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OPINION
When did I turn into a cycling ponce?
Fri, Sep 26, 2014 17:03
48
As I punched in my PIN to part with £100 for a pair of titanium QR skewers I noticed a light flutter in my stomach.
At the time I put it down to the fact that I hadn’t yet eaten lunch but on reflection it could have been what remains of the sensible me raising a muted objection that this was rather a lot of money to be spending on something I didn’t strictly need and for which there were numerous alternatives that didn’t cost quite as much.
My extravagance came as a direct result of an increasingly febrile hunt to track down the cause of an infuriating click. Over a period of several weeks I’d eliminated so many possible causes that it seemed incontrovertible to me that the problem lay in my skewers. (How’s that for questionable diagnostics?)
So I popped into a bike shop and browsed the options. What happened next will be depressingly familiar to cyclists everywhere: my initial rejection of the hilariously overpriced Ti option turned to mild desperation at the lack of an immediately available alternative, which then turned into serious consideration of the Ti option due to the salesman’s patter, which turned into a reappraisal of the Ti option (noting afresh the elegant, minimalist lines and feather lightness), which duly turned into one of those dangerous oh fukkit moments. Out came the card; off home I skipped, feeling thrilled and guilty in equal measure.
What the heck has happened to me? I used to mock people who were prepared to spend £100 on titanium skewers. I regarded them as pitiful weight weenies and slavish gadget boys. All the gear; no idea. And now here I am: one of them. Truly I am lost forever.
And before you ask, the click’s still there.
Anyone want to buy a pair of Ti skewers? They’re really nice.
Lifelong lover of most things cycling-related, from Moulton Mini adventures in the 70s to London bike messengering in the 80s, commuting in the 90s, mountain biking in the noughties and road cycling throughout. Editor of Simpson Magazine (www.simpsonmagazine.cc).
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48 comments
i realised i became a cycling ponce when i turned around after a mile to go and change my socks as they just didnt work right with the jersey i was wearing.
Brilliant.
Is it your knee?
That was my first thought, or tinnitus...
Funnily enough my friendly LBS (Rule 5 in Brighton - excellent shop) spent five hours on this last week. This is what he did: reassembled crankset and bb, tensioned wheels, fibre gripped seatpost, changed seat collar, tightened hub bearings, tightened shifters, fibre gripped stem face plate, and greased pedals axles and bearings.
Once I'd got the bike back I decided the Ti skewers were a mistake so I swapped them for the original Mavics. Went out for the club ride yesterday and *sigh* more clicks. Was figuring out with a heavy heart how to break the news to my LBS when something occurred to me. I stopped briefly to tighten up the rear skewer. Result? No clicks! (Well, maybe just a tiny one from somewhere or other but I can live with that...probably).
Wouldn't be a Canyon would it?
No, Enigma.
I have had a clicking noise on my bike. It was really annoying today. I had it up on the workstand after my ride and I noticed that on one of the rear sprockets a plate on the chain was catching on one of the teeth before dropping into place. I've only been out on it about 8 times so back to the shop for sorting out it will go.
I have had a clicking noise on my bike. It was really annoying today. I had it up on the workstand after my ride and I noticed that on one of the rear sprockets a plate on the chain was catching on one of the teeth before dropping into place. I've only been out on it about 8 times so back to the shop for sorting out it will go.
I would check your pedals. I had something similar. Tended to be on the down motion of the crank. I removed the pedals, greased the thread and put them back. Creak gone.
I will make a prediction; it will be one of two things.
1. Your lower headset bearing has gone rusty and needs either replacing or cleaning.
2. You have factory built wheels and are keen on washing your bike. The noise is a spoke or spokes ticking with each wheel revolution. Solution; a drop of oil on each spoke hole in the rim, then set the wheels next to a radiator and revolve a few times overnight.
Could the noise be from your shoes? I have an unused cleat nut in my shoes that sits in a slot, every time I pedal it rattles a tiny amount. Took me months to figure it out, but now whenever I hear I pedal knowing full well everything else must be fully dialled in to allow me to hear such a tiny noise
I was hunting down an annoying click for ages last summer. Turned out to be keys in my jacket pocket ....
PS I'll give you £50 for the skewers ...
Could have bought a nice pair of carbon earplugs for that price. Voila, no noise!
It comes and goes a bit, but it's broadly in time with crank turns. No shoe laces (and it happens with different shoes anyway), not the same sound as external cables vs frame, pretty sure the chain ring bolts have been checked but I'll double check. Haven't thought of the valve thing but I think that would be consistent wouldn't it? Anyway, I'll check. Thanks!
No it's not the cable - that's tucked neatly out of the way. I'll tell you what else it's not (all investigated and eliminated in various ways): pedals, cleats, wheels (hubs & spokes), saddle, seat post, stem, bars, cranks, bottom bracket, rear mech, front mech, seat collar, shifters and QR SKEWERS.
Is it in sync with cadence, speed or random?
Things that I've had rattle and click:
* Inner tube valve against the rim
* Front chainring bolts loose / too tight.
* Shoe laces against chainstay
* External cables against frame.
The one I am most embarrassed by was my wrist watch strap loosening as I lost weight. The metal links were able to move and bounce against each other. I was convinced that something was coming loose in the left shifter assembly....
Here is a tortured soul.
Whilst I will of course gently mock you for your extravagance, I feel that if I do so I should try help you in your quest for silent cycling once more.
Tell us the nature of the clicking, and let's hear what you've tried in your search.
My bet is the front shifter gear cable brushing against your shoes and pinging back.
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