Rear wheel creaking uer pedalling load

[rmurphy195]

Well, yesterday I started getting a creaking noise from the back of the bike when pedalling uphill in the granny gears. I'm not a powerful cyclist, I just sit there and push the pedals around until I get to the top - no standing on the pedals for me I'm afraid so I'm not putting my whole weight behind shoving them round..

This happens on steeper hills, and is definitely when I push the pedals down - so its creak as the right pedal goes down, and again as the left pedal goes down, in just the lower gears.

I checked the crank bolts for tightness, looked for loose spokes, looked for wheel wobbles, and also the QR skewer before I went out this morning, but got the same problem. So since I was travelling that w I popped into the bike shop that built it for me for them to have a look.

By then I had found out how to reproduce the sound - by putting the rear brake on hard and rocking the bike backwards and forwards in the same way as you might check for a loose headset etc. the exact same noise occurs. Since it's disc brakes I guess that the stresses on the wheel using this technique are probably similar to those generated when pedalling. I'm also assuming that since this doesn't invole pushing the pedals round loose cranks etc. are elminated as the cause.

Anyway, the shop did much the same checks as I did (busy as the mechanics are at this time of the year), plus a quick check on the tightness of the disc securing bolts and the caliper bolts, and found no obvious cause. So I left it with them.

I've googled this problem and there seem to be all sorts of horror stories re cracked frames etc., however if there's someone out there that could enlighten me as to the realistic cause I'd be very grateful. It's simply that I want to be aware of what the shop might say when they trace/fix the problem.

A few details are - Condor Heritage Disc frameset, Mavic Aksium One disc wheels, covered about 1200 miles since new a few months ago. EDIT the gears I'm using when this occurs are the 26 tooth chainring and any one of the bigger rear sprockets on an 11-32 8-speed cassette.

In the meantime its back to the Brompton - well, I need to break in its new B17 anyway!

[Brucey]

it could be a creak between the wheel and the frame, between the QR and the axle, someplace else in the wheel or frame... there are countless places a creak can occur.

BTW are you sure it was the same creak when you are on the brakes? It is just that brakes very often make a creaking sound when you do that test, and there are dozens of places elsewhere in the transmission/rest of the bike that can make creaking sounds that might sound similar when you are pedalling.

Note also that if you (say) have a creak between a chainring and the crank (or something) just tightening bolts often won't fix it; the creaking joint usually needs to be disassembled, cleaned, lubed with anti-seize (where appropriate), and reassembled.

cheers

[reohn2]

I've had a similar noise in the past and it turned out to be the bearings needing servicing.
But the problem with such noises they appear to come from one place when they originate from another,if you have Brooks saddle fitted try a squirt of oil or aerosol grease on the nose bolt,especially if you were leaning on the saddle when testing it with the rear brake on.

[jk49]

Had similar symptoms last year. It was very hard to pin down exactly where the creak was coming from.... Anyway, when I finally removed the UN55 bottom bracket it was easy to spot the discolouration caused by some water having worked its way in from the NDS. Liberal use of copper slip has returned it to normal silent behaviour. You didn't say what type of bb you have, but might it be worth a try?
Just re read OP, as it occurs when the cranks aren't being turned, I think my suggestion is unlikely to be relevant.

[hamster]

It's maddening isn't it? I get the same problem with my Litespeed at the end of most winters. A little bit of corrosion builds up on the end of the aluminium axles. Remove the wheel, clean the dropout and axle tip, add a smear of grease and it's q u i e t.

[Paulatic]

The last couple of outings on my road bike i heard a creak when out of the saddle and pushing down on the pedal. This morning I checked it over. Play just coming in the bottom bracket, it's a push fit bb90, I think this will be the cause.

[Keith Bennett]

Had the same trouble on a new mountain bike a good many years ago now. Back to the dealer and was told to come back in a couple of days, it would be adjusted. First trip out and first climb there was the creaking back again, back home into the work shop, remove rear wheel and freewheel block, yes that's how long ago, stripped the rear hub checked cones ball bearings and axle all appeared to be OK. so to the hub itself, and I found that the cup in the freewheel side was not secure in the housing. Reassemble and back to the dealers. Saw a different person this time and explained what I had found. I was asked if I was able to change tyre and tube and the freewheel block, I confirmed the I could and was given a new wheel. Fine and it is quite surprising what you can do with a tube of Loctite.

