Seat Clicking Noise

[9202]

Go figure,

Last week my pride and joy developed an annoying click during a morning ride. I checked everything and I mean everything. Tighted, lubed, removed, checked, double checked.

The noise was still there, would go away when I got out of the saddle to sprint. I checked the seat clamps, lubed and tightened...still there. Finally took the bike out on my street for a quick run. I intentionlly swayed from side to side and there it was, that pesky annoying click.

Removed the seat and began to visually examine everything. The seat is a Selle Italia Carbon Teknolgica. One of the carbon rails has broken away from the seat shell ever so slightly and was the clicking culpret.

Took me three days and enough hours for a half century to find the problem.

Go figure?

[9202]

Now this is really weird....

I changed the seat to a Fi'zi'k Aliante (really comfortable BTW) after a recommendation by my LBS racing Guru. Went for a 25 mile ride and after about 5 miles the click was back. Not the same though, this time it would occur only when my right pedal was in the 6:00 position. It occured both in and out of the saddle.

So now I am getting really neurotic, can't sleep, can't eat, can't work. So I leave the office early (I'm the boss, so I told everyone I had a meeting to go to). Get home and remove the new seat and post, inspect, tighten, and reinstall. Test ride and still making that annoying clicking noise. Take the wheels off, lube the drop outs, reinstall wheel; take the bike for a spin....noise is still there.

Now I am getting pissed. Load the bike in the truck and rush over to the LBS, which isn't all that local. Damn, the door is locked and the sign says "Sorry, gone riding". Load the bike up and head home. The sun is setting and my wife tells me I am becomimg compulsive. What does she know, I will show her compulsive.

She insists that I stop for dinner. Chicken Parmigana....my favorite after ride meal! Feel better but still annoyed.

Go back into the my bike room, grab the torque wrench and tighted the stem screws, handlebar screws, and head bolt. Take bike out for a quick 2 miler.....the sound of a well lubed and click free DuraAce gruppo never sounded so nice.

I have read of others getting clicks after a few miles. I think this is because we tend go easy for a mile or two and them when warmed up we begin to push it. That is when we put greater force on the components and loose or intermittent movements take place.

Tonight I will sleep soundly and the machine sits in the bike room waiting for it's next ride.

[yamaha_mike]

my old bike hated dirt in the seat tube. sounds like you are still looking for your culprit.

i laughed reading your disgust with the click. it shouldn't matter - but it does!

[9202]

my old bike hated dirt in the seat tube. sounds like you are still looking for your culprit.

i laughed reading your disgust with the click. it shouldn't matter - but it does!

Yamaha Dude, nope - found the sucker, it was the either the stem screws, head bolt or handle bar screws. Click went away after tightening these puppies.

Thanks, glad you found humor as a result of my being tortured!
:D :rolleyes: :)

[lava]

On this same subject, I have a very annoying clicking coming from my stem that goes away when I tighten my stem cap. Unfortunately, it only goes away completely when the cap is too tight and the bars don't swing loosely! I have the cap tightened just slightly more than it should be and the click now only happens one time when I take off quickly from a complete standstill, whereas it happened at every bump previously. It sounds like two tightly-held quarters being tapped together. Anybody have any idea what that is? Is there anything I can do about this besides having my stem cap too tight?

[kdelong]

On this same subject, I have a very annoying clicking coming from my stem that goes away when I tighten my stem cap. Unfortunately, it only goes away completely when the cap is too tight and the bars don't swing loosely! I have the cap tightened just slightly more than it should be and the click now only happens one time when I take off quickly from a complete standstill, whereas it happened at every bump previously. Anybody have any idea what that is?
Check your headset bearings.

[lava]

Check your headset bearings.Interesting. Someone recently told me that I had a somewhat crappy headset, which of course has me wanting a nicer one now. You may have just sealed the deal with that statement! http://cyclingforums.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif