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I have an old Free Spirit road bike. It's in good shape and runs fine, but I started noticing that when I'm going uphill or pedaling in a high gear there is a squeaky sound coming from what seems to be the crank.

Any tips on fixing it or could it be another issue altogether?

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  • Definitely check (or have your LBS check) that the crank fixing bolts are tight. Also you may want to have your LBS check the crank cups.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Oct 19, 2011 at 20:30
  • It's devilishly difficult sometimes to pinpoint the position of a noise whilst you are riding. And even harder to replicate the noises when you are not riding. A friend cycling next to and around you can help located the source of said noises.
    – Iain M Norman
    Commented Oct 20, 2011 at 8:23
  • A photo of your bottom bracket and cranks would help. It'd make a big difference if you had cottered cranks or a one piece crank, for example.
    – RoboKaren
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 18:01

2 Answers 2

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I noticed my crank making a noise when I would crank hard, and it ended up being the pedal. It was the cheap plastic pedals that came with the bike (before I switched to clipless), and the pedal itself was starting to break. It would bend when I was cranking hard, and it finally broke on me (thankfully, just down the street from my house).

So, I would check the pedal, and check the bolts for the whole area to make sure everything's tightened down properly.

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  • Thanks, I'll check the pedals. They're stock so probably pretty cheap plastic as well.
    – Jesse
    Commented Oct 19, 2011 at 18:20
  • Yep, I've had several problems with pedals as well, and not just "cheap" ones (though not top-of-the-line either).
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Oct 19, 2011 at 20:29
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I just had a similar problem and after checking bottom bracket, pedals, and chainrings, spraying some lubricant into the rear hub did the trick. I did not even remove the wheel; just sprayed into the hub. Good luck!

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    Its probably a temp fix - you'd benefit from a complete teardown and new bearings in the rear wheel.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Jul 6, 2017 at 11:15
  • Bearings are new; several muddy rides gunked it up.
    – BentheFolker
    Commented Jul 11, 2017 at 15:31

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