Creaky crank

[house]

...err bottom bracket. i dont know, but it sucks. the stock specialized strongarm II and whatever BB is in there is sounding like shit. does, my setup just suck, or do i need to do somethin to it. remember, im a bike maintenance jong. so whats the deal?

[Viva]

Bottom bracket may be loose...happened to me once...or twice. Must pull cranks and inspect.

[phUnk]

1st step is to make sure it's not your pedals that are creaking. Take em off, re-grease the threads and re-install tightly.

If that's not the problem then you're into busting open the BB, etc.

[cj001f]

Viva's barking up the right tree. Take off crankarms, unscrewBB, lube BB with a little grease before reinstalling. If this doesn't fix the problem check the pedals.

Or be a dumbass like I was the first time and buy a new BB - throw away the receipt and realize the old one worked fine.

[TeleAl]

Not sure I know what I am talking about on your crank, but I have a sealed crank which cannot be greased (or so I am told). And also, if water gets in there, it might make some noise until it works it way out. Apparently it will fight with the lube and make noise. How this is possible with a sealed crank eludes me, but the concept is possible with an unsealed one.

Either way, it sucks, and every crank I have ever owned on a mountain bike has made noise.

The way I look at it, it is due to riding my bike so much, which is a good thing.

It can be fixed, and should be fixed (for your riding mojo if nothing else). Let no one tell you otherwise.

Good luck.

[snow_slider]

Start with what phUnk recommended. Pedals are more often than not the cause of the squeak. Clean, regrease the pedal threads, and reinstall them. If you still have a creak, check your chainring bolts. Make sure they are all tight. If you STILL have a creak, then move on to the cranks.

[altagirl]

For me, it's been a loose BB - symptom is creaking when I stand up to pedal. Worth checking all the other things first because I'm guessing you probably need to go and buy a BB tool or find one to borrow.

[gravitylover]

It could be something as simple as your front der. clamp is a little loose, it could also be as simple as your seatpost creaking when the frame flexes. Pull the post and put some grease in the seat tube then make sure the seatpost clamp is snug.

[crashnburn'd]

Originally posted by gravitylover
It could be something as simple as your front der. clamp is a little loose, it could also be as simple as your seatpost creaking when the frame flexes. Pull the post and put some grease in the seat tube then make sure the seatpost clamp is snug.

I have to do this about every 3 rides or so... Not sure why it happens, but it drives me nuts.

[Crinkle]

Originally posted by crashnburn'd
I have to do this aabout every 3 rides or so... Not sure why it happens, but it drives me nuts.

It was happening to me as well Crash. Try cleaning the post and also try to clean inside the tube (slow pitch). Mine was filthy, cause i have to take my seat post out or push it all the way down to fit it in my car (no rack) and that got it pretty dirty, hence the creaking even though the post was lubed.

[lph]

I had a 'creaking' noise that i was absolutely convinced was coming from my bb. it only happened when i was pedaling and i swore that is where the noise was coming from.

but as suggested above, it was either coming from the seat post or titanium seat rails. brought it into LBS, they said it was more likely one of the above rather than the bb. they put a small amount of lube on the seat post and rails and didn't touch the bb...... the creaking is now gone.

BTW, from what another LBS tells me, even the most high end sealed bike part will allow some water in especially if it is delivered under pressure, like with a nozzle on a hose while cleaning the bike.

[house]

ok, thanks for all the good advice. but i shoulda said how bad the noise is, its pretty freakin loud and im almost 100% positive its the BB, cause i can feel it when i pedal, like a grinding in there somewhere. gonna go get some tools and give it a look. never done much more than lube my chain, so this will be fun (or suck).

[Plakespear]

I had a clunking noise coming from my bike a few months ago. I removed the cranks and BB, cleaned and re-gresed everything, and put it all back together. Worked fine after that. Sometimes a dirty bottom bracket causes noises.

[Oarhead]

The specialized stuff hasa reputation for loosening off and letting a bit of dirt in to the splines hence the noise.
I would remove the cranks - it is really easy, clean the BB shaft splines, regrease. Clean inside the crank with a Q-tip if necessary and then reattach everything. Every 10 hours of riding or so give the crank bolts a check with an allen key to ensure snugness.

Or you could replace your drivetrain and still ahve no gaurantee.

[gravitylover]

Originally posted by crashnburn'd
I have to do this about every 3 rides or so... Not sure why it happens, but it drives me nuts.

Many of the bikes from Trek and Specialized use a permanent shim at the top of the seat tube. If you use loctite 290 (green for already attached parts) put a liberal amount down the top of the seat tube then turn the bike upside down overnight. The loctite will seep between the shim and the tube and will eliminate the noise for a long time. I do this to every (aluminum) Trek hardtail that comes into the shop and will be staying at least one night. There is one more thing it could be too, drop your fork out and make sure the headset cups are still tight in the frame. Sometimes after a few years the headtube will go slightly out of round and the cup will creak under heavy loads, like standing up while climbing. If this has happened pull the cup and use a super thin piece of shim stock that you can pick up at any good machine shop and a bit of plumbers dope tape (teflon) and reinstall the cup carefully. I know it feels like it's coming from down low on the bike but this happens more frequently than you think.