figure it out.
Shimano R8000 front derailleur was out by 1mm. Right crank arm was touching the derailleur on each up stroke.
I have a weird clunk in the BB. I pull the BB grease the spindle and reassemble. The noise is gone for a couple weeks. Then it starts clunking again. Here is the weird part: the clunk initially only happens for the first km or so, then stops for the rest of the ride. After about another week it doesn't stop and I regrease the spindle and repeat. I always assumed this was the spindle slipping against the bearing. but now I am wondering if it is the crank are slipping against the spindle. I pull the crank arm and then retighten/torque the crank arm bolt when reassembling, so maybe that is why the clunk goes away. I am testing this hypothesis now.
Bought a 2007 Steel Axiom 2 years ago. Was told it was kept in an attic for 15 years, had less than 300 miles on it. Inspection (drive chain wear, paint,…) confirmed. After about 500 miles, there was a “creak” on every strong downstroke. It sounded like the bottom bracket. So I googled it and found, of course, that it’s “Never the bottom bracket”. Did all the non-BB suggestions here, and more! The creak persisted. FINALLY, I opened the threaded Ultegra BB, noted some dried up thread-lock? Old grease? Who knows. So I cleaned the threads, added a small dab of grease, torqued it down, and, lo-n-behold,… wait for it…
It was the… Bottom bracket!
It was fun doing all the maintenance! I learned a lot, bought a bunch of tools, got a well-serviced, creak-free bike that I absolutely love to ride! And learned that I should not trust everything on the internet!
So for the sake of future ChatGPT hashes, sometimes it *is* the Bottom Bracket.
If you have rim brakes, check the rear wheel quick release skewer and tighten it. A very common cause of creak that sounds like the BB. Grease it if you can.
Press Fit BBs creak like mad - especially BB90. Glad to see bike frames going back to threaded - much better
no. no they don't. it's never the bottom bracket
Definitely had BB creaks and solve them but fully agree to check everything else first.
The other big culprit I've run into is slightly loose crank bolts.
my seat post seems to be creaking. After this highly educational video, I feel empowered to identify and fix the issue!
My cleat on one side just stared making a squeak on one side on the trainer this morning. I think I might have stepped in some oil on the road at a stoplight, from the. look of it. If I were a better person, I might have paused to clean the cleat. Instead I just turned up the music and fan speed, since I was indoors, and I finished my ride.
For me it was actually the upper fabric on my shoes (s-works torch), I figured that out after I replaced the Bottom Bracket. Wish your video was out two weeks ago :)
Ouch!!😅
Yeah, my Shimano XC shoes are also noisy. Pleather against pleather
Had a noise my mechanic couldn’t fix. He insisted it wasn’t the bottom bracket. I thought it was. Got him to replace the BB. Guess what? Noise gone. So it can definitely be the BB.
Strangest creak I ever got was NOT the bottom bracket but was coming from that area. Turned out it was the chainring bolts were slightly loose.
Yup, never suspect those, until you find one or two of them or loose. Hate this.
Took me some time to track a noise down to a frame pump that was coming apart. Seat rails a given. I just end up gluing them in place with JB Weld. Had an odd popping sound once. I eventually pulled the seat tube out, cleaned and put carbon paste on. Took care of that.
I get what you’re putting out there, and I appreciate it, but after watching this and taking it to heart, and after three afternoons in my garage, I’ve returned to tell you……say it with me now….IT WAS THE BOTTOM BRACKET! Had a creak every time I put some power into my cranks. I was really thinking it was coming from the back wheel. Finally clued into the problem by riding weird, wobbly figure 8s and leaning hard into my cranks in different positions but not pedaling, and hearing that creak. Disassembled the cranks and BB, cleaned everything, little bit of grease, and now it rides like a dream
Amazing !! Your video gives me the authorization to slap my bike mates when they complain they have a creaky bottom bracket !
Just had a creak and needed to replace… my bottom bracket… but at least 19 times out of 20 it is NOT the BB. Loved the coasting tip.
I'm very happy for your good fortune in only having one true creaking bottom bracket in your experience. From my perspective, almost entirely vintage with some extremely wack threadings, sometimes, yeah, it is the bottom bracket. That said, you don't exactly need a microscope to look down and see a French fixed cup backing off of the shell with 1.5mm of threads exposed.
