Help ! Drive-Train Clicking

[freddered]

I ride a Raven Tour and I am getting a very faint, but annoying, clicking every 5 or 6 revolutions of the pedals.  I have swapped the pedals and checked every chain link, this does not seem to be the problem. It feels/sounds like a bearing but it's so faint it's hard to locate.  I want to fix it before anything goes 'Crunch' although it doesn't seem to be getting worse (I don't even think I'd notice it on my derailleur bike). I have no experience of Bottom-Brackets, could this be the problem?  How do you resolve it and what tools do I need ?  Any suggestions appreciated

[stutho]

This might sound very silly but if you have a spare try swapping the seat post and saddle.  Also try cycling no handed to see if the noise is coming from the stem, headset or bars.  (I once spent a whole day trying to fix a problem with the bottom bracket that wasn't there!  It was in my seat post clamp!)

Also worth looking at the chain ring and sprocket to see if any teeth are burred and need filing also check that the chain ring bolts are tight. Same goes for the EBB bolts, crank bolts and peddles.  Only after all of the above look at the BB cups.  (One other thing to try is remove the rack if you have one?)

Good luck

[Grimian]

I had a similar problem on my Mercury ........ figured it out though, the pedal spindle needed re-greasing and also removed pedal and re-greased thread that goes into crank ........ not saying that this will necessarily fix your particular noise ...... I think Stutho has covered everything nicely in his reply []

[PH]

I know you’ve checked the chain, but to me it’s still the number one suspect.  Put a new one on, if it doesn’t sort it, swap them back and keep the new one till needed, nothing lost.  You only need one pin to have dried out and sometimes (though rarely) nothing short of an oil bath will cure it.
I doubt it’s the BB, when they’ve gone on me they’ve made more of a grinding noise, though it’s only happened twice so I’m no expert.  Maybe now’s the time to get the removal tools and a spare.  Again, if it doesn’t cure it you’ll be ready for when it does need replacing, better to learn how to do these things when it’s not critical.
Couple of other possibilities, squeeze your spokes together in pairs, occasionally you get two rubbing where they cross.  Check the ends of your brake cables are neatly tucked out of the way.  Change your shoes – I know it sounds silly, but I had a clicking cleat for weeks without realizing what it was, I’d spent hours looking for it on the bike.
Good luck, such things drive me mad, it’s always hard to locate the source, often it’s not coming from anywhere near where you thought.
 

[freddered]

FIXED !!!

I took the chain off and reversed it (because nothing was wrong with any link that I could see).  I removed, cleaned, reased and re-seated the cranks.  The change was immediately apparent, totally smooth and quiet again.

I also bought a Splined Bottom/Bracket tool and really tightened the B/B.

Not sure which bit did it, maybe a combination of all 3 but I suspect PH is right and it's the chain.  I certainly can't bothered reversing it again to find out.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

[scotti]

I had the same problem with clicking for a while, found a loose chainring bolt was the cause this morning!

[hoogie]

we had an officer at work that went on and on and on about his new lightweight mountainbike and how he was looking forwrd to biking home up the hills ...

when he wasn't looking, we removed his seat post and filled the seat tube with water, we also managed to put a heap of water in his tubes too ... he came back to work the next day and said he couldn't understand why it took longer and was harder to get home ... after about a week we told him about the water, and he was furious ... he lost it, and had us drilling all day ...

then when he wasn't looking again, someone dropped a couple of ballbearings into his seat tube ... had him stumped for months looking for the clicking noises ... mind you, it sounded worse on a cannondale!!!

another officer arrived abck from holidays to find we had pulled out his rose garden and planted it in grass, and he lost it ... so someone rang the radio station and asked for a special request for our officer, and they played 'i never promised you a rose garden' ... but that is another story and another day of drill ...

oh, if you have practical jokers at your workplace, check your seat tube for a couple of ballbearings if your bike clicks!!!