I make some really obnoxious noises. Especially when I’m on my bike. It seems that I make this crazy sound every time I pedal. It’s totally awful sounding.
No…..it’s not the awful noise you might be thinking. I’m not motorboating down the road as if I just enjoyed a mexican meal or as if I were a 85 year old guy shuffling across the room. Not that kind of sound.
My bike creaks. Or groans.
Every time I pedal.
It’s so bad that I sound like a metronome cruising down the road. I don’t have to say “on your left” when I’m passing other cyclists – they can hear me coming.
It’s not easy to isolate the cause of this noise. It could come from my saddle rails. Maybe my pedals or crank. It could even be my bottom bracket. I’ve had this problem before. Last time, it was the cleats on my shoes.
So my chore for this weekend? Try to find the squeek and fix it. I’m guessing that it’s my pedals. More specifically, I think it is likely where my pedal spindle meets my crank.
To completely diagnose and cure this issue, here’s what I’m going to do:
- Remove both pedals, apply a thin layer of grease to the spindle and then reinstall
- Remove my saddle, apply a thin layer of grease to the rails – then wipe off, and reinstall
- Tighen my cleat bolts on my shoes
- Lube the springs on my pedals
- Make an offering of a small bird, a bag of grain, and an old bike chain to the cycling gods
Hopefully, one of these steps works. Otherwise, I’ll make the assumption that the noise is coming from my bottom bracket. If that’s the case, I’ll need to take my bike to my local bike shop as I do not have the technical skills (nor the tools) to overhaul my bottom bracket.
Squeeking is probably the pedals but if it’s clicking (like a metronome) then you may need to get into the bottom bracket. I’ve had that problem before and apparently humidity is not a friend of the BB.
Posted by Jeff B | June 22, 2012, 6:18 am