[Mick F]

Well documented on here .....................

I had a creak exactly as you have ................ and I found out through a long process of elimination, that it was the saddle rails.

Pedals?
Cranks?
BB?
Stem?
Handle bars?
Shoes?
Cleats?

I tried them all, and in the end I took the saddle off the seat post, and greased the clamp and the bolt ........... and tightened it all back down.

Silence.

Are you SURE it's from the pedal area?
Sounds and creaks seem to come from "somewhere", but instead the noise can come from "somewhere else".

[gbnz]

Well documented on here .....................

I had a creak exactly as you have ................ and I found out through a long process of elimination, that it was the saddle rails.

Pedals?
Cranks?
BB?
Stem?
Handle bars?

Silence.
".

Same here last spring. Tried everything, even put the bike in at the lbs who actually specialise in engineering (I never use bike shops!), was confident after a few weeks it was the BB threads (Replaced with a BB for knackered BB's). Eventually bought a new frame as I'd had enough.

Swapped the saddle over, became apparent it was one of the saddle rails (Nb. I'd disliked the original frame from the day of purchase and after several countries still disliked it, it was heavily used, so not a major loss). Had a similar issue on a road bike in 2009, found in that case it was excess wear to the seat post/seat tube interface.

Moral of the story, is that a creaks are displaced and can come from anywhere

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I have had a creak for a couple of weeks, put it down to play on one side of BB
I am not sure whether with this type of BB a plastic locking ring was a good idea.
The cartridge on the left is just floating and should be clamped by the locking ring.
I have replaced it with a conventional BB, all is well
I liked the Cartridge as you can replace the bearings, but the design is flawed.
This is a recycled part.

Edited _ P.S. - The design flaw might have been me using the plastic and not metal, and someone will say its junk even with the metal..........I know I Know.................

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Still creaking
I think its the plastic toe clips........what are they?............you know the thingummy bits on your pedals.........

[HoratioWondersocks]

Loose pedal perhaps?
Sometimes a pedal can come loose(causing graunch upon revolution ) ,and you can't always tell just by grabbing it and waggling it about .
Has happened to me over the years.
Recently bought a new set of pedals ,and again the same thing occurred.
It's seems to be a bedding in sort of problem.
Anyways after tightening up all is quiet again.
Might be worth just wealding a spanner ,obviously don't over tighten though.

Andy

[Brucey]

if the pedal is creaking in the crank (which in this case I think is unlikely), often simply retightening it won't do the trick; I have seen many where the 'cure' was only achieved once the pedals had been removed and all surfaces greased before reinstallation.

cheers

[rmurphy195]

Thanks for the advice Brucey, when I get the bike back from the LBS I'll do the pedal/crank thing as a preventative measure (we eliminated this as a cause by reproducing the sound without touching the cranks!)

Just been revewing the videos from my Virb - and had a reminder of justhow good it is at picking up noises from the bike. So to hear the sound watch this video (and turn the sound up!) https://youtu.be/W2H6NDshuKA

To my mind it definitely sounds a bit "spoky", though the bike shop did a quick check for loose spokes, QR etc. while I was there , with 2 people gluing their earholes to the back of the bike - definitely coming from around the hub somewhere as far as we could tell.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Yesterday I had no volume left on my earphones
But a loud cracking noise with each pedal stroke, maybe more one side than the other, both pedal bearings are slightly loose but well greased, if you adjust the bearings then go slack quickly and stay that way without more slack soon, cheap pedals.

The chain is bottom range KMC a previous one lasted 330 miles then snapped, all my chains this bike are previous skip bike chains so used, the chain is already above 0.75% in parts and the main problem is that the cheap middle riveted chain wheel is for some reason badly worn.
I use the middle on all steep hills and then on the lower three cassette sprockets.

So chainline is poor and the chain cheap and middle chainwheel has shaped teeth to aid shift etc, at the point of most torque the slots have gone long so its shagged
The BB is new shimano un53 whatever well greased and fitted last few days.

I need to swap the chainset for better sprockets and probably the chain, exasperated by the fact my hills are some 25% and the bike weighs 50 Ibs , I never use the granny on these rides.
Before I got home I thought loose cassette bolt? the noise is not there all the time even under stress but maybe at the point of most stress.

Creaking................dry joint which is worn and will not clamp tight