Inconsistent Ping/Popping Noise When Pedaling

[Lovetoclimb]

After a hurried disassembly of a road bike to rob parts for a NAHBS build, I finally got the thing back together. Now I am experiencing an annoying ping/popping noise at various points during a ride. I only made it 5k today before I decided it was likely going to worsen and I should do some serious troubleshooting. The particulars of the bike:

Columbus Spirit steel frame with XCR chainstays
Industry 9 i25 wheels
Campagnolo 11s mix of Chorus and Record
Praxis Works 52/36 chainrings
Chain, Cassette, Chainrings all have approx 300 miles on them

So I am curious where I should be focusing my attention. I made sure the grease the chainring bolts and not "over-torque" them. Nothing feels loose, but one issue I noticed during install of the chainrings on the Chorus crank and spider was the hidden 5th bolt did not line up completely as it would on Campagnolo rings. Despite these rings being made for C11 systems . . . All 5 chainrings bolts threaded in however and everything shifts fine in the work stand.

Suggestions? I am considering taking everything apart again and starting from scratch. But being in the field of reliability centered maintenance, I believe the statistics that say you have a 50% chance of introducing another failure when you perform intrusive maintenance! :help:

[MattTuck]

Can you try it with different wheels? It sounds like it could be a spoke issue.

[zap]

I made sure the grease the chainring bolts and not "over-torque" them.

What does this mean. Should be tightened to 5Nm*……very tight using two small 5mm allen keys.

*more if steel bolts.

[Lovetoclimb]

What does this mean.

I have tightened some before such that they actually shear the threaded bit of the bolt off at the head. I have also seen chainrings missing several bolts due to lack of proper torque, so it is a fine balance.

[wallymann]

BB cups, chainring bolts, cassette lockring.

[DerekB]

My Speedplay pedals drove me nuts for a few months until I realized they were the cause of intermittent clicking/popping under load. A quick lube and bike was silent again.

[DRZRM]

But...Praxis does not make a 110/112 chainring for Campy compact. If you didn't dremel out the hole on the 5th bolt, that may explain why they are sitting funny, and thus making a noise.

From their FAQ page:

Q. CAMPY Cranks - Are the ring sets compatible with Campagnolo cranks?

A. NO – Our rings do not mount to Campy cranks as they have their own custom bolt circle/mount. We initially had plans to launch a ring set for Campy cranks/BCD, but will not be.

IMPORTANT – Our chain rings are 10sp and 11sp compatible, so you can use our rings with a Campy 10/11sp drivetrain if the rings are mounted on a traditional 5-arm mount 110 or 130BCD crank. For example, you could use cranks by Specialized, LOOK, Cannondale, FSA, ROTOR, Quarq, etc. Many people use these cranks with our rings, with the rest of the drivetrain Campy 10 or 11.

[benb]

BB cups, chainring bolts, cassette lockring.

This...

[Lovetoclimb]

Hmm, perhaps I need to have a shop dremel out that hole a bit so the 5th bolt fits the chainrings better. Annoying that such expensive after-market rings do not work without some extra work.

Sitrep: I switch wheels from one set of i25s to another, including swapping the cassette over to the 2nd wheelset. Same hubs, rims, spokes, etc, but different skewers. One the 1st set where the popping happened, I had crap KCNC skewers. On the 2nd set where there seems to be no popping now, I am using Campy internal cam skewers . . . Now I need to test the wheels on another bike and the skewers to further troubleshoot.

Thanks for all help thus far.

[Steelman]

Spoke nipples? Esp. with Open Pro rims.

[Lovetoclimb]

Spoke nipples? Esp. with Open Pro rims.

Industry 9 wheels, their own hubs, rims, and Sapim spokes/nips.

[buddybikes]

Sounds like my knees...

[David Kirk]

Under what conditions does it make the noise?

Seated or standing or both?

Pedaling or coasting or both?

When rolling along on a smooth road or only when hitting a bump?

Can you feel it as well as hear it?


I personally think the worst idea is to take the entire bike apart and put it all back together again and hope that for some reason that the noise won't be there. The noise might just go away and if it does you should buy a lottery ticket. Most likely it will be the same or it will start quiet and come back and in either of those cases you've gained nothing for all the work.

The most effective way to deal with stuff like this is to me methodical and figure out when it does it, then this will help point to where it's coming from and that in turn will show you what needs fixing. Go this route and you can learn what caused the noise and banish it forever.

dave

[biker72]

I had a similar problem that drove me nuts.
Turned out to be the front quick release.

[oldpotatoe]

After a hurried disassembly of a road bike to rob parts for a NAHBS build, I finally got the thing back together. Now I am experiencing an annoying ping/popping noise at various points during a ride. I only made it 5k today before I decided it was likely going to worsen and I should do some serious troubleshooting. The particulars of the bike:

Columbus Spirit steel frame with XCR chainstays
Industry 9 i25 wheels
Campagnolo 11s mix of Chorus and Record
Praxis Works 52/36 chainrings
Chain, Cassette, Chainrings all have approx 300 miles on them

So I am curious where I should be focusing my attention. I made sure the grease the chainring bolts and not "over-torque" them. Nothing feels loose, but one issue I noticed during install of the chainrings on the Chorus crank and spider was the hidden 5th bolt did not line up completely as it would on Campagnolo rings. Despite these rings being made for C11 systems . . . All 5 chainrings bolts threaded in however and everything shifts fine in the work stand.

