Crackling Noise

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

I get a loud crackling sound. The sound seems to start near my
crank. If I'm not pedaling very hard there is no noise, but if I
start mashing it, the noise starts and continues. It also
occasionally makes the same noise whenever I hit a big bump and I'm
not pedaling.

i can think of a few things i've experienced in that general vicinity.

first, if it's really in the vicinity of the cranks, it could be:
1) pedal-thread/crank creaking. grease the pedal threads & reinstall
2) loose crankarms. tighten the crankarm to the bb spindle.
3) spider/chainring creaking. grease the bolts & chainrings (where
the bolts go in) and reinstall.

if you're riding campy, i'd also suspect the cassette/freehub interface.
after 15 years of making those things, campy still can't make one that
won't creak when you pedal. a little grease on the freehub before you
install the cassette will minimize it.

also a possible culprit: your seat. sometimes they creak, either where
they're clamped into the seatpost or where the rails meet the body.

Quoted message said:

My road bike has a really interesting noise, that I can't seem to
figure out.

I get a loud crackling sound. The sound seems to start near my
crank. If I'm not pedaling very hard there is no noise, but if I
start mashing it, the noise starts and continues. It also
occasionally makes the same noise whenever I hit a big bump and I'm
not pedaling.

Any ideas what this might be? or any ideas how I can better diagnose
what the problem is?

Chain rubbing/rattling against the FD cage?

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

My road bike has a really interesting noise, that I can't seem to
figure out.

I get a loud crackling sound. The sound seems to start near my
crank. If I'm not pedaling very hard there is no noise, but if I
start mashing it, the noise starts and continues. It also
occasionally makes the same noise whenever I hit a big bump and I'm
not pedaling.

Any ideas what this might be? or any ideas how I can better diagnose
what the problem is?

thanks.

pedal-cleat interaction

--
Michael Press

Quoted message said:

My road bike has a really interesting noise, that I can't seem to
figure out.

I get a loud crackling sound. The sound seems to start near my
crank. If I'm not pedaling very hard there is no noise, but if I
start mashing it, the noise starts and continues. It also
occasionally makes the same noise whenever I hit a big bump and I'm
not pedaling.

Any ideas what this might be? or any ideas how I can better diagnose
what the problem is?

thanks.

We chase noises all the time and it could be lots of things. BB,
chainrings, cogset, chain, pedals, hubs/wheels, seatpost/saddle.
Anything Try to narrow it down to standing/sitting, gear/chainring,
climbing, etc..If all else fails, take it apart and grease
everything..Also what type of stuff you have would help.

Quoted message said:

My road bike has a really interesting noise, that I can't seem to
figure out.

I get a loud crackling sound. The sound seems to start near my
crank. If I'm not pedaling very hard there is no noise, but if I
start mashing it, the noise starts and continues. It also
occasionally makes the same noise whenever I hit a big bump and I'm
not pedaling.

Any ideas what this might be? or any ideas how I can better diagnose
what the problem is?

I had a similar issue with my road bike, and eventually discovered it to
be a "dry" headset. It sounded as though the sound came from the area
around the BB when riding, but further inspection proved it to be the
headset. (Although I did have a worn out BB and the fifth hidden crank
bolt was stripped, that was not the source of any noises.)

To check if it is the headset just hold your bike firmly by the
handlebars and seat while leaning it from you and stepping on the
nearest crank arm so that the frame flexes lightly. This should also
reproduce sounds coming from the BB under load.
--
Asbjørn L. Johansen
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

My road bike has a really interesting noise, that I can't seem to
figure out.

Get you and your bike to an LBS. Put the bike on a trainer with a tech
nearby. Dupe the noise. That'll answer the riddle of the crackling bike.

Quoted message said:

My road bike has a really interesting noise, that I can't seem to
figure out.

I get a loud crackling sound. The sound seems to start near my
crank. If I'm not pedaling very hard there is no noise, but if I
start mashing it, the noise starts and continues. It also
occasionally makes the same noise whenever I hit a big bump and I'm
not pedaling.

Any ideas what this might be? or any ideas how I can better diagnose
what the problem is?

thanks.

is the bike frame/fork carbon? if so, you need to do some testing and
inspection urgently.