Clicking in the drivetrain

Hey guys I have a question about a clicking I’ve been getting in the drivetrain of my road bike. It sounds like it’s coming from the crankset or bb. It only clicks under load and is fairly consistent with rotation of the crank arms. What do you think the root causes may be?

Probably the bottom bracket is the most likely cause.

1 Like

Agreed. If you have the means, pull the works out, then clean and regrease, and reassemble.

That’s what I was thinking. I need to get a bb tool first

Try cleaning/regreasing the threads on your pedals first. I’ve had a click before that I swore was a BB. Greased the pedal threads as per a recommendation online and it was gone.

2 Likes

Nice. I will try that tonight

Loose chainring bolts can cause a clicking with each rotation too. I’d check the simple stuff first before you pull the BB apart.

4 Likes

@Rolls is right. Check all the easy stuff first. A silly one that happens a lot, is the end of the front derailleur cable can stick out and catch every rotation. Always worth checking. Once you’ve exhausted the options, it is fairly common to get grit in the threads of the BB that can cause a creak. Good luck!

1 Like

I have something similar going on. Started after I installed a new chain. Already greased up the BB. Will look at the pedals next.

1 Like

Could it also be a loose or broken link on the chain? That should be easy enough to check and fix before taking apart the BB.

Luckily it seems to be something as simple as the pedals. Took them off and tried another set and the sound was gone. Put my clipless ones back on and it still seems good. We’ll see once I can get it back out in the real world instead of the trainer but it seems good!

4 Likes

It’s happened to me a number of times across several bikes. You swear there’s small animal bones rolling around in the BB. Pull, clean, re-grease and reinstall the pedals and you are good to go!
Another common and easily misdiagnosed click/squeak is loose seat rails. Pull the seat off every once in awhile and give those hard working rails and clamps a break.

5 Likes