Tick tick ticking despite new kit

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mrsjspie
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Joined: 8 Aug 2014, 6:08pm

Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by mrsjspie »

Hello,
Thanks in advance for your advice (wish I could return some but I have no clue what I'm doing right now). I have an aged second hand 21 speed Raleigh Pioneer Metro LX. It has a new freewheel and chain and I've just had the bottom bracket replaced, along with the shifters (and with those the brake levers and the gear cables). 'Something' is making a constant rapid ticking sound (high ticking, not clicking or clunking - and it's constant, not just on the up or down stroke) when I'm pedalling in the middle gears (ie the middle front cog and the middle range rear gears - sorry, I know these aren't the technical terms). I can feel the ticking 'vibrations' as well as hear it. I've checked all the easy stuff like my seat, seatpost, mudguards, reflectors and handlebars (headset?) and they're not loose / vibrating. Is anyone able to guess at what this might be? It made my ride home from the bike shop quite unpleasant to be honest.
Thanks again,
Becky
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Erudin
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Location: Cornwall

Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by Erudin »

Check the pedal/hub bearings. What condition is the chainset/chainrings? The gears on my old mtb were playing up not long after fitting new chain/freewheel, replacing the chainset fixed the problem. Might also be worth fitting a new rear rear derailleur, you will then have a drivetrain that should run good as new.
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mjr
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Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by mjr »

My guess would be a slightly misaligned front shifter hitting the outer plates of the chain.

I think you'll need to lift the back wheel and push each pedal in turn and try to identify the exact but that's making the noise. Good luck!
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
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timdownieuk
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Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by timdownieuk »

Pay close attention to the frequency. Is it in time with the pedals, the wheels or the chain? All will have a different frequency which may or may not change with gear changing. Once you've worked out which system is involved, it's easier to isolate the cause.

Tim
mrsjspie
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Joined: 8 Aug 2014, 6:08pm

Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by mrsjspie »

Thanks all. Tim - I'll make sure I listen closely tomorrow, but from memory today, the ticking is not what I'd call a low tonal frequency. I'm not sure if it's in time with the wheel turning or the chain - I'm not sure I know bikes well enough to tell. It happens when I'm on the middle of the three front cogs (so 'number 2') and on 4,5 and 6 in the rear gears (out of 7). On 3 in the rear set it stopped. I think because I'm new to cycling properly, I'm worried that there's something happening that will make riding unsafe (I can't really get away from main roads unfortunately). Any thoughts much appreciated.
Becky
Dave W
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Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by Dave W »

Don't suppose something's catching the end of a gear cable and flicking it?
Brucey
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Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by Brucey »

it sounds to me as if perhaps the chain may be rubbing on the front derailleur in those gears.

[the outer plate of some mechs has a stagger in it, so you can sometimes get a noise in 6 but not in 7.]

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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mjr
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Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by mjr »

Dave W wrote:Don't suppose something's catching the end of a gear cable and flicking it?

That reminds me: I once had the end of the front gear cable pinging along the chain wheel while the pedals were turning. Tucked the end behind the mechanism and all was well.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
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531colin
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Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by 531colin »

If the bike shop fitted all that stuff, just take it back.
notme2
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Joined: 12 Jul 2012, 7:17pm

Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by notme2 »

I second that colin

if thats not an option then

if you feel it in your feet its the chainset problem

if you feel it in your backside its a wheel problem

either way to test either the back wheel needs to be off the ground to spin the cranks to investigate

good luck

Ian
mrsjspie
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Joined: 8 Aug 2014, 6:08pm

Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by mrsjspie »

Thank you all. Decided I'm just not competent to sort these things myself right now so I took the bike back in this morning. Turns out the guy who fitted the shifters put the rear derailleur on wrong..the person who fixed it for me was livid! Very useful info and suggestions from everyone though - I'm learning a lot here (not least that bikes are complex things..!).
PJ520
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Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by PJ520 »

There's tiny bar thingy that goes across the middle of the derailleur cage and it's quite easy for novices to get the chain on the wrong side of this, the derailleur still works but it makes a noise. Was that the problem? It's not a mistake a professional should make mind.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
yakdiver
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Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by yakdiver »

PJ520
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Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by PJ520 »

Anybody out there tell me what purpose of that little bar thingy has?
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
Brucey
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Re: Tick tick ticking despite new kit

Post by Brucey »

I have always supposed that it is in case someone treats the gears like an SA three speed; if (whilst stationary) you shift and perhaps pedal backwards, bad things happen. The little bar stops the chain from coming out of the mech during this kind of event as well as when the rear wheel is out.

I have seen quite a few snarl ups (in which you would swear the chain is a actually a kind of Mobius strip...) in which the chain has come out of position with mechs that lack the little bar.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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