Is there a mechanic in the house?

[Saddlesore]

My Ezee Forza has developed a bit of a knock - clonk or whatever from its lower regions and I am reluctant to start dismantling it in case I have not correctly identified the problem.

The clonk occurs when pedalling - light cadence pedalling is ok but the clonk is distinct when putting pressure on the pedals up slopes - into headwinds etc and can be felt through the pedals. My natural thoughts were it was the cranks or the bottom bracket bearing although checks show there is no obvious wear, play or movement in either the pedals, cranks or bearing. There is no kink in the chain and the rear derailleur appears ok. Perhaps my manual checks can't reproduce a minor bit of play in the bearing but I would like to sort it if anyone can offer ideas.

Whatever I am enjoying the bike and have now done around 600 miles on it since July.

Cheers

 

[flecc]

It could be one or both cranks not completely secure on the square taper of the pedal shaft, needing the end nuts tightened. This can produce a clunk with strong pedal thrusts. You might find the noise is mainly when you press hard on just one of the pedals, identifying the guilty crank nut.

 

[Saddlesore]

Thanks Flecc for the quick response - I'll check that out tonight. You could well be right as it seemed to me the left hand crank wasn't quite straight in the shaft when viewed from above while riding but just put that down to an optical illusion. The sound does remind me of that of a worn cotterpin.

Cheers

 

[musicbooks]

My Ezee Forza has developed a bit of a knock - clonk or whatever from its lower regions and I am reluctant to start dismantling it in case I have not correctly identified the problem.

The clonk occurs when pedalling - light cadence pedalling is ok but the clonk is distinct when putting pressure on the pedals up slopes - into headwinds etc and can be felt through the pedals. My natural thoughts were it was the cranks or the bottom bracket bearing although checks show there is no obvious wear, play or movement in either the pedals, cranks or bearing. There is no kink in the chain and the rear derailleur appears ok. Perhaps my manual checks can't reproduce a minor bit of play in the bearing but I would like to sort it if anyone can offer ideas.

Whatever I am enjoying the bike and have now done around 600 miles on it since July.

Cheers

I had exactly the same problem on my Agattu. Flecc had correctly identified the problem and a cycle shop rectified for free.
However, now I have a clicking sound coming up through the handlebars when powering uphill. I recenly tightened the bars onto the central column and I am thinking that I may have over tightened and it is 'cracking' when I pull at them. 9though thinking about it, when the bolt is loose, the bars click anyway, sometimes going through the entire frame..
any further thoughts most appreciated.
BW
musicbooks

 

[flecc]

This creaking is often the handlebar tube moving slightly within it's clamp on the extension, so try tightening up the allen bolts that clamp the tube, and also the bolts that secure the extension at the headstock end.
.

 

[Danny-K]

However, now I have a clicking sound coming up through the handlebars when powering uphill. I recenly tightened the bars onto the central column and I am thinking that I may have over tightened and it is 'cracking' when I pull at them. 9though thinking about it, when the bolt is loose, the bars click anyway, sometimes going through the entire frame..
any further thoughts most appreciated.
BW
musicbooks

Try some anti-seize copper grease where the handlebars are clamped. The clicking may be the alloy handlebars moving against another dry surface. (Or even the stem in the head-tube). Annoying clicks from the stem/handlebar area when 'pulling up' on them is quite a common complaint. Tightening and copper grease appear to correct quite often.

 

[musicbooks]

Thanks guys,
I'll give it a go.
BW
Tom
Musicbooks

 

[Danny-K]

Clicks, creaks and noises off - sorted!

As luck would have it, I was having a quick trawl through the forum before dashing outside before the light faded to attend to 'noises off' on my own bike; so posted above and went out to do just that; back in the house now - all sorted.

For those suffering similar mysterious clicks and creaks here's what happened:

First, I should explain that what had been annoying me was a rhythmic clicking from what appeared to be the rear wheel. When I stopped pedalling the clicking stopped - so maybe the cranks/pedals were not tight enough, or maybe the bottom bracket was on the way out. I thought I'd tested everything when I bought this bike a couple of weeks ago, but didn't test the cranks or pedals as I intended upgrading them. Anyway, don't know if it's a case of not knowing your own strength but definitely got the cranks to squeak and creak a bit tighter.

- On my regular bikes, there's no more to tighten, so maybe that was the cause. I righted the upended bike and short-tested it around the garden where the clicking appeared to have dissapeared - but I thought I detected a distant and forlorn solitary 'click'.

So upended the bike again and this time tested the pedals, again they tightened appreciably. That's the trouble with bicycle clicks and creaks, the sound can travel from one end of the bike to the other fooling the rider completely.

