Creaky BB

[jamesd]

I have a Legend Ti with about 4 years of moderate use. It’s a fairly large frame bike, 59x58. I weigh about 200. Earlier this year i took it to a shop because the b-b creaked. I rode it all of last year with no noises. The shop is a former Serotta dealer, now Seven. The mechanic did the expected: removed the Chorus b-b and reassembled it with ti prep. It still creaked nearly as bad as before the work. The shop took it back and did the Teflon plumbers’ tape trick. It still creaks, but not as severe. The creak is only under higher torque situations: standing climbs or in lower gears with high resistance. The head mechanic, with 20 years experience, is at a loss. Does anyone have an idea what might be wrong and how it fix it?

[scrooge]

I have a Legend Ti with about 4 years of moderate use. It’s a fairly large frame bike, 59x58. I weigh about 200. Earlier this year i took it to a shop because the b-b creaked. I rode it all of last year with no noises. The shop is a former Serotta dealer, now Seven. The mechanic did the expected: removed the Chorus b-b and reassembled it with ti prep. It still creaked nearly as bad as before the work. The shop took it back and did the Teflon plumbers’ tape trick. It still creaks, but not as severe. The creak is only under higher torque situations: standing climbs or in lower gears with high resistance. The head mechanic, with 20 years experience, is at a loss. Does anyone have an idea what might be wrong and how it fix it?

Have you lubed your pedals lately?

[benb]

Did they use a torque wrench to properly torque the BB & Cranks?

(The noise can be from the cranks too as opposed to the BB)

If they didn't use a torque wrench or won't, do it yourself. I've had this problem before and the shop employees were generally not using a large torque wrench like they should have been. If you look at the typical allen key set you will see the largest sizes have a wrench length of 12" or less. Many BB & crank/BB interfaces have torque specs of 50lb-ft or greater. If you try to hit that spec with a 6" wrench you need to push down on the wrench with a force of 100lbs. That's a lot of force for anyone who isn't a gorilla to push out with one arm. (For comparison car lug nuts are usually around 75lb-ft, think of the size of the wrench you use for that.)

The outboard bearing crank/BB interfaces have helped in this regard as they have lower torque specifications. But for the BB itself it's a mixed blessing. In the case of Shimano the tool they give out for the BB cups is less then a foot long and is like 1/8" wide. So it absolutely destroys your hand if you try to torque it down, and there is no way to attach it to a torque wrench.

My craftsman torque wrench is almost 3x as long as the typical allen key and it still requires holding the frame steady and applying a decent amount of muscle to actually achieve the specified torque for a BB or Crank.

[gdw]

I'd replace the bottom bracket but would check a couple other areas first. Drivetrain creaks aren't always from the bottom bracket although they seem to originate there. Check your rear skewer, dropouts, and rear derailleur. Clean the dropouts and skewer and add a touch of grease to both sides of the dropouts. Is the derailleur tight? Unbolt it and regrease the threads before reinstalling. Good luck.

[David Kirk]

I've got a buck on the front derailuer clamp. When the seat tube flexes the clamp gets unhappy. Pull the front derailuer off, clean the tube and clamp area well and put a light coat of grease on the interface between the clamp and the tube.

I'm feeling cocky and I'm going to say this is it.

Dave

[rwsaunders]

It sounds like we're on Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers (Car Talk) blog. The answer is killing me as my wife's bike has the same issue.

[dave thompson]

It sounds like we're on Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers (Car Talk) blog. The answer is killing me as my wife's bike has the same issue.
Well then, time for a new bike!

[bigman]

Front Der clamp syndrome - clean, grease lightly, buy another bike.

[SoCalSteve]

Front Der clamp syndrome - clean, grease lightly, buy another bike.

Someone sell this man a bike! He needs another.

Just sayin'

Steve

PS: I like the pedal squeak idea...Try a bit of Armorall on the pedals and cleats. Bet the squeak goes away.

[scrooge]

Let us know how this works out...I'd love to be right about something on this forum ONE time.

