'Cracking' noise from somewhere

[sapman]

Hi everyone,

just wondered whether anyone has any ideas with a problem I have. My bike is a Cannondale R2000 (Caad7) and i'm delighted with it - compared to my other custom-built reynolds 631 bike it's just so smooth, light and responsive.
I've only done about 1000 miles so far on the Cannondale, and it's made a wierd noise, a noise that I can only describe as like a whip or something cracking, ever since I bought it - and it only does it when I'm going up a hill and out of the saddle and when my right foot is at the lowest point, ie. the pedal crank pointing right at the floor. At first I thought it was maybe a loose spoke in the front wheel but now I'm beginning to wonder whether it's coming from the bottom bracket as it seems to be getting slightly louder. There's no sensation of anything being mechanically wrong at all, just this noise!
I work away from home most weeks so it's not easy to find time to take it back to the bike shop - which I will be ding in a few weeks time - so I wondered if anyone any thoughts, and also, could I be doing any damage by riding it?

Thanks in advance for any advice BTW.

 

[IEatRice4Dinner]

bring it to a shop to look at it

 

[OneRing]

Hi everyone,

just wondered whether anyone has any ideas with a problem I have. My bike is a Cannondale R2000 (Caad7) and i'm delighted with it - compared to my other custom-built reynolds 631 bike it's just so smooth, light and responsive.
I've only done about 1000 miles so far on the Cannondale, and it's made a wierd noise, a noise that I can only describe as like a whip or something cracking, ever since I bought it - and it only does it when I'm going up a hill and out of the saddle and when my right foot is at the lowest point, ie. the pedal crank pointing right at the floor. At first I thought it was maybe a loose spoke in the front wheel but now I'm beginning to wonder whether it's coming from the bottom bracket as it seems to be getting slightly louder. There's no sensation of anything being mechanically wrong at all, just this noise!
I work away from home most weeks so it's not easy to find time to take it back to the bike shop - which I will be ding in a few weeks time - so I wondered if anyone any thoughts, and also, could I be doing any damage by riding it?

Thanks in advance for any advice BTW.

I'll bet it's the pedal being a bit lose try tighening the pedal to the crank.

 

[DCwom]

My Wife had a similier "noise" I just couldn't figure out. It turned out to be the plastic "gaurd" that is sometimes between the spokes & rear cassette (gears). It would make cracking sounds when she pedaled, but was unaudiable when she coasted due to the freeweeling noise.

 

[kvl1027]

Probably the pedal or crank arm, take it to the shop so they have a look at it.

 

[Ignore Me]

I just went through this with my R600. Try standing over the bike with both brakes firmly on and rock the bars from side to side. This will isolate a headset crack/snap from BB. Mine had no detectable play but would crack during out of the saddle climbs. I loosened the stem clamps, tightened the top bolt and re-tightened the clamps....blessed silence even when really stomping a big gear. If you don't hear anything then try riding in a situation that produces the noise and hold the bars as close to the stem as you can to minimise handlebar/headset flex. If it still creaks it's proabably either a crank arm or BB.

If all else fails, go to your LBS and find it!!! Whatever you do, don't ignore it, it could cause further damage or worse..a crash.

 

[Phill P]

There are a lot of joints down near the bottom bracket that could be making the noise under load. The bottom bracket could be flexing or loose, the spline could be loose, the pedals could be loose. All these things might only make a noise when under full load in a certina direction (ie out of the saddle up a hill bottom dead center) then be amplified by the large Al down tube.

I assume you're confident the sound is coming from the bottom bracket area. As stated above handle bars and shifter pods can some times make noises under load as well.

Take you bike to a shop, have them pull the cranks and bottom bracket to bit, re cut the threads and put everything back together with a little grease.

Another solution is to not get out of the saddle going up hill. This will also stop us bigger guys looking so stupid as we're left behind.

 

[Eastway82]

There are a lot of joints down near the bottom bracket that could be making the noise under load.

Also, even if it sounds like the bottom bracket, it might be something else. I changed my BB in my race bike a few months back, and it started a sort of whispering squeak. Stripped it several times, tightened everything, no change. Last week I went to the Alps so took my triple-equipped training bike, but swapped the wheels for the FSA RD400s from my race bike. At the foot of the Joux Plane the squeak arrived, then got worse and turned into a proper squeal (almost loud enough to drown the noise of my suffering lungs...). Eventually traced it to loose bearing caps in the rear hub. Tightened them and no problem any more - but I would have laid good money on that noise coming from the BB.

 

[sapman]

Guy's,

thanks V much for all your replies. I managed to take the bike back to the shop last Friday and they stripped out the BB, said a 'cup' was a bit loose?, then put it back together and greased it all up. My ride on Sunday was, I am pleased to say, a quiet one, even going up hills! Ah, silence really is golden - well, except for the huffing, puffing and panting noises on the way up!