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Questions and answers about sports

Creaking pressfit bottom bracket

5 min read

Asked by: Christie Denison

The basic reason for the creaking is one of two reasons, either a poor fit or misalignment. Often, the two occur at the same time. Modern bicycle frames are now readily available in lightweight materials and more specifically made of carbon.

Why is my bottom bracket creaking?

Most of the time, the true cause is a loose chainring bolt—tighten them up and that’ll quiet most creaks. After you check the chainring bolts and if you still hear the noise, look at your pedals, crank bolts, seatpost, and seat. By checking these first, you’ll save an hour of digging into your bottom bracket.

How do I stop my bottom bracket from creaking?

Quote from video: And creaks. And in terms you have bottom bracket. As I mentioned threaded bottom bracket is much much more simple you grease the thread where it goes into the frame. And you're also obviously grease

Can threaded bottom brackets creak?

Every mechanic dreads the moment when a customer comes into the store with a creaking bottom bracket. While the poor bottom bracket gets blamed for creaking, very often the cause is found elsewhere.

Why does my bike creak when I pedal hard?

That creaky squeaking you hear as you pedal “could mean that [your bike] has a dry chain or bearings,” Yozell says. Cleaning and lubing your chain is usually a good place to start with any weird noise, but if it doesn’t solve the squeak, you may need to maintain or replace some bearings (see below).

Should I grease my bottom bracket?

In the case of the bottom bracket, you will use the grease when you install it, whether it is threaded, press fit or similar, and in the same way when you install or clean the cranks. The point of contact of the cranks with the bottom bracket should be greased too.

How do I know if my bottom bracket is going bad?

Quote from video: And see if you can feel knocking in the bearings hard to see sometimes you can feel it. Another good indicator is to use some other senses like a sense of feel and some hearing.

How often should you grease bottom bracket?

Around the three month mark is normally enough time, even in the best conditions for dirt to work its way into the small gaps and contact points around the crankset and bottom bracket area.

How do you lubricate a bottom bracket?

Quote from video: Film or grease on this surface. Against that dust.

Why is my cranks creaking?

The most common cause of a squeaky crank is that the bolt is loose. Check for play in your cranks by pulling on one side and trying to wiggle it side to side. If there is play, check that your crank bolts are tight using a hex wrench—bolts should be hand-tight.

Should you grease crank spindle?

With or without lubricant, in use, cranks will make metal-to-metal contact with the spindle, causing fretting erosion of the steel spindle for all but the lightest riders. Lubricating the spindle for assembly assures a predictable press fit for a given torque.

Is it OK to use wd40 on bike chain?

WD-40 is a great bike chain lube water based lubricant and will not only lubricate the chain well, but will also keep it rust and corrosion free.

Is Lithium Grease good for bikes?

No, lithium grease or similar grease compounds are in general not suitable for bike chains. Bike chains need lubrication of inner surfaces between rollers.

How often should you grease bike hubs?

Fix Your Noisy Press-fit Bottom Bracket

Why is my cranks creaking?

The most common cause of a squeaky crank is that the bolt is loose. Check for play in your cranks by pulling on one side and trying to wiggle it side to side. If there is play, check that your crank bolts are tight using a hex wrench—bolts should be hand-tight.

How do you lubricate a bottom bracket?

Quote from video: Film or grease on this surface. Against that dust.

How often should you grease bottom bracket?

Around the three month mark is normally enough time, even in the best conditions for dirt to work its way into the small gaps and contact points around the crankset and bottom bracket area.

Why is my new mountain bike creaking?

Quote from video: You will hear the creek. There. This is usually caused by dry or unloved bearings. Sometimes it can be simply just a case of regress in the headset. And that will eradicate the creek but other times

Why is my bike making a creaking noise?

Squeaks and Creaks:



These super common sounds are usually due to DIRTY or DRY bearings. You’ll often find that after riding your bike for a while or in harsh conditions these noises start to creep in. Areas to check if you’re hearing these noises would be: Crankset/ Bottom Bracket.

How long should bottom bracket bearings last?

As for a bottom bracket, on the low end, maybe 5000 miles. The basic Shimano one most people use (UN51/55/similar) can reasonably expect 10k+ miles. But sometimes you get unlucky and get a bottom bracket that lasts maybe 500 miles.