How to Get Rid of Bike Noises

One of the worst things about maintaining a bicycle is odd noises. Odd noises can arise from many different parts; almost all moving parts have an opportunity to make a noise.

This article will attempt to help you to diagnose your bike problems.

Handlebars and headset

I suggest using an allen wrench and removing your handlebars to check for cracks. Cracks can occur underneath where the stem or quill grabs your handlebars. Apply some grease to the bolts and replace the handlebar.

With an older quill-type handlebar, you need to make sure that the inner assembly is working - while the quill itself may be made of aluminum, the plug inside may be made of steel, which may rust after a while. Again, apply grease and replace the parts.

Be sure to have the quill high enough to grab the tube. Do not have a quill all the way down in the fork tube, you can risk catastrophic failure of your handlebars because the bolt will not grab the inside of the tube.

Brakes

Squeaky brakes on a bike usually indicate an odd grip on the wheels. Be sure to check the alignments on your break pads. You want an even grip. If noise persists, the rubber on the pads may have worn out, in which case I suggest replacing the pads.

Check to see if grit or dirt is on the pads and use a damp cloth to wipe them off. Never use oil on your brake pads - squeaky brakes are better than failed brakes!

Chain

Chains can make noises for several reasons: chainline is not straight, a chainlink has gone stiff, or the chain is not properly lubed, or a chainring may have a chipped tooth.

Replace worn out chains! Decent chains will cost about $10-$20 dollars and will last you many miles.

Make sure your chain is lubed. I suggest avoiding WD40 on your chain. There are many cheap oils available, like Phil Wood, White Lightning, and skateboard bearing oil.

Secondly, make sure your chainrings and cogs are not rough. Use a dry cloth to wipe away as much dirt as possible. If you notice a few teeth with rough edges on your chainring, you may want to consider replacing the chainring.

If your fixed gear is making noises, I suggest making sure your chain tension is correct - not too tight, not too lose. Chain tension does not have to be stiff, it should have a small amount of play. You should see your chain squeeze slightly when you engage the cranks and push.

A good way to check for fixed gear chain tension:

Grab the seat tube and lift your rear tire off the ground.

Give the cranks a good push to get the rear wheel moving.

Let the rear wheel spin.

Turn the bike about 90 degrees, so that the wheel is spinning horizontal.

If your chain starts making noises, your chain is too loose.

If your wheel comes to a stop after 10 seconds, your chain is too tight.

Optimally, your wheel should spin for minutes without coming to a complete stop.

To ensure proper chainline, make sure the rear wheel is positioned correctly in the rear dropouts. You should be able to eyeball the chainline and get a good line from the rear cog to the chainrings and cranks.

Keep in mind that most chainrings are not perfect, you may have a tiny bit of imperfection and have a perfectly acceptable ride.

Fixed gear bikes should be generally silent with a tiny amount of chain line noise. If you're riding, the noise of the tires on the road should drown out your chain.

Cranks

Make sure you have the correct crank on the correct bottom bracket (that's what your crank plugs onto.)

There are two different types of square taper bottom bracket. JIS is for shimano, specialized, richey, truvativ and most sugino. ISO is for campagnolo, nevar, stronglight, TA, and high-end sugino parts.

There are three different types of ISIS splined bottom bracket: Octolink V1, Octolink V2, and ISIS Splined. These all require the same type of cranks to operate, and you will ruin your crankset by putting on the wrong kind of cranks.

Personally, I would never put an ISO crank on a JIS bracket. However, JIS cranks on an ISO bracket may be ok temporarily, as long as the bolt is tight. Either way, don't be lazy, put the correct parts on your bike.

Make sure to put a small amount of grease on the crank bolts before you torque them down. Most crank bolts need a lot of torque (around 30 lbs) to function correctly - if you tighten your crank bolts by hand be prepared to have to tighten them constantly.

Look for worn out edges on the cranks, some deformity may occur after use. Do not use cracked crank arms!

Pedals

If the noise is coming from your pedals, I suggest using a small amount of lube on the threads on the crank arm. Also, check for any noises coming from the bearings on the inside of the pedal. Apply a bit of lube and see if that fixes it.

With clipless pedals systems, you need to check all the smaller parts to see if anything is worn out or needs lube.

Chain ring bolts

Make sure your chainring bolts are properly tightened. This usually sounds like a metallic squish as the chainring moves against the cranks. Apply grease to the threads of the chainring bolts before you put them on.

Bottom Bracket

Your bottom bracket can also make noises - the bearings inside may have a broken cage or it may need grease. Bottom brackets can be tricky things, and you really need a torque wrench to tighten them down. Unless you feel confident in your ability, and have the tools, take your bike to your local bike shop and ask.

Bottom brackets should typically not need maintenance. Decent sealed bearing bottom brackets are typically inexpensive ($30-$40), so get a new one.

Other parts

Rattling can also occur from reflectors, seat posts, and many different parts. You may have to disconnect a large amount of parts to see what exactly is rattling.

Loctite

In my opinion, loctite should be unnecessary if you have the correct parts and the correct tools. Why would you need loctite? Just make sure the threads on your parts are clean and greased, and tighten them down correctly.

However, if you absolutely have to use loctite, I suggest using the blue bottle (threadlocker blue 242 ®).

The red loctite will completely lock your threads! Use at your own risk! You may end up locking the parts so tight that it ruins your bike. Here's a handy rhyme: red is dead, blue is goo.

You can undo the blue loctite with a little elbow grease, the red loctite will require some heat and luck.

Summary

Bike noises always mean some part is causing friction with some other part. In order to find out which part is making noise, take some time and isolate the problem. Some noises result from multiple parts, such as the bottom bracket and crank.

When in doubt, make sure everything is greased!