You're spot on, I took the bike to a mechanic cause I thought the noise was coming from the the bottom bracket. Eight months later after many failures, a new mechanic managed to figure out the noise in fact was produced by the hub in the rear wheel, not the bottom bracket, the hub unfortunately was incorrectly installed by a previous mechanic. Apparently a recurrent problem with this type of wheels, hence the new mechanic knew about it.
Let me guess…enve?
@@worstretirementever Nope ... Vision wheels, but it might just be many mechanics don't fallow factory instructions .... for the Vision hubs the rims are different size in the front vs the back.
my worst creak....it wasn't my bottom bracket. it was spokes rubbing at the cross point when under load! tight the spokes and lube the cross point. Yours was a great video. from others on the interweb, I have a list of 12 things to check. I will now move bb to the bottom of the list where it belongs.
Brand new Trek Domane and it turned out to be a bolt that secures the cover around the seat post at the frame for the isospeed was not holding torque and both bolt and cover needed to be replaced. The looseness allowed the post to flex and creak as I rode especially when pushing up hills.
The second was on my Emonda and I went through every possible check to figure it out even to the point of replacing the bottom bracket in the end. Thought it was the speedplay pedals clicking so swapped in a different pair. It turned out to be the chain after riding for 100 miles would start to bind and click. Freshly cleaned and lubed no problem. Swapped out for a waxed chain and no more noise.
Is your carbon Domane an early 2020s model? If so, there is indeed an issue with such Domanes having their IsoSpeed hardware coming loose. Same thing for 2019 - 2022 Madone SLRs.
Yep 2020 Domane. LBS recognized it almost immediately.
Hate creaks! First; avoid press fit bottom brackets! It’s almost always the bottom bracket. The second most likely source are the pedals. I’ve had creaks where I’ve taken out, cleaned and lubed and torqued every bolt on the bike! The creak remained. I took the bottom bracket out, clean, greased and torqued the BB. No more creak. Hint; don’t use regular grease on threaded and press fit items. Use Morgan Blue aqua proof paste. This stuff was developed originally for marine use and has been adopted by many pro mechanics for assembling bikes. Canyon recommends it for assembling their bottom brackets. It maintains it viscosity in a very wide range of temperatures and is absolutely water proof. It will not wash out like conventional grease or anti seize compound. By the way, creaks are usually caused by a reaction between dissimilar metals called galvanic corrosion. You only have a very small area of this corrosion to make your bike creak like your grandmother’s knees! Grease provides a barrier between metals to hopefully stop them from reacting to each other. Morgan blue aqua proof paste is also marketed by Kogel under their name. It’s nicknamed the bottom bracket silencer. It’s also safe to use on carbon. Do not use it on bearings. It’s not a bearing grease! Sorry Phil. I guess my experiences have been different than yours. Good video. It sucks when we spend thousands of dollars on a bike (or at least I spend thousands of dollars on bikes😂)and it makes a lot of unwanted noise!
Creaks going up a hill on my steel BSA bike were coming from aluminium spoke nipples corroding against the aluminium rim. After 12 years, I should have known. When added some lubricant to the nipple rim interface, it fixed the problem. It is amazing how the noise did resonate as if it were coming from the BB, especially when climbing out of the saddle.
Decades ago, I had an Asia-made Bianchi (Tange or Ishiwata tubing) with a steel crown fork and the creak was caused by a crack that ran right through the crown lugs (yes, both layers of the steel). I never looked there because I thought it was impossible for it to break. During the manufacturing of this fork, it is heated red hot to do the brazing and this what likely made the steel more brittle. I was only 16 at the time, and didn't realize that Bianchi should have replaced it, even though my warranty had expired.
Chainring bolts, so often. Remove grease and torque. I keep extras in my small parts bin to save friend’s creaky bikes. The other funny one is mechanical FDs where the cable is too long and sticks out and to the side, where it contacts the crank arm to make a tiny click on every pedal rotation.
On my only two bikes, a Canyon and Trek. It was the bottom bracket both times. Trek had the old style (non-hollowtech) and it was bone dry. Greased it up and worked great until I finally upgraded. The Canyon's Ninja bottom bracket must have had a failure in the seals because the drive side's bearings were destroyed and filled with muck, the other side looked new. Replaced it, no more creak.
I had a bad nasty creak and everyone told me to repack my bottom bracket.
