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Creaking bike

JasonBJasonB Posts: 303
Hello all,



God I havent been on here in ages.



Hope the season is going well for everybody.



I have a question. I bought a Karbona carbon frame for a great price, and am really chuffed with it. However there seems to be a creaking noise appeared. It mainly appears when I push down on the left pedal.



Would anybody know what this could be. I hope it is not the frame. I was hoping that maybe the guy who put my bike together (friend not professional) maybe buggered a bearing on the pedal shaft or something.



Thanks if you can help.

Comments

  • transittransit Posts: 163
    Not the dreaded 'pedal push creak'!!!



    Best thing to do is to go on the parktools website. They run you through the best way to identifying the creak by eliminating pieces of eqt e.g start by replacing pedal - has creak gone? nah, damn, tighten chainset bolts, has creak gone? nah, damn etc etc.



    Try and identify if it is just when you push the pedal down, if so then it is likely to be the pedal, crankset bolts (very creaky normally) or possibly bottom bracket. If you can't isolate it to definitely when you push the pedal it could be the seat/seat post - creaktastic too normally or wheel bearings.



    Don't assume creak is coming necessarily from area it seems to be heard from as the frame will resonate the sound from other areas, could be headset or something like that.



    Park tools, that's the way fwd - Good luck [:)]
  • tony btony b Posts: 57
    Another possibility: creaking often comes from a bar and stelm that don't quite fit correctly. However, if this was it, I would have thought you could quite easily tell that was the source
  • notmilknotmilk Posts: 35
    Some of my MTB buddies have had this sort of creak turn out to be the saddle rails - try tightening the saddle?
  • TTX PROTTX PRO Posts: 225
    Sounds like a bottom bracket problem however its just with one pedal witch is a bit strange.What pedals are you riding with at the moment cus sometimes when there is too much movement between the pedal and cleat it can make a creaking sound.From what your describing it could be a possibility.
  • SamutriSamutri Posts: 143
    Could be your knees - I get that a lot, especially in the winter.

    Glucosamine's the answer but wait until Holland and Barrett have one of their half price sales.



    [;)]
  • JonhinioJonhinio Posts: 289
    Spookily I'm having exactly the same problem. Cycling to work last Friday and it soudned awful. Thoguht the whole bike was going to fall apart. Took my MTB in to my local bike shop to find out what was wrong. Supposedly they had fixed it, but it's started again on the way to work this morning, albeit not as bad. I'm reluctant to pay for a full service if it's a trivial problem. I can't seem to find where exactly the creak is coming from.



    Mind you I do have a dodgy knee so Samutri may be onto something there.
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    Bottom bracket creak is prevalent in some brands and models of BB. Noted offenders are FRM and in some cases 105. I don't know why it happens but I have a decent FRM BB on my road bike and it is forever creaking, its annoying but just get usedto it. However it could be a faulty BB or a bearing could be "shot". Your best bet is to get it checked out at a reputable bike shop.
  • JasonBJasonB Posts: 303
    Found out what it was. The crank was attached to the frame too tight. I lubed it, and didnt put quite as much pressure and voila. Creaking gone.



    I think it was pushing to hard on the bracket/bearings causing the creaking.









  • Maybe unrelated but I have just had a similar experience on an Alloy bike, I regreased and tightened everything and then even took it to a local shop for them to give it a good going over with the request that the bike be fully examined (mentioned the creak)as I was doing a race at the weekend and then cycling from Lands end to john o groats and didnt want if falling apart on me (i had also noticed a dark line round the weld crease where the rear forks attached to the seatstay - but put it down to grease/surface issues).



    I got the bike back and it still had the creak, cycled the race and 1115 miles from end to end. When i returned I broke the bike down and went to regrease but went for a second opinion at another shop and was told "your bikes basicly f_+&(*d, the rear fork could come away and the creaking may well be from the frame flexing at the weak point (the creak only came when i was putting effort through the crank and therefore the frame).



    Needless to say Im not going back to the first shop

  • zig a zagazig a zaga Posts: 22
    What a coincidence !! I was out on my 6 week old Trek madone 5.1 yesterday. I have done about 150 mile on it, since new. The creaking, seemed to be when pushing down on the left pedal, uphill. i was passing the bike supplier, who had a look at the crank bearings, and re greased them. The noise was a bit reduced after, but I then started thinking it could be the old pedals, after approx 1600 miles.



    I plan to buy some new pedals, if this doesnt cure it, the bike will be going back to the suppliers.
  • scott298scott298 Posts: 122
    This is weird I have excactly the same problem!!



    I had my bike for about 7 months brand new, with 3500 miles on it, there was a clicking noise coming from the chainset, so to eliminate the problem I changed the chain which was streched and also the bottom bracket!



    seemed to be ok for a week or so but then guess what...



    left crank squeeking noise!!!



    took it apart thinking I didin't do the bottom bracket tight enough, tightened it up but same problem.



    I gave in and at the moment its sitting in the bike shop!

    just got a message on the ansewring maching and I'm sitting here waiting for there call. so they should tell me whats wrong!!



    be interesting to hear what they say after reading this thread!!



  • zig a zagazig a zaga Posts: 22
    Problem solved. Changed pedals and the creaking has stopped.



    I will now buy some decent clip ins and shoes. After looking at lots of websites, this is easier said than done. Can anybody recommend a good entry level, for pedals and shoes ?



    I need to get some and build confidence, with clip ins. I had the normal embaracing, falling off when I bought my mountain bike clip ins, a few years ago. This was in a heavy line of waiting traffic, in Halifax, I felt a right prawn !!!



    I have managed without clip ins since then, now I have got a decent bike, i should get decent equipment and hopefully benefit from this.
  • JasonBJasonB Posts: 303
    I quite like the Shimano pedals, the entry level are just as good in my eyes as the top of the range stuff. You can go over board with shoes and buy really expensive ones. However I got a cheap (£40.00 ish) pair if Sidi from EBay and love them.
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