Creaking from BB area?

[kernow-tourer]

Morning folks, on my morning ride I started to hear some creaking from the area of my bottom bracket, any ideas?
It isn't really loud and only happens when I'm applying a lot of pressure to get the notorious cornish hills! There is no play in the cranks or anything else that seems wrong. The bottom bracket is a sealed unit and the last time I had it out of the fram during a major overhaul everything seemed fine.
Any ideas or suggestions would be great.
Thanks Alex

[cjchambers]

It's common problem, and can come from the most unlikely of sources!

Lots of ideas on this thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=35912

[gbnz]

My creaking bottom bracket originated from; a flexing seat tube post, a worn seat post shim, a worn seat post, a worn seat post mounting, rusted saddle rails, a dodgy pedal, loose chainset bolts, a creaking headset, "squared off bearings within the front wheel hub", etc, etc, etc

I'm considering buying a new bike next time it creaks, given it cost £680 to finally eliminate the creaking

[spanner]

Morning folks, on my morning ride I started to hear some creaking from the area of my bottom bracket, any ideas?
It isn't really loud and only happens when I'm applying a lot of pressure to get the notorious cornish hills! There is no play in the cranks or anything else that seems wrong. The bottom bracket is a sealed unit and the last time I had it out of the fram during a major overhaul everything seemed fine.
Any ideas or suggestions would be great.
Thanks Alex

i have a revell of london romany touring bike and the bb on that was a sealed unit that started creaking within a week the bearing inside had given up and the unit went loose
suggest you take the unit out and check it trouble with sealed units is that you can pump grease into the bearings
probably would be best to replace it sooner rather than later

[irc]

I had creaking that was once every revolution of the pedals. It was a loose chainring bolt. Actually not loose just not tightened properly at the factory. I hadn't thought to check the bolts on a new chainset.

[mill4six]

Mine stopped when I greased the seatpost.

[Edvardus]

I had a creak from the same area on my Saracen hybrid and was convinced it was the shoes I was using although tightening the cleat bolts didn't do anything. The hybrid has gone and I've got the same noise on one of my new bikes (Allez Sport triple) AND with different shoes, so that hits that theory on the head. Personally, I think it's the Mysterons...

[grognut]

I thought I had a creak from the BB area on two occasions, separate bikes.

1) When I pressed on the pedal there was a creak. Turned out to be a front wheel bearing creaking from the sidewards pressure of pedalling.
2) When I pressed on the pedal there was a creak. Truned out to be my brooks saddle. Dropped some Neat's foot compound on the underside of the rivits and problem solved.

In the second case I was convinced it was the bb until I had my wife listening to it and she identified it as from the saddle. By this time I had stipped and rebuilt the bb and cranks/pedals.

Moral is get someone else to listen to it.

Hope this helps.

[andyf]

Saddle rails and seatpost are a good guess - I tested by cycling standing on the pedals and the noise stopped! Then grease did the trick.

[matt2matt2002]

My creak turned out to be the cleats..!

[CREPELLO]

I'd use TF2 spray (teflon) lube to trouble shoot the creak. Aim the spray at each bolt or interface in turn, starting with the most obvious places.

1) Undo bolt (or component) slightly, spray , then tighten. This ensures the lube penetrates the threads/interface.

2) Go out for a test ride for each lube application.

3) When the creak ceases, undo the guilty bolt, component etc and apply copper grease to threads.

4) Enjoy the silence.

[Fatou]

Mine were the pedals screwed into the cranks with no grease, Using reasoned investigation I worked this out.

No, I'm lying, I read a book that said you should oil them, so I did. Creak stopped.

[CREPELLO]

Mine were the pedals screwed into the cranks with no grease, Using reasoned investigation I worked this out.

No, I'm lying, I read a book that said you should oil them, so I did. Creak stopped.

You'd be better off with greasing the threads though, once you've found the creak.

[DurableAce]

1) When I pressed on the pedal there was a creak. Turned out to be a front wheel bearing creaking from the sidewards pressure of pedalling.

+1. Try the rear hub too. The cones may be loose, or if you've a more bling wheels, like a Mavic Kysrium, the adjustment cap may be loose.

[Colin63]

I thought I had a creak from the BB area on two occasions, separate bikes.

When I pressed on the pedal there was a creak. Turned out to be my brooks saddle. Dropped some Neat's foot compound on the underside of the rivits and problem solved.

In the second case I was convinced it was the bb until I had my wife listening to it and she identified it as from the saddle. By this time I had stipped and rebuilt the bb and cranks/pedals.

Moral is get someone else to listen to it.

Hope this helps.

That certainly helps me. I had to tension my Brooks a few weeks ago and it's been creaking ever since. I was leaving it on the assumption that it would bed in and silence itself, but after 300 miles it's still groaning and complaining. I'll get some neats foot and see what happens.