Clicking noise on my new V

[Jesse Groves]

Hello all, I recently got a new Vendetta and have done a few rides on it now; so far so good...but I have noticed a clicking noise and cant figure out what it is. I think its coming from the front end, but I am not good enough handling it yet to where I can pedal while sitting up and looking down at the deraileur, so not sure. I took it to the local bike shop when it first came in to have them fine-tune the shifting and the mechanic told me he thought the chain was a tad bit too long, but he said ride it some and bring it back if the shifting seems to be sticking.

Well, the shifting seems ok, but I am wondering if the chain length could be causing the clicking noise? Maybe the chain is sticking to the cog a millimeter too much and clicking when it finally separates? Is that something that might be it? Are there other common causes that I might look into?

Thanks,

 

[Robert O]

Is the click always there, or is it just when you're pedaling? Is it once for every time the wheel goes around, or is it timed to something else?

 

[Jesse Groves]

Is the click always there, or is it just when you're pedaling? Is it once for every time the wheel goes around, or is it timed to something else?

Only when pedaling. I think it seems timed to one revolution of the pedals (not the wheel), but I will have to ride again to say for sure.

 

[Robert O]

The simplest possibility (hey, maybe you get lucky) is that the end of the RD cable is sticking out far enough that your right crank arm is catching it every revolution. After that, it gets a little more complex.

 

[Jesse Groves]

The simplest possibility (hey, maybe you get lucky) is that the end of the RD cable is sticking out far enough that your right crank arm is catching it every revolution. After that, it gets a little more complex.

Thanks for the tip. I checkedthe clearance on everything upfront and there was nothing that seem to be rubbing. When I pedal it backwards there is a slight hitch to the chain every revolution in one spot. But I really couldn't tell what was causing it. Plan on taking it to the shop again and seeing if they can put it on the trainer to diagnose the problem.

Which leads me to my next question, are there any issues with putting it on a trainer that I need to know about?

 

[dtseng]

Did you add more links to the chain? Check if there is any stiff link, the pin is pressed in properly, and the quick link is installed correctly.

 

[ratz]

Things to check.

1) Is the crank arm just barely hitting the FD cage

2) Crack and reinstall any master links, which would account for click and a chain that sticks in 1 spot per revolution. A master link that is katty whompus is easy enough to do on accident

3) Check you spokes front and rear for any that are loose 1 loose spoke will give the most annoying and impossible to find clicking sound

4) Check your headset stack if it's loose or moves then you need more grease to stabilize everything when tight. The headset takes a lot more torque on these bikes because of the boom pivot clamp; it's common for them to seem correct when built on the stand and then loose after two rides on the road. While it's a PITA the take that part of the bike apart and re-grease it's well worth the effort if it's loose. If you have an indoor trainer that's actually the easiest way to do the maintenance by mounting it in there and then pulling the top of the assembly apart.

 

[Jesse Groves]

Things to check.

1) Is the crank arm just barely hitting the FD cage

2) Crack and reinstall any master links, which would account for click and a chain that sticks in 1 spot per revolution. A master link that katty whompus is easy enough to do on accident

3) Check you spoke front and rear for any that are loose 1 loose spoke will give the most annoying and impossible to find clicking sound

4) Check your headset stack if it's loose or moves then you need more grease to stabilize everything when tight. The headset takes a lot more torque on these bikes because of the boom pivot clamp; it's common for them to seem correct when built on the stand and then loose after two rides on the road. While it's a PITA the take that part of the bike apart and re-grease it's well worth the effort if it's loose. If you have an indoor trainer that's actually the easiest way to do the maintenance by mounting it in there and then pulling the top of the assembly apart.

 

[RojoRacing]

My V20 clicks each rotation of the crank when I'm at a solid effort on the flats or pretty much every climb. It my case it's not the drive train but something to to with the many joints of the front frame assembly. I suspect it's related to the clamps on my BB but I've yet to nail down the exact source and I've been looking on and off for over a year.

 

[Jeremy S]

My front end creaks, synched with pedaling, have seemed to come from the two boom/slider clamps. Usually disassembling, greasing all interfaces (between the boom+slider, inside the clamps, around the bolts), and reassembling fixes it -- but not always. Sometimes it comes and goes on its own.

 

[billyk]

Check you spokes front and rear for any that are loose 1 loose spoke will give the most annoying and impossible to find clicking sound

What Ratz said. Yup. Presactly.

 

[hoyden]

It my case it's not the drive train but something to to with the many joints of the front frame assembly. I suspect it's related to the clamps on my BB but I've yet to nail down the exact source and I've been looking on and off for over a year.

Usually disassembling, greasing all interfaces (between the boom+slider, inside the clamps, around the bolts), and reassembling fixes it -- but not always. Sometimes it comes and goes on its own.

My S30 does this and disassembling, cleaning, and reinstalling the slider can make the noise go away for a time. Then it comes back. The joints are all as tight as I dare tighten them for fear of stripping the screws to no avail. I verified no loose spokes. I added a 2" strip of kapton tape to the BB tube to take up almost all of the loose in the BB/slider joint to no avail. My workaround is to turn off the outside sound to my hearing aids.

 

[bladderhead]

My Silvio has a creaky BB. The amount of creaking fluctuates. Every so often I notice it, then it goes away, then it comes back again.

 

[Jesse Groves]

Ok, thanks for the tips all. I will try to figure it out and report back if I can isolate the problem.

 

[hoyden]

I will try to figure it out and report back if I can isolate the problem.

You will do a great service if you can slay this dragon.

 

[Gary123]

Bent tooth on chainring?

 

[hoyden]

My S30 clicks and creaks on both rings.

 

[Jesse Groves]

You will do a great service if you can slay this dragon.

I didnt realize it was such a prevalent problem. The truth is I am more likely to make it worse than fix anything, so dont hold your breath!

 

[hoyden]

I didnt realize it was such a prevalent problem. The truth is I am more likely to make it worse than fix anything, so dont hold your breath!

Well, prevalent for my bike and it's a minor annoyance. You can't make it worse and every bit of exploration can contribute to the collective experience. I have fixed it for a time by disassembling the boom/slider, cleaning, spraying the joint with Pledge, and reassembling. I would like to find a less invasive solution.

 

[ChaleJake]

I must be lucky. No clicks, creaks or squeaks from my S30.