That Annoying Clicking Sound!



Ron338

New Member
Feb 7, 2004
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I have a Cannondale R800 (aluminum frame) with a Truvative 52/42/30 crankset. I hear a clicking sound when the left side crank starts its downstroke. The click is intermittent. So far, I've swapped the BB, greased the BB threads, greased the chainring bolts, greased the seatpost and seat rails, greased the splines on the bb, and greased the crankarm bolts. Sometimes the click disappears for a while, then comes back. When it does click, it does it whether Im pedaling in the saddle or not.

I dont see any weld cracks, or anything like that...any thoughts on what to try next??
 
Does it matter what chainring you're on? If it clicks when you're on the 52 or 30, chances are, it's the chain rubbing against the derailleur.
 
Ron338 said:
I have a Cannondale R800 (aluminum frame) with a Truvative 52/42/30 crankset. I hear a clicking sound when the left side crank starts its downstroke. The click is intermittent. So far, I've swapped the BB, greased the BB threads, greased the chainring bolts, greased the seatpost and seat rails, greased the splines on the bb, and greased the crankarm bolts. Sometimes the click disappears for a while, then comes back. When it does click, it does it whether Im pedaling in the saddle or not.

I dont see any weld cracks, or anything like that...any thoughts on what to try next??


My mystery clicking on the downstroke of the left pedal was a loose bearing in the pedal.
 
How many k's (or miles) have you done on your bike. I had a similar situation and my problem was in fact the drive-train. If you notice that the chain isn't sitting flush on your front chainring or rear cluster that could be the problem.

Check for wear on the teeth of your front chainring(s) and real cluster. I also found that my chain had stretched, hence the uneven wear on the gears.
 
grease the bolts on your stem. i had a noise that i thought was coming from the crankset/BB, but it was the stem. my bike makes tons of noise when i climb hills anyways. i give up and just try to block it out.
 
keydates said:
Does it matter what chainring you're on? If it clicks when you're on the 52 or 30, chances are, it's the chain rubbing against the derailleur.

Nope...it happens on every chainring, and with the same rhythm, no matter what ring I'm using
 
Brunswick_kate said:
My mystery clicking on the downstroke of the left pedal was a loose bearing in the pedal.

Nope...I swapped the pedals already (I forgot to mention that), and it still made the noise....thanks!
 
jazmo said:
How many k's (or miles) have you done on your bike. I had a similar situation and my problem was in fact the drive-train. If you notice that the chain isn't sitting flush on your front chainring or rear cluster that could be the problem.

Check for wear on the teeth of your front chainring(s) and real cluster. I also found that my chain had stretched, hence the uneven wear on the gears.

The bike has about 1600 miles on it, and has all the original drivetrain components. I dont see any signs of ususal wear, and the drivetrain seems to be aligned.....thanks!
 
velomanct said:
grease the bolts on your stem. i had a noise that i thought was coming from the crankset/BB, but it was the stem. my bike makes tons of noise when i climb hills anyways. i give up and just try to block it out.

I hadnt thought of this one, so I tried it....still clicks! But thanks!
 
I had a squeak the same - took me weeks to find it.

In the end I simply removed both pedals, greased the threads, and put them back in. Fixed. I read somewhere that greasing the threads makes them fit better....seems to work.
 
Ron338 said:
I have a Cannondale R800 (aluminum frame) with a Truvative 52/42/30 crankset. I hear a clicking sound when the left side crank starts its downstroke. The click is intermittent. So far, I've swapped the BB, greased the BB threads, greased the chainring bolts, greased the seatpost and seat rails, greased the splines on the bb, and greased the crankarm bolts. Sometimes the click disappears for a while, then comes back. When it does click, it does it whether Im pedaling in the saddle or not.

I dont see any weld cracks, or anything like that...any thoughts on what to try next??

It could be when your right crank starts it upstroke wouldn't it? left down right up, right down left up :D

I found my clicking due to the right crank hitting the end of the cable for the rear derailer, which was pointing up and to the right side.

Simple as that, and I thought what the heck was the click-click-tick-tick all about! Got me searchin for a while :D
 
My mystery noise was eminatting from the bolt-on derailluer hanger. The bolt was just a little loose so that when I loaded it up the chain would pull on it somehow and the creak would travel up the chain stay and sound like it was in the BB. Took me -3- weeks to find it.

Moral of the story; Blue lock tight is a beautiful thing in the right places.
 
Ron338 said:
I have a Cannondale R800 (aluminum frame) with a Truvative 52/42/30 crankset. I hear a clicking sound when the left side crank starts its downstroke. The click is intermittent. So far, I've swapped the BB, greased the BB threads, greased the chainring bolts, greased the seatpost and seat rails, greased the splines on the bb, and greased the crankarm bolts. Sometimes the click disappears for a while, then comes back. When it does click, it does it whether Im pedaling in the saddle or not.

I dont see any weld cracks, or anything like that...any thoughts on what to try next??

Can you reproduce the noise just by pushing on the crank with the bike sitting still? If you determine that flexing the frame is what's causing the noise, that could help troubleshooting.
 
Aluminum BB shells can sometimes become slightly (imperceptibly) deformed, which leads to the BB loosening-up and a clicking noises like you're describing. Does the clicking stop when you tighten the BB and then start-up again after a few rides? Temporary (blue) Locktite on the BB threads will usually take care of it.
 
Ron338 said:
I have a Cannondale R800 (aluminum frame) with a Truvative 52/42/30 crankset. I hear a clicking sound when the left side crank starts its downstroke. The click is intermittent. So far, I've swapped the BB, greased the BB threads, greased the chainring bolts, greased the seatpost and seat rails, greased the splines on the bb, and greased the crankarm bolts. Sometimes the click disappears for a while, then comes back. When it does click, it does it whether Im pedaling in the saddle or not.

I dont see any weld cracks, or anything like that...any thoughts on what to try next??
I had a click also that drove me nuts. It would come and go just like yours. I couldn't find the problem so eventually decided that I'd have to live with it. I purchased and installed some speedplay pedals to replace my cheap wellgo clipless and now the sound is gone!:D

My friend had a click also and we found that it was the front derailler cable end was sticking out and the crankarm would hit it each time around.
 
meehs said:
Aluminum BB shells can sometimes become slightly (imperceptibly) deformed, which leads to the BB loosening-up and a clicking noises like you're describing. Does the clicking stop when you tighten the BB and then start-up again after a few rides? Temporary (blue) Locktite on the BB threads will usually take care of it.

Thanks...I did try teflon tape on the BB threads, and that didn't work...however, I think I will give this a shot.
 
dhk said:
Can you reproduce the noise just by pushing on the crank with the bike sitting still? If you determine that flexing the frame is what's causing the noise, that could help troubleshooting.

Yes, I did notice that, if I got the pedal in just the right position and pushed on it with the bike standing still, I could hear the click. I'm a big guy (215 lbs), but my riding partner is 140, and when he rides the bike the same clicking happens. Would an aluminum frame flex that much under a 140 Lb rider's weight? (my other bikes have been steel, this is my first aluminum frame). And if it does flex and click like that, it seems to me that the frame is defective.........