Clickety click when pedalling

Sorry for another "can you help me figure out why my bike clicks when I pedal?" but can anyone help me figure out why my bike clicks when I pedal?

What happens is I get a clickity click (or more a tick tickerty tick) when I pedal (from medium hard and harder). I'm running singlespeed.

I've recently given the bike a bit of an overhaul and eliminated a load of creaks and grinds. Here's what I've done which will hopefully rule out a bunch of usual noise sources.

• Replaced BB - it was grinding and had done a few 1000k
  
• Stripped and greased the pedals - same as above
  
• New chain (and it's on tight) - KMC Z510
  
• New shimano singlespeed freewheel, removing the old dicta
  
  
  

When I put the bike on a stand and pedal I don't hear the noise. One thing is the nut next to the new freewheel is only as tight as I could go by hand, as I didn't have a spanner thin enough to get in there to tighten, could it be that? Happy to buy one if you guys think it'll fix it.

Has anyone any ideas on anything else to check? I've thoroughly gone through Sheldon's clicks and creaks page and couldn't find anything like this.

Cheers

chainring bolts

Saddle.

Thanks will check both.

I'm pretty sure chainring bolts are tight as it was on Sheldon's list but it won't hurt to check again.

Dumb question, but if I just stand in the pedals whilst pedaling and it still clicks will that rule out the saddle?

mine had the same issue as yours.. but then discovered that my clipless pedals needs some lubrication on the 'clip-springs'.. after that clicking noise is gone.. it's a look keo 2 max btw..

mine had the same issue as yours.. but then discovered that my clipless pedals needs some lubrication on the 'clip-springs'.. after that clicking noise is gone.. it's a look keo 2 max btw..

Thanks man, I think I can rule that out though, here's my pedals

Mine was super tight chain pulling on chainring. Something about drivetrain parts never really being a proper circle or something.

Check your wheel bearings. Had a persistent/click creak until I took off the rear wheel and span it whilst holding the axles. Crunchy as hell and would help explain why it happens when you freewheel too.

Before you dismantle your hubs though grease saddle bolts, threads and seatpost. Eliminate the easy things first!

My does this, think its the cleats on the atacs, but seeing as you don't have these pedals, it wont be that!

Still check the BB. Could be the cups are not tight flush.

quick release

yeah I had the wheel bearing problem like se1derful...

For some reason I was convinced that it was my chain ring bolts.

I replaced chain ring bolts (2 sets), BB, and pedals before realising that it was the rear wheel bearings. The bearings were pitted and causing an awful lot of noise while riding. The fact that it doesn't happen under load (when on the stand) might indicate a bearing problem.

chainring bolts

I checked these again. Seems I missed one. Last time I probably check 4 of 5 and thought the other must be tight too. It was not. Lesson learnt there. I tightened it best I could with a kitchen knife and an allen key. It was a helluva lot better, but started clicking again after around 3km on up hills. Gonna order a chainring nut wrench today and give a real good tighten :)

Saddle.

Check your wheel bearings. Had a persistent/click creak until I took off the rear wheel and span it whilst holding the axles. Crunchy as hell and would help explain why it happens when you freewheel too.

Before you dismantle your hubs though grease saddle bolts, threads and seatpost. Eliminate the easy things first!

yeah I had the wheel bearing problem like se1derful...

For some reason I was convinced that it was my chain ring bolts.

I replaced chain ring bolts (2 sets), BB, and pedals before realising that it was the rear wheel bearings. The bearings were pitted and causing an awful lot of noise while riding. The fact that it doesn't happen under load (when on the stand) might indicate a bearing problem.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Will grease up the saddle bolts and seatpost tonight. If I still have noises I'll check out the wheel bearings too. I had suspected something up with the rear hub, I went down a sandy cycle track in the wet a few months back and am sure that was not a wise move. I did attempt to get in there once, but could not figure out how. It seemed a sealed unit. It's a "Formula TH 51" that came with the bike.

The BB bolts are insanely tight - I was standing on my BB tool! I was trying to fix a previous creaking sound that I was convinced was the new BB not aligning with the cranks, anyway that turned out to be the old chain. Fixed the grinding from the old BB though. Strange how noises seem to not come from the source, they must be amplified through the frame to some other place.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Will grease up the saddle bolts and seatpost tonight. If I still have noises I'll check out the wheel bearings too. I had suspected something up with the rear hub, I went down a sandy cycle track in the wet a few months back and am sure that was not a wise move. I did attempt to get in there once, but could not figure out how. It seemed a sealed unit. It's a "Formula TH 51" that came with the bike.

The BB bolts are insanely tight - I was standing on my BB tool! I was trying to fix a previous creaking sound that I was convinced was the new BB not aligning with the cranks, anyway that turned out to be the old chain. Fixed the grinding from the old BB though. Strange how noises seem to not come from the source, they must be amplified through the frame to some other place.

When I had my click, I could of sworn I could feel the click through the pedals. Replaced those before checking everything else, PITFA.

I had a persists t click, turned out it was something to do with my headset, just loosened everything and tightened it up again. Could be chain line or tight chain too.
If it happens when freewheeling then it's shagged wheel/freewheel bearings.

quite a few times i've traced noises to a loose BB, not a knackered BB itself or the BB spindle bolts- but the 'cups' (i'm referring to the cartridge style BB here ) that hold the BB in the BB shell, these are worth checking for grit (which will stop proper tightening) and check the BB shell threads in the frame itself which if not right will misalign the cartridge or just not let it tighten enough

(if the shell is knackered beyond tapp and/or reface - or other misalignment issues are present for other reasons- then a threadless BB can sort it out quickly and cheaply . )

when you are spinning your pedals with bike on the stand, is there a visible play of the chain, i.e. going up and down? it might be down to a stiff link.
and leave the saddle alone, dimi was trolling you.

and dont overtighten things, you sound like you like doing so

and leave the saddle alone, dimi was trolling you.

Are you sure? A saddle which is poorly positioned or inadequately secured, particularly if the bike is too small (or the rider too heavy) can creak under exertion. You might say "Well, get up out of the saddle; if the noise stops, it's the saddle and if it doesn't, it isn't" but I've had the reverse situation. What was actually a BB bearings issue seemed like a slight saddle creak, because it stopped when I got out of the saddle, but that was because doing so changed the way I was pedalling. Then it got a little worse and made the noise no matter how I pedalled.

I am never sure with dimi, but the ticks described by the OP sound like something drivetrain related.