[jhcakilmer]

I have a Chorus UT crankset, and I thought it might help cure this creaking issue...but after 4 rides, the creaking began. I lubed everything else...pedals, seatpost....made sure skewers were tight......rechecked headset, and still a creaking when I'm out of the saddle.
I don't think I've had a bike yet that hasn't creaked.....But usually I'm able to resolve the issue primarily by taking the cups out, placing another layer of the grey Loctite (660), and really torquing them down.....nothing crazy, but I think I might be considered a "gorilla" (not that hairy though) so I think I get them pretty tight.
Good Luck!!

[Needs Help]

Nokon cables can also cause bottom bracket creaking. So can rear derailleur pulleys; the pins that the toothed wheels spin around may need some oil.

[stevep]

shimano.

sorry.

no creak.

[avalonracing]

Check the tightness of the front wheel skewer. It sounds strange but I've seen it fix a "creaky bottom bracket, under load" about a dozen times.

[MarcusPless]

... can also cause a mysterious creak.

--Marcus

[scrooge]

Check the tightness of the front wheel skewer. It sounds strange but I've seen it fix a "creaky bottom bracket, under load" about a dozen times.


And put some grease on your skewers. Grease fixes (almost) everything.

[dtandy]

Check the cassette. I once has a persistent squeak under high loads and I tried everything having to do with the crank/BB. Finally, I pulled off the cassette, added a bit more grease than was there, tightened it up and the squeak was gone.

Dave

[CalfeeFly]

I'd replace the bottom bracket but would check a couple other areas first. Drivetrain creaks aren't always from the bottom bracket although they seem to originate there. Check your rear skewer, dropouts, and rear derailleur. Clean the dropouts and skewer and add a touch of grease to both sides of the dropouts. Is the derailleur tight? Unbolt it and regrease the threads before reinstalling. Good luck.

Make sure you put some grease on the skewers as described above especially if you are using Salsa skewers or some other non Campy/Shimano. I had such a creak and nobody would have convinced me it wasn't the bottom bracket. I fortunately found a great bike person while riding out of town.

The pedal issue is another good one. A little spray silicone on the pedal and cleat can do a great deal. This just ended a creak I had recently.

Good luck...they can drive you nuts.

[jhcakilmer]

Well, on wednesday I went for a ride, and the creaky/squeaking got so bad I thought the whole bike was going to just fall apart. I actually stopped and hand checked everything, just to make sure it wasn't going to fall off.

Anyway, I had greased and re-tighted everything, except the cassette. So I took it off, and it was still tight..not loose at all. I slapped some grease direcly on the splines, and lock ring, and tightened it back up, and my next rides was silent.......I was blown away!!

Is this a common problem with Shimano spines, I've never done this with Campy freehubs? I just could believe that so much noise was coming from the cassette!!



Check the cassette. I once has a persistent squeak under high loads and I tried everything having to do with the crank/BB. Finally, I pulled off the cassette, added a bit more grease than was there, tightened it up and the squeak was gone.

Dave

[Too Tall]

Clicks are the bane of my existance...not really..but that sounds dramatic non? Last yr. I "confidently" said I'd solve a mysterious click in a pals bike. Did all the usual crap and nada so I wen't nuts. Took apart, cleaned till it was clear that I could not find it however narrowed the prob. to the headset.

Now here is the kicker, this was a CK headset...WHAT?????? Guess what? It wasn't the headset :rolleyes: The Headtube was out of spec.

FAWKIN A

So, next time you have a prob. like this I'd suggest cut to the chase do the following:

1. Immerse the entire bicycle into a vat of phil wood oil.
2. Did that fix the problem? Yes? Goodie. No, go to step #3.
3. Buy a new bike.

[jhcakilmer]

wow, that's funny!!! :D

Yeah, I find that the bigger the rider the more noises the bike makes, maybe it's just screaming for mercy.

[avalonracing]

I slapped some grease direcly on the splines, and lock ring, and tightened it back up, and my next rides was silent.......I was blown away!!

Is this a common problem with Shimano spines

I've always put grease there as part of "standard operation procedure". My friends give me crap because I'll grease almost everything (chain rings where the bolts touch, between headset spacers, the spacers between the cogs, saddle rails where they are held by the post, etc. Yes, it takes a little time but other than a little chain noise I like my ride quiet.