Instead of just cleaning, lubricating, and tightening everything, it is preferable to identify the source of the problem.
You’re riding your bike along your favorite route when you hear a new sound. You realize it comes from your bike. You think, “Great, what does this mean?”
Bikes will wear out over time. When they do, they will make squeaks, squeaks, and other strange sounds to show how painful it is. So, if your bike has been talking a lot lately, it might be time to give it a little TLC.
We know better than anyone, and sometimes it takes effort to figure out where the sound comes from, especially if you can’t make it when you’re not riding a bike. That’s why you need to know how to diagnose it first.
We talked to resident and former professional team mechanics to learn how to learn the bicycle’s language and get them back to work. Here are the parts that most often make a bicycle noisy, which can help you figure out where the noise is coming from.
Here is an article that I have written about What To Look For When Buying A Used Bike?
Components: Chain
Noise: Creaking, Rattling
If you hear creaking, it could be because your chain or bearings are dry when you pedal. If your chain is making strange noises, cleaning, and lubricating it is usually a good place to start. If it fails, you may need to repair or replace some bearings.
If you hear a click, It might indicate that the chain is slack or moving improperly. You should also check the chain first. It will shake your frame because of this. Over time, the chain will stretch. You can adjust the tension with the derailleur, but if the chain does stretch, you may need to replace it.
Components: Bearings (Bottom Bracket, Earphone, Hub, Etc.)
Noise: Creaking
The squeak might be annoying and mysterious, but the bearing is the most likely reason. Several parts of your bicycle, like your earbuds, bottom bracket, and mountain bike suspension links, need bearings for smooth rotation.
To separate your bottom bracket, stand next to your bicycle, grasp the two brakes, and set your feet on the nearest pedals. When you put weight on the pedals and the bike creaks, the problem is probably with the bottom bracket.
If you don’t hear any noise, the headset, hub, or connecting rod bearing could be the problem. Bearings may stop working after a season, especially if you live in a sandy or humid area. The bike shop in your area can help you order and set up new bikes.
Components: Seatpost
Noise: Creaking
Your Seatpost is another common source of noise, especially if it only makes noise when you sit down. To fix it:
- Take off the seat tube by loosening the quick release (if it has one) or the hex bolts that go into the frame at the base of the seat tube.
- Wipe the seat tube and anything inside it with a clean cloth, then apply gravel. If your frame is made of carbon fiber, put a thin layer of grease or fiber grip compound on it again.
- Reinstall it to see if it resolves the problem.
Components: Sprocket
Noise: Creaking
Sprockets often make noise, but this is an easy fix: tighten the bolts on the sprocket. If you have a torque wrench, it’s best to tighten it to the right torque specification (this is how to use it).
You can put some thread locker compound on the sprocket bolt to keep it from coming loose again.
Components: Headset
Noise: Rattle
Loose headset might cause your bicycle to handle badly or even dangerously. To tighten the headset, release the stem’s side bolts, then tighten the top bolts.
It must be tight enough to retain the fork, headset, stem, and spacers in place but not so tight that the lever cannot move freely. You may tighten the side bolts again once you have tightened the central bolt to your liking.
Next, use a torque wrench and the manufacturer’s specified Newton meter parameters to properly tighten all components (sometimes even printed near the headset). If the click persists, take your bike to the shop for safety—you don’t want to lose any loose pieces on the way.
Component: Shifting Cable
Noise: Keep Clicking
If you hear a regular clicking sound, specifically in some gears, it could mean that your shifting cable has been pulled hard enough to pull the derailleur out of place.
This makes your chain slip between the gears or moves between the gears. Getting on the frame of the derailleur. First, check that your derailleur is in the right place and that the hanger is not bent.
Then, if changing the derailleur tension does not stop the clicking, you must replace the shifting cable. This is how to accomplish it.
Components: Bottom Bracket
Noise: Click
If the click isn’t coming from your pedals or drive train (see below), ensure your bottom bracket is tight.
If your bike has a press-in bottom bracket, please take it to the store because you might need the right tools to work on it.
Components: Barrel Shaft Or Quick Release
Noise: Change
It might be enough to tighten the noisy shaft or quick-release. But if this doesn’t fix the problem, it could be one of two things. A squeak or squeal means that the barrel or quick release is dry or dirty.
Take the parts apart, clean them, and then lubricate them again. On the other hand, if it clicks, it may be broken or cracked and need to be replaced.
Component: Transmission Rack
Noise: Clicks, Squeaks
When you pedal, a clicking sound will be made by derailleur hooks bent or out of place. If it is bad enough, the hanger for the derailleur may bend or fall off. You need it if you need a hang of gauging. Even a hanger that doesn’t look bent can sometimes be bent enough to throw off the gear shift on a 12-speed system.
When the derailleur hanger rubs against the frame on which it is mounted, it sometimes makes a crunching sound. Take off the derailleur hanger, clean the frame and the hanger very well, and put some anti-seize agent on the parts that will touch. When the hanger is closed, it is also a good idea to check for stress breaks and replace the hanger if necessary.
Components: Pedals And Shoes
Noise: Squeaking When Pedal Stroke
After a while, even the pedals will start to make noise. You might notice that they make noise every time you step on the pedals. It is best to remove your pedals, oil them, and ensure the seal between the pedal and the crank arm is still in good shape.
Also, the sound you hear when you spin is probably coming from your shoe clips. If they are being loud, they can sometimes calm down by drinking a sugary drink like Gatorade.
The sticky, sugary mucus left behind can be used as a short-term lubricant. But wax-based lubricants could be used to clean and lubricate it. Even brand-new cleats make noise, which can signal that they need to be replaced.
Components: Frame
Noise: Creaking
Finally, a broken or broken-down frame may also cause strange, constant noise, which is much less likely than the other problems listed above.
For a long time, the only sound I made when riding my mountain bike uphill was ticking or clicking, but it turned out to be a seatpost adhesive (wedge-shaped variety). So I need to get a new frame. To cut a long story short, the part of the frame where the wedge slides in is slightly off.
Frame defects are also difficult to diagnose. This has happened more than once to other people. A few years ago, there was a bike whose chainstays needed to be completely welded to the bottom bracket shell. When it’s cold, the bike sounds like it’s about to blow up at any moment.
This is because they are made of two slightly different alloys that grow or shrink at different rates. However, once everything is warm, everything fits well, and there is no noise.
Cracks or other damage to the frame could also be to blame. The cracks in the carbon fiber frame are especially hard to find because they are so small. One customer has complained that the earphones on carbon fiber bicycles are noisy.
We finally took the whole bike apart, cleaned and oiled everything, and used a magnifying glass to look for cracks in the frame’s fine lines. Nobody made a mistake. The noise isn’t as loud as it used to be, but it’s still there. The guy rode the bike once after we gave it back to him, and when he went over the speed bump, the head tube came apart from the top tube. (Thank goodness, he’s fine.)
Cracks are hard to spot with the naked eye. So after that, whenever the bike shop heard a noise they couldn’t figure out, they would take the frame to the local vet for an X-ray to ensure it was safe. This is something that only some stores can do, but some places that fix carbon fiber frames also do frame inspections.
Still, Trying To Figure It Out?
It can be tough to figure out where the sound is coming from, and it can be very annoying to try to record annoying sounds. Sometimes, a good cleaning and a little oil can get back to normal.
But if you can’t fix the problem or need help, you should take your bike to a local bike shop. They will speak fluent bikes.
For more details on this subject, please check out this post that I published recently How To Measure Bike Tire Size?
