# Clicks and creaks somewhere on drivetrain



## marckap (Apr 12, 2008)

I have a 2008 Specialized Roubaix SL S-works and when I start climbing I hear clicking sounds coming from the drive train not sure where and sometimes when I stop pedaling like when coming to an intersection and then start pedaling hard I hear like a creaking sound. I thought it might be the saddle but when I get off the saddle I still hear the sounds. I greased the pedal arms and used teflon on the pedals- it's hard to tell where it's coming from. The saddle is starting to drop a little bit I will need to put on some more of the special grit paste on the down tube collar. Could it be the bottom bracket needing to be greased? it's a new bike just got from Specialized. I don't hear the sounds when on the flats. Thanks in advance?


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

marckap said:


> I have a 2008 Specialized Roubaix SL S-works and when I start climbing I hear clicking sounds coming from the drive train not sure where and sometimes when I stop pedaling like when coming to an intersection and then start pedaling hard I hear like a creaking sound. I thought it might be the saddle but when I get off the saddle I still hear the sounds. I greased the pedal arms and used teflon on the pedals- it's hard to tell where it's coming from. The saddle is starting to drop a little bit I will need to put on some more of the special grit paste on the down tube collar. Could it be the bottom bracket needing to be greased? it's a new bike just got from Specialized. I don't hear the sounds when on the flats. Thanks in advance?


IME sounds travel through a frame, but the symptoms you describe are consistent with BB issues. As you guessed, another possibility are the pedals, but IMO that's less likely. 

If this is a recent (new) purchase from a LBS, I'd bring it in for BB servicing and describe the symptoms. There shouldn't be a charge for any lube/ adjustment at this stage. But before doing that, just to narrow things down a little, consider replacing the pedals with the OEM's or similar and see if the noises persist.


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## pdainsworth (Jun 6, 2004)

My Tarmac Pro (2009) made some creaking and clicking noises, so I pulled the Speshy cranks out, greased the hell out of the axle and bearings, slapped it back together and , voila, no more noise!


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## marckap (Apr 12, 2008)

pdainsworth said:


> My Tarmac Pro (2009) made some creaking and clicking noises, so I pulled the Speshy cranks out, greased the hell out of the axle and bearings, slapped it back together and , voila, no more noise!



pdainsworth, did the clicks and creaks happen mostly when climbing ?


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## pdainsworth (Jun 6, 2004)

marckap said:


> pdainsworth, did the clicks and creaks happen mostly when climbing ?


Yup. For the most part, it happened at the bottom of the left pedal stroke when I stood on the pedals on a climb. It would happen, less frequently, when in the saddle on a climb. It pretty much only occurred under a heavy load.


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## jsf1993 (Jul 3, 2007)

*check cleats*

As dumb as this may sound (and, I'm confident that you already checked for this), but what you are describing can also be caused by loose cleats on your shoes. Check to make sure that your shoe cleats are bolted in tightly before taking the bottom bracket apart.

Good luck.


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## marckap (Apr 12, 2008)

jsf1993 said:


> As dumb as this may sound (and, I'm confident that you already checked for this), but what you are describing can also be caused by loose cleats on your shoes. Check to make sure that your shoe cleats are bolted in tightly before taking the bottom bracket apart.
> 
> Good luck.


Yes, good thought that was the 1st thing I checked they were worn so I replaced them, did not help, But I just the rear der cable guide at the bottom of the bottom bracket area and it was very loose so I tightened, Hopefully that was it - I will let everyone know if this fixed it. I would like to fix one issue at a time so I know what it was that caused it so if it happens again I will know what to do, instead of fixing everything at once and not knowing what cuased it


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## wetpaint (Oct 12, 2008)

these sounds can also be coming from your wheels too. Sometimes it can be from the hubs or even skewers too loose.

Good luck, tracking down noises can be a big pain


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## Pokey (Apr 15, 2006)

wetpaint said:


> these sounds can also be coming from your wheels too. Sometimes it can be from the hubs or even skewers too loose.


I have had creaks before - goes away when I tighten down the rear quick release skewer.


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## diesel_dad (Aug 12, 2007)

I just went through the same thing with my 2007 Roubaix Expert. Turned out to be the pedals. Try swapping pedals to eliminate this as a cause.


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## tonytourist (Jan 21, 2009)

My Dad's 07 SL was making a nasty creaking noise. His was making noise as the bottom of the pedal stroke, drive side. I checked the crank and there was some play in it, so it's at the shop being taken apart.


