[dsevern]

Hi!

I've got a Bristol Windsor AL 7005 frame that I built up with a full Shimano Ultegra group set.
10 speed cassette.
This is the Ultegra Hollowlink II crankset with the External BB bearings. And also Shimano Ultegra pedals.

I've notice that it makes a creaking/popping sound only when I'm out of the saddle and climbing or putting my full bodyweight on the pedals. It's a 56cm frame and I'm just shy of 6 ft and weigh about 160lbs.

I verified the external BB bearings are torqued properly and that the pedals are also tight. Also verified that the two bolts which fix the non-drive side crank arm are tight yet I'm still getting the creak/pop.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I'm sure my LBS will not be thrilled to work on a "home built" bike.

 

[Kerry Irons]

Standard response

I've notice that it makes a creaking/popping sound only when I'm out of the saddle and climbing or putting my full bodyweight on the pedals. It's a 56cm frame and I'm just shy of 6 ft and weigh about 160lbs.

I verified the external BB bearings are torqued properly and that the pedals are also tight. Also verified that the two bolts which fix the non-drive side crank arm are tight yet I'm still getting the creak/pop.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I'm sure my LBS will not be thrilled to work on a "home built" bike.

It is fairly common to have clicking noises, but ticks and clicks are very hard to eliminate sometimes. What seems like it is tied to the pedals may be coming from the seat post, etc. Sometimes things like temperature and humidity can affect noises as well. Also, things like the front derailleur cage just hitting the crank or the front derailleur cable sticking out and hitting your shoe can seem like they are clicks but really aren't.

Clicks tied to your pedaling can come from the BB (grease all threads in contact with the frame and BB, and torque it to the recommended settings, which can be quite high), crank bolts (grease threads and washers), the chain ring bolts (take them all out and grease the threads, the faces where they contact the CRs, and the CRs where they contact the crank spider arms), a stiff link in a chain or a burr on one of the "break off" special links used to assemble the chain, the pedals (grease the threads, get some wax etc. on the cleats, grease the bolts into your shoes, squirt some lube into the guts of the pedal machinery if possible), the chain (clean and lube), shoes/cleats (loose cleat nut rattling around in the shoe sole, shoe/cleat interface), cleat bolts, cleats touching pedals, seat post and saddle (grease the post, seat post bolts, saddle rails, and add some oil to where the rails go into the saddle body), bars and stem (grease the stem, stem bolts at both ends, h'bar bolt if quill stem, and h'bar where it goes through the stem, grease/tighten QRs, tighten cassette lock ring, steerer tube spacers if threadless), replaceable derailleur hangers (remove, clean, grease all parts and threads, reassemble), any other bolt (bottle cages, derailleur clamps, derailleur bolts, shift cable casing stops, etc.).

Needless to say, you want to try these things in what seems like the most likely place the noise is coming from, but there are plenty of stories about "I was sure the noise was in the handlebars but it went away when I tightened up the spokes in the rear wheel," so keep trying different things until you have success.