Bottom bracket creak

Question

I've recently bought a second hand carbon bicycle. The bottom bracket was making a creaking sound under pressure, so I took it to a shop and they put in new bearings.

But after 1 or 2 cycles it was back again. The shop sent it to a carbon frame specialist to see if it was cracked but it came back with no problems.

If I hold the bike with 1 hand and put pressure on the left pedal and crank it makes the same noise. The pedals came off my other bike and were not damaged.

Is it possible that the left crank arm itself could be cracked and causing it?

I want to get an idea if possible before I purchase a new crank arm as they are quite expensive. The only other worrying thing is that on Sheldon Browns site they say that if the left arm creaks under load that could be a sign the frame is about to fail.

Its an Sram red press fit bb30 by the way.

Answer 1

Just a guess, is the bike a Cervelo? They are notorious for creaking, but are hardly unique.

I agree with the above comment about bearing movement inside of the frame. It is maddening. There are several ways to solve this:

Instructions: Do not go back to the LBS you've used earlier. Nothing mean but they seem to lack the experience to figure this out, unless they just like selling you stuff.

Keep your cash. I seriously doubt that your crankarm is damaged. Even if I am wrong you can buy a new Ultegra crankset for far less than what you are hinting at for a single crankarm.

If you changed the cassette (which are pricey) you should also change the chain (which are relatively cheap). They wear together. It's cheap insurance, but will have nothing to do with your creaking noise.

Solutions: If it is the BB30 shifting inside of the bb shell there are several options. Most frame manufacturers have what are essentially shims that press into the shell, and then the bearing presses into them. There are exceptions, and it is less common on the newest bikes, but they do exist for this reason. A good LBS will know and understand this.

If it is a direct fit into the frame there is a locktite product that will fill the gap, solidify and end your creaking nightmare. It will likely void the warranty, but that warranty went out the window a long time ago. I've never used on a bike (but have on other situations), it but have read good things about it.

Chainring bolts. Are they loose? Have you taken them off, cleaned them carefully and used thread locker on them? They can make some strange noises as you pedal.

And on the off chance, how tight are the quick releases levers on the wheels? I had a Bianchi that had the classic BB noises and behaviors. I was in the middle of nowhere and confused to how this could happen so abruptly. On a whim I tightened the rear wheel really tight, and it went away. Only with those wheels and that bike together did I have that problem.

Good luck. Always check the cheapest and easiest stuff first.

Answer 2

Remember, there are two bearings in the BB, and it is possible to have one go bad/move around while the other is steady. Bearings can shift in their housing, rust on their external cups, rust internally, you name it. BikeRadar has an excellent article on them:

http://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/article/workshop-how-to-service-bb30-press-fit-bottom-brackets-29544/

In the end you need a second opinion from a trusty shop.

One last obvious thing I haven't asked is if you have removed the bolt that presses the left crankarm to the axle. I recommend you clean both the bolt, inside of the crankarm and the internal threads of the axle, regrease and reinstall snug to tight. The fact that the left side immediately makes noise is a bit odd as my experience is that bearings make their weird noises under the changes in load while pedaling. Check out the article, and good luck. Let me know what you find.