Ans then I tightened the through axel in my wheel and solved the problem.
I’ve had to replace my bottom bracket 3x in 14,000 miles on my Emonda. Just depends on riding conditions and use. But recently replaced my saddle bc of creaking plastic
On my Cannondale CAAD-12 (BB30)... it's the headset! It's impossible to adjust the headset for no binding and no play in all positions, so the bearings aren't parallel. Great quality control!
My daily driver Surly Crosscheck commuter bike DID get a bottom bracket creak, on an ISO bottom bracket. Tightened it up 1/8 turn and done. That was after going through stem, crank bolts, chainring bolts, and pretty much everything BUT the bottom bracket.
#1 Strange noise was the front wheel. The spokes were creaking where they pass through the eyes in the hub.
#2 Strange creaking when cornering on an old chrome-moly bike. When I undid the front wheel to investigate the left hand leg of the fork fell off! It was broken inside the crown of the brazed lug.
I creak per crank revolution when right pedal at bottom, and only when climbing hard out of the saddle. Shimano 12 spd Ultegra cranks and Dura ace pedals. Swapped pedals, shoes, cleats. Reinstalled pedals without 1 mm washers, creak stopped.
I hear you. One time I replaced the bottom bracket myself, didn’t fix squeak, then brought it to the shop for them to replace that bottom bracket, still nothing. Many sleepless nights later it turned out to be two spokes rubbing together.
My creak story. Where I mention I changed something, it doesn't mean I bought something. I have a LOT of spares!
In no particular order:
1. Swapped out stem and torqued bolts to spec
2, Checked saddle clamp bolts
3. Removed and re-applied carbon paste to seatpost before refitting and torquing to spec
4. Changed pedals, regreasing pedal axles
5. Checked cleat bolts and tried several different shoes
6. Chainring bolts
7. Swapped out wheels
8. Checked rotors for clearance
9. Checked shifter clamps bolt torque
10. Cleaned and regreased headset
11. Removed and replaced all mudguard bolts (several times!)
12. Swapped chainset
13. Swapped over BB
14. Checked all cables for contact with anything else
Gave up. Took it to the only local place I trust, more of a bike engineer than a shop. Took him another 3 hours to find it. Where the rear brake hose entered the frame at the downtube there's a tiny metal guide that's held into the frame with a 3mm allen bolt. As I was riding along, the micro steering movements you make to balance were pulling and pushing that hose by just enough to turn the metal guide by a fraction of a mm. Titanium frame, resonant 'click' heard all over the bike!
Yesterday it was the BB! The nice mechanics in the Subaru dealership way out in the Japanese countryside leant me some tools and grease and in 15 minutes I was back on the road.
Mine was the front derailleur clamp on the down tube….after reinstalling the bottom bracket multiple times 😂. Grit between clamp and tube after a wet ride. Thanks Phil!
I've had a case where the bike only made noise when pedaling and it still was coming from the rear disc brake. The freewheel body was worn and had a bit of play/movement on the axle. Force applied by pedaling comes from one side only. That changed the angle of the wheel and the disc brake rotor attached to it ever so slightly and made it rub the brake pad just a tiny bit. This was on cheap mechanical disk brakes that were fiddly to center to begin with, and 8-speed cassette. More modern 10 speed (and up) systems probably have tighter tolerances and hydraulic brakes center better so I doubt anyone with those will stumble on this.
I have seen both.
Most times it’s the saddle. Sometimes the paddles. I have also had the BB a couple of times.
If it's a Cannondale, it's the BB!!!
lmao my bike is in the shop (guess what the problem is) But it was definitely echoing throughout my entire bike. Sometimes it's been a simple problem (& one time it was a cracked frame and there was NO warming - I was sailing along, quiet bike riding beautifully and then CRACK, WALKING HOME FOR THREE HOURS DRAGGING THIS BROKEN FRAME) But this was a very helpful video.
In terms of the bottom bracket, I've had that once before this time - the repairperson, when I brought in my bike, was worried that the bottom bracket he had replaced on my last bike broke when I told him 'hey, you actually did a fantastic job, that's why I'm back with my new bike.' In the case of the first one, it wasn't just unlubricated, it had cracked - the part was cheap. So I'm looking forward to finally getting my bike back (it's been nine days in the shop and they're just two dudes serving like half a city) and until then, watching great videos like this.