Shimano Deore Crankset noises

[Portellini]

Hello guys,

I own a hybrid bike which is essentially a mountain bike that takes 28 size wheels & tires. Back in July I had a serious problem with my front derailleur and decided it'd be better to get a Deore derailleur + crank set by advice of my mechanic as a quality set for a serious commuter.

The operation is rather nice & smooth but and changing gears on chainrings is amazingly easy. However, recently I began to hear two kinds of sounds:
a) some creaking noise when pedaling too hard uphill;
b) a tic, tic whenever the left pedals rotates to a certain position (when you pedal down, 45º to the ground);

Any of these sounds I thought they might be because of the chain rubbing on the cage of the front derailleur, but no, the sound is way more metallic.

This is rather strange because I have read online that Shimano Deore sets are quite nice when you consider the all range available.

Any thoughts or opinions on what might be?

Regards,

Pedro.

[Painkiller]

could be bb starting to fail
swap pedals if you can to see if the sounds change
if you have pedals with a cage undo and grease contact points
pour oil down your seat tube and see if that changes things if it does remove bb,check for wear clean bb shell smear grease on inside of bb shell then re-install bb and grease all crank to spindle contact points
" only perform one check at a time to pinpoint problem"
if your chainrings are removable take them off clean and grease all contact points before reassembly

[RBurrelli]

You really need to isolate where they noise is actually coming from before jumping to any conclusions about the crankset. I would start with the pedals first.

[randombikes]

I have the same set and the same issue. word for word.

if anyone has the answer I would love to know.

[Painkiller]

I told ya the answer step by step. If one does not have mechanical common sense then forget it and take it to your LBS.
Rburrelli said start with the pedals. Fine place to start. I told you what to do with the pedals
the key is one step at at time then test ride if no change
go to next step test ride until you get a change
I would have to say no matter where you start one might say you just jumped to a conclusion, especially if I was tweaking the barends for a pedaling type crank creaking sound.
It is quite simple for one who works on bikes and has spare parts on hand to replace and cross-check
I assume you do not, so you are dealing with a crank[rings and arms], a bottom bracket or spindle and cups, pedals whatever type.
start with what you own. if you have other pedals try those. If not you will have to break them down inspect and lube then re-assemble.
if that did not work, go to the crank arms. inspect for hairline cracks, looseness and lube metal to metal contact points. [ do you own a crank puller]
If that did not work.. move to the bottom bracket. [is it cups or cartridge ] do you have the tools for that?
you need to break down and test one by one. very important
As I stated in my first post lube all contact points on everything I mentioned
I suspect or jump to conclusions that the culprit is your bottom bracket. however start external and work your way inward.
If you do not have the tools, buy them and start to learn! You will use them a lifetime.Learn as you go, be methodical along the way and surprise yourself you can do it.

[randombikes]

yeah read that,but seeing how its the same word for word figured some one would have a specific answer before running through alot of breakdowns/rebuilds if it could be avoided.

[Painkiller]

well, randombikes. I really never thought of it as a breakdown and rebuild, it is about a 15min. job. and most bikes could use that service even if there was not a problem.

[Joe_W]

Pedaling noises can come from a variety of areas. On top of painkiller's suggestions:
Does it creak when climbing seated / standing? -> saddle, seat post, or metal / metal contact points
Does it creak when riding hands free? -> head set, handle bars + contact points

Also: most bikes benefit from an (at least) yearly "breakdown"[*], where you inspect all parts for wear, grease and oil stuff that needs it, maybe replace stuff, definitely clean everything, put some way on the metal parts. I try to do regular maintenance on my bikes (every couple of 1000km), alas I do not always find the time (except for the vital / expensive / fast wearing stuff: break pads, chain wear etc).

My road bike creaks. It is the saddle (Fizik. They creak. A lot). It took me a while to figure this out (including swapping pedals, greasing BB, ...)

[*] there are some check lists on the internet for regular / yearly bike inspections. Download, print them (and the tutorials here), get some tools, reserve at least a day for the first time you do it. Nice way to learn about bikes! If oyu don't have all of the tools, do what you can / want, maybe get some new tools and learn something new. Let the bike shop handle the rest.

[DaveM]

Most common reasons for creaking like this are:
- the cranks need to be tightened (to the BB spindle)
- pedals need to be tightened (or remove, regrease threads and retighten)
If neither of those fix it, go through the more thorough list above.

[Henry]

NOISE FROM SHIMANO CRANK ASSEMBLY

THE PROBLEM

Shimano crank sets with two sealed ball bearings can develop a clicking sound that can at times be quite loud. There will usually be no sound when pedaling with little force and sometimes when pealing with maximum force. The noise will usually be loudest when pedaling with moderate force. Sometimes you may feel the click through your feet. In some cases the clicking will be louder in hot weather. The clicking can be fairly random as you are pedaling or it may occur when a pedal is in a particular position, eg. right pedal in about four o’clock position.
When the chain is taken off and the cranks turned in either direction all seems ok, there is no
unusual noise and the cranks turn smoothly.
If you push the crank in towards the frame and the out, there will be no wobble, which tends to
indicate that a bearing has not collapsed.


THE CURE

Remove both crank levers.
For just about all Shimano Crank Sets you will need a special jacking tool to do this.
Once the cranks are off turn the shaft several revolutions forward and reverse. You may hear squeaking, grinding and clicking sounds and the shaft will be very rough to turn and may even nearly seize up. At this point you may well be convinced that one or both of the sealed ball bearings are faulty.
Remove the bearing holder on the left side. You will need a special tool to do this. If you try to do it without the tool the bearing holder will be damaged and is unlikely to come off without being totally destroyed (if you are lucky). Do not try to remove the right bearing holder, in most cases it will have been glued in with Loctite or a similar product. (You may be able to see some of the glue on the right bearing holder thread).
If the left bearing holder does not want to turn when heavy force is used it may also have been glued in. To soften the glue, apply some heat with a heat gun or a flame, nothing too severe. The glue should soften but still have a viscous feel as you undo the bearing holder.
Support the bike frame near the crank housing on a block of wood with the right side up (make sure that it is the frame resting on the block and not part of the gearing mechanism). Use a mallet made from soft nylon or rubber and knock the shaft assembly out, usually three or four firm hits are required.
You will find some small foreign objects that don’t belong in the hub. They could be small pieces of metal left in the frame during manufacturing or sand etc. Sand most likely came into frame via the seat tube.
Thoroughly wipe all parts with a clean cloth. To reduce the chance of the problem occurring again get some heavy grease and squeeze it through the holes in the crank hub where the other frame tubes connect, especially the tube where the seat assembly slides in.
The grease will block the holes and if there is any more rubbish inside the frame or more gets in, it will get stuck in the grease.
Reassemble. Make sure you do not cross thread the bearing holder. If the left bearing holder was originally glued, remove as much glues as possible with a wire brush before reassembling. As a rule Loctite or similar is not required on the left side if the holder is properly fitted and tightened.
Fit cranks and tighten securely (very securely), fit chain, check that all is ok and go for a test ride.