Suggestions? I am considering taking everything apart again and starting from scratch. But being in the field of reliability centered maintenance, I believe the statistics that say you have a 50% chance of introducing another failure when you perform intrusive maintenance! :help:

Frequency of noise? Every pedal , every 3-4th, standing, sitting, hard to say.

Hub pawls ? CR bolts? Tight link? Could be anything

[soulspinner]

I had a similar problem that drove me nuts.
Turned out to be the front quick release.

Me too. Only did it when I stood up. Felt stupid after I forund it...

[josephr]

another vote for check the pedals too...

got the same problem with a pair of cleats...one screw keeps loosening...starts with a click and 25 miles moves to a pop.
Joe

[dnades]

another one for check the speedplay pedals.

[Lovetoclimb]

To answer some questions about troubleshooting:

Noise happens seated and standing
Flat roads, uphill, high watt efforts, low watt spinning
No discernible frequency (ie per # of pedal revolutions)

I switched wheelsets and skewers and the cassette that was on the 1st wheelset to the 2nd. Additionally I tightened the chainring bolts a touch (1/4-1/2 turn each) without excessive resistance. So those may have been too loose. The noise did go away and did not return over a 130k & 2200m ride with lots of gravel!

However, now I am dealing an inconsistent creaking, as if the BB is suddenly bone dry which I know it is not. Again it is inconsistent following all of the above characteristics. It will begin and make noise for 3/4 pedal revolutions then go away for a minute or more. Often it disappears for 30 minutes, and returns out of the ether. Argh!

[Lovetoclimb]

another one for check the speedplay pedals.

Had these on a bike with no noise or issues all winter and swapped them over to this bike recently. No bearing play or binding, and using new cleats. Do new cleats require lube (the speedplay specific stuff?)

[Lovetoclimb]

Me too. Only did it when I stood up. Felt stupid after I forund it...

Do you put a dab of grease where the qr axle meets the dropouts?

[ultraman6970]

I will assume UT crankset. did you put a lot of grease to the BB cups?? IMO is hard to tel w/o hearing the darn noise but could be the wavy washer needing more grease, thats why the thing comes and goes.

[oldpotatoe]

After a hurried disassembly of a road bike to rob parts for a NAHBS build, I finally got the thing back together. Now I am experiencing an annoying ping/popping noise at various points during a ride. I only made it 5k today before I decided it was likely going to worsen and I should do some serious troubleshooting. The particulars of the bike:

Columbus Spirit steel frame with XCR chainstays
Industry 9 i25 wheels
Campagnolo 11s mix of Chorus and Record
Praxis Works 52/36 chainrings
Chain, Cassette, Chainrings all have approx 300 miles on them

So I am curious where I should be focusing my attention. I made sure the grease the chainring bolts and not "over-torque" them. Nothing feels loose, but one issue I noticed during install of the chainrings on the Chorus crank and spider was the hidden 5th bolt did not line up completely as it would on Campagnolo rings. Despite these rings being made for C11 systems . . . All 5 chainrings bolts threaded in however and everything shifts fine in the work stand.

Suggestions? I am considering taking everything apart again and starting from scratch. But being in the field of reliability centered maintenance, I believe the statistics that say you have a 50% chance of introducing another failure when you perform intrusive maintenance! :help:

I had a niggling issue that sounded familiar with my Merckx/EPS..turned out the der hanger was off enough that the chain sometimes tickled the next cog, making a little 'pop'..straightening the der hanger fixed it..

[avalonracing]

I grease just about every single metal to metal interface (and a couple carbon to metal ones as well). For instance, I don't just tighten the chainring bolts on my cranks I pull the chainrings off and put a fine layer of grease on:
-The parts of the spider where the chainrings press against
-The holes in the spider where the bolts go through
-The sides of the chainring bolts
-The threads of the bolts
(make sure everything is clean first)

And this is just the procedure for the chainring bolts. And this is not a lot of grease, just a fine layer and then I wipe off any excess that would pick up dirt.

I do this all over the place. Derailleur hanger edge (not just where it is tapped) under the front derailleur clamp (this spot can make noise, this could be your issue too) and so on.

Yes, it sounds a bit OCD but my bikes are quiet you really know your bike when you do this which can give you peace of mind when going down a hill at 50mph.

[AJosiahK]

Love em, however I came across a similar noise, inconsistent and sounding much like you described.

Are your wheels the older i25s? The ones "they dont make anymore" is what I was told.

I found after a few weeks of experimentation with everything and anything to quiet it down, that the front hub has an axle sheath, that fits in the hub body between the two end caps. That that cylinder had worn itself at one end making it lopsided in a way. Ordered the 12 part from I9 and that was that.

anyways, sounds like from the rest of the thread you have check the wheels.

Good luck!

[Lovetoclimb]

I will assume UT crankset. did you put a lot of grease to the BB cups?? IMO is hard to tel w/o hearing the darn noise but could be the wavy washer needing more grease, thats why the thing comes and goes.

I will give it another gob of grease, seems whatever one thinks is enough usually is not. Thanks for the tip.

[JimmyTango]

I had a similar problem that drove me nuts.
Turned out to be the front quick release.

Me too!