Tested the bike again and all appeared well, but I don't know; it didn't feel as if I'd really sorted it. I mean there were no clicks but it was as if I imagined it was on the point of making a clicking sound. I should at this point have taken it out for a proper road test, because now I'll never know. Remembering that the seller of the bike looked as if he weighed between 25 and 30 stone I had it in my subconscious that the spokes may have been stressed beyond their design remit. So again I upended the bike, and using an old remedy, I got a can of my favourite old fashioned 3-in-1 oil and sparingily placed a droplet of oil between each and every crossover point where the spokes, well, crossed over each other, both sides of the rear wheel, and gently squeezed the spokes together at each crossover, I could immediately detect a quietening of the noise the spokes made as I squeezed and let the oil penetrate. Had copious handfuls of paper kitchen towels to mop excess away, and when done, did what I should have done after each tweak - took it out on the road for a test, standing on the pedals, forcing the gears - breaking and accelerating fiercely - and I'm pleased to say, touch wood, it all appears sorted! Phew!

So, which do you think was the culprit? Loose cranks, loose pedals, spokes creaking at the crossover point - or a combination of all three?

P.S. Cycling up to the late-night shopping centre shortly, so will be able to carry out a fuller evaluation.

P.P.S. Oh yes, should say I had been over both wheels the previous day with a spoke tensioner but none appeared loose.

 

[Danny-K]

Some time later... Well just got back in from that ride to the shopping centre and back and what a difference the lack of a tuneful accompaniment makes to the speed of the bike. Why that should be I don't know, but there's no beating, riding a well-tuned bike without having to hear unwanted noises of bike ailment, everything seems faster and swifter, maybe it allows you to concentrate more on the job in hand instead of being distracted by annoying click-clacking creaks. (Hope it all lasts).

 

[JamesC]

So, which do you think was the culprit? Loose cranks, loose pedals, spokes creaking at the crossover point - or a combination of all three?

Great work - I reckon spokes.

Oil is certainly a good friend here.

Ebikes tend to put a lot of bend into the spokes on account of large diameter, widely spaced flanges to accomodate motors or hub gears.

As you say, the crossovers between spokes are under more pressure than a regular wheel.

What's the right answer ?

James

 

[JohnInStockie]

Tips on correctly tightening the spokes would be helpful. As a youth, I am sure I did this with a standard spoke tightener, 'pinging' the spokes til the all had the same sound and felt the same tension.

So far I dont think I have ever broken a spoke in my life (..uh-oh here goes)

John

 

[Danny-K]

Great work - I reckon spokes.

Oil is certainly a good friend here.

Ebikes tend to put a lot of bend into the spokes on account of large diameter, widely spaced flanges to accomodate motors or hub gears.

As you say, the crossovers between spokes are under more pressure than a regular wheel.

What's the right answer ?

James

James, your post has given me a thought and makes me wonder that if some Pro Connect owners are reporting numerous spoke breakages, nearly all at the 'elbow' of the spoke at the hub, rather than the nipple end in the rim, that new Pro Connect owners might attempt to protect themselves from the same fate by carefully placing a drop of oil directly on to the spoke elbow to ease its movement as clearly if that's where they're snapping, then the excessive stress applied to it must have induced some movement there in the first place.

Tips on correctly tightening the spokes would be helpful.

Me too John. I've always had wheels made by specialist wheel-builders, so normally I never have to touch 'em. However, after buying a secondhand budget-priced e-bike I think it may be something I will be forced to pay more attention to in the near future.

 

[JamesC]

James, your post has given me a thought and makes me wonder that if some Pro Connect owners are reporting numerous spoke breakages, nearly all at the 'elbow' of the spoke at the hub, rather than the nipple end in the rim, that new Pro Connect owners might attempt to protect themselves from the same fate by carefully placing a drop of oil directly on to the spoke elbow to ease its movement as clearly if that's where they're snapping, then the excessive stress applied to it must have induced some movement there in the first place.

I think that there is still more to understand about the particular makeup of the ProConnect rear wheel.

The spoke pattern is described as "half-radial" - see Sheldon Brown here, page down 6 or 8 times.

The spokes are laced in a normal crossing on the drive side of the wheel, but the other half of the wheel (the non-drive side) has radial spoking, just like a cart wheel with the spokes going straight out from hub to rim.

I think that the users who have reported a breakage have said that the radial spokes have given the trouble, but perhaps they could confirm this.

So, you could be right that a drop of oil on the elbow would help, but at least we can be sure that there is no bowing on the side where the spokes do not cross.

James

Edit - Forgot to say that I have not heard squeaks and groans from the ProConnect spokes, but did on the more traditional wheel of the Torq before rebuilding the wheel completely.

 

[Saddlesore]

Thanks everyone for all the input - I took flecc's advice and that seems to have cured the problem - tightening up the allen bolts retaining the cranks on the spline. They were pretty tight anyway and only tightened a fraction but it does seem to have cured the problem.

Thanks all