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## marckap (Apr 12, 2008)

Yeap, I brought it to the LBS and they cleaned and regreased the BB. still making the creaks/tick sounds mostly when climbing, but creaks sometimes when I stop pedaling and then start hard again. I removed he bottle cages, Garmin Rear spoke magnet, I greased the QR's and the rod for one of them. I wonder if it's the handlebar/stem that is causing the creaking, or maybe the rear wheel? I changed the pedals from my other bike and it does the same thing - My other bike does not make the sound even with the older pedals and I'm using the same Shoes. I lubed the chain as well still the same. I think I will bring it back and have the bike shop owner go out for a ride with me so that he can hear it, I wish I can replicate the sound on the trainer or on a stand but it will not make the sound.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

marckap said:


> Yeap, I brought it to the LBS and they cleaned and regreased the BB. still making the creaks/tick sounds mostly when climbing, but creaks sometimes when I stop pedaling and then start hard again. I removed he bottle cages, Garmin Rear spoke magnet, I greased the QR's and the rod for one of them. I wonder if it's the handlebar/stem that is causing the creaking, or maybe the rear wheel? I changed the pedals from my other bike and it does the same thing - My other bike does not make the sound even with the older pedals and I'm using the same Shoes. I lubed the chain as well still the same. I think I will bring it back and have the bike shop owner go out for a ride with me so that he can hear it, I wish I can replicate the sound on the trainer or on a stand but it will not make the sound.


A couple of thoughts. Check your saddle clamp and post. I had a creak/ tick that I swore was coming from the bar/ stem and it turned out to be the saddle clamp. Also check the cassette (tight?) and freehub splines for 'dents' from the cogs.


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## marckap (Apr 12, 2008)

brought the bike to my lbs and it was the spider and the BB that was clicking - he contacted specialized and they told him to use green loctite I think on the spider and blue loctite on the bb and that fixed it. But now my saddle which is a toupe gel on a Specialized sl carbon seatpost is creaking. He had already put the carbon paste on the collar of the down tube.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

> But now my saddle which is a toupe gel on a Specialized sl carbon seatpost is creaking.


I was unable to fix that on my Tarmac SL. First confirm its not the seat rails creaking on the shell's mounts (an occasionally problem with Toupes). Then on to the seatpost. I tried everything to keep my from creaking: carbon prep, cutting it shorter different torques, etc. They all seemed to fix it briefly, but the problem eventually returned. In my case, I'm sure it was the very poor quality control on my seatpost. The coating was flaking off. I replaced it with a new seatpost and the creaking went away.


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## marckap (Apr 12, 2008)

Dr John, what kind of stuff did u use on the rails of your toupe? I just smeared some Pedros grease on the rails and where the rails sit on the bracket- Have not ridden it yet will try tonite. Is grease ok or should I try something else, well I guess I will try it tonite using the regular grease, i guess if it's not the rails then the next thing would be the seatpost.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

marckap said:


> Dr John, what kind of stuff did u use on the rails of your toupe? I just smeared some Pedros grease on the rails and where the rails sit on the bracket- Have not ridden it yet will try tonite. Is grease ok or should I try something else, well I guess I will try it tonite using the regular grease, i guess if it's not the rails then the next thing would be the seatpost.


I'm not answering for Dr_John, but yes, regular grease is fine on the rails. If the discover that the squeak is actually coming from where the rails enter the saddle (not an uncommon occurance) drip some lube into the area. It's best if you can tip the back of the saddle down and use gravity to get the lube all the way in.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

> Dr John, what kind of stuff did u use on the rails of your toupe? I


Mine was brand new. I noticed that squeaking rail in the shell mount as I was walking out of the store with it. IMO, this is unacceptable for a top-of-the-line saddle, so I took it right back. The store didn't have a replacement (in fact, that stored called around to several other local Specialized dealers in the area while I waited; :thumbsup:, but there were none in the area)s So Specialized (again) lost a few sales. I now use SLR's on all three of my bikes instead of 3 toupes.


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## jhamlin38 (Oct 29, 2005)

I had a slight creak/tick on a tarmac pro sl2 also. I ended up re assembling the headset/stem/spacers compression plug and solved the problem. they can come from anywhere.


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## Gevorg (Sep 18, 2006)

I had similar issue on my Tarmac expert. Each time it was a different source.
1. It was FSA-SLK BB Crankset started after about 1,500 miles (LBS tried to fix it 4 times under warranty) I fedup and replaced with Ultegra Crankset BB and problem went away
2. It was Headset Specialized Mindset (replaced it after 10,000 miles and problem went away, BTW you can get Cane Creek IS2 to replece it.
3. It was a couple loose spokes on non-drive side of Mavic Ksyriums (after about 5,000 miles)
4. Not very tight QR skewer in the back


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## marckap (Apr 12, 2008)

The creaking came from where the seatpost enters the frame - It was a specialized carbon S-works seatpost, so I changed it to a Thomson Alum post and it went away.


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