The Chainlink

Should my 2 month old bottom bracket look like this?

I have recently been having this strange creaking/clicking noise with my Masi and it has been driving me crazy. At first I thought it was a crack in the frame but I can't find one anywhere so my next guess was that it is somewhere in my drivetrain. So I took apart my entire crank, chainring bolts and all, and removed the BB to regrease and reseal. As I took out the less than 2 month old BB I noticed a slight bit of water in the BB area of the frame (not sure how that got there). I wiped it off and inspected the BB before placing it back in when I noticed 2 things.

1. It is not a TruVativ BB like the bike is supposed to come with (a bit odd but this can happen with new bikes)

2. The BB looks a couple of years old with some severe rusting/bubbling on it (even if there was a lot of water not sure how it could get this bad in less than 2 months)

I am going to contact Masi and the LBS I purchased the bike from and see if I can get to the "bottom" of this.

Unfortunately I did not solve my noise issue. Next I need to check out my rear hub and dropout area followed by adding some oil to all of the nipples. "Fingers Crossed."

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Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on July 22, 2009 at 4:17pm
How long have you owned this bike? Did you buy it brand new? If you bought it brand new, you should have returned it to the shop where you bought it and had it fixed under warranty. Most bikes have lifetime frame and non-suspension fork and 1 year on components. I think my new Jamis has such a warranty. Masi should have something similar. My LBS sells both. I hope you didn't void your warranty by working on it yourself.
Permalink Reply by Brendan Kevenides on July 22, 2009 at 4:42pm
The BB shouldn't look like that. If I had to guess, however, the noise you're hearing probably didn't come from the BB. Are your cranks cranked tight? The pedals are another possible culprit. I have broken pedals riding fixed. They really take a beating from the pressure placed when slowing or skidding to a halt. If you want, some over tomorrow night and I'd be happy to offer another set of ears to the problem.
Permalink Reply by Ryan L on July 22, 2009 at 8:04pm
Well I put the other pedals on and the click noise is still there and occurs under the same conditions. I am thinking now that I really need to give my chainring a closer inspection. If I can't find anything there I will probably get a new BB. Since the LBS I got it from is in the burbs and my car recently died I don't have the option of having them check it out for warranty issues. If all of the above does not work than I honestly have no idea what it could be. The only thing I have not done is take apart the hubs and headset but I don't have the tools to deal with the headset so for now I am going to leave it alone.

If I ride the bike without applying a lot of pressure to the cranks then it is quiet as a mouse, even if I go over bumps and rough road, but the second I add any torque at all the 'CLICK' occurs and I swear it is coming from the BB area. I took the seat post out and rode it and it still makes the noise. I even took off the stem and got on the bike and you guessed it, clickity pop click click. So frustrating. The noise isn't what bothers me, its the fact that I can't isolate it so I'm worried if I don't get it delt with now it could cause a major issue down the road. To bad I didn't take the same attitude with my car, lol.
Permalink Reply by Ron on July 22, 2009 at 8:33pm
I've noticed many original equipment bottom brackets from China. Have a really short lifespan. I'd just go on and get a better replacement bracket. When installing the new BB, wrap the threads in Teflon (plumbing) tape. Keeps water from seeping in and allows for easy removal next time.
Permalink Reply by Ryan L on July 23, 2009 at 1:26am

It's mother f-ing celebration time! I have officially gotten rid of the beeps, the sweeps and the creeps. Turns out my chainring rubbing up against the crank arm spider was the culprit. The first time I removed the chainring I only lightly greased the bolts. It didn't occur to me to check the inside of the spider where the chainring rests. It had black rubbing marks on it (just like my saddle rails had). I added a very light coat of grease to the spider around the bolt holes and presto change-o, the creaking/popping noise is now gone. The bike is finally dead f-ing silent again. I took it out for a good half hour and not a single noise came from it at any time, and believe me I tried everything. So after all that I have done, I am finally triumphant. I also now know about the BB condition which I would not have discovered till it started giving me problems so now I will just wait and see what Masi and/or the LBS will do as far as a warranty goes for a new BB. I am not that concerned about it so whatever happens happens.

I have no doubt that the creaking noise will eventually come back but at least I now know what the hell it is. Take that random bicycle noises! Just in time for a midnight weekend ride of some sort :)

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