Maybe, Sorta, I Hope
I had almost resolved to live with that infernal clicking sound coming from my Saluki somewhere as I turned the non-drive side crank just past about seven o’ clock; or I was thinking I’d fucking sell the bike if I could stand it no longer.
As evidence of my frustration, I sought help, stopping in at Counterbalance Cycles and having my friend and master mechanic, Dan Boxer take a look and a test ride to see if he could find the source of the noise. Naturally, when he went for a spin, the clicking stopped—and even when I pedaled home that night, it seemed to be gone for a while.
Dan did point out that my chain was stretched and that the middle chainring on my crankset was all sharkfinned; he also agreed that my suspicion that it might have something to do with the one centimeter spacer on the drive-side bottom bracket might have something to do with it.
So, anyway, in a last-ditch effort to resolve things, I bought a brand-new Velo-Orange bottom bracket which at 122mm was just long enough not to need a spacer. I also sprung for a new chain and a new cassette and most extravagant of all, a fresh TA Specialties middle chainring which—at $56.00—was half as dear as the whole Sugino PX crankset cost in the first place.
It was quite an effort to loosen all the seized up bolts on the crank; I came this close to rounding out the hex heads, but patience and WD40 saved the day and eventually, the new ring was installed.
But huzzah! (So far, and knock wood.) With all the new stuff greased up and installed, I’ve yet to hear any clicking even after fifty-some miles.
Total cost: about $150 bucks but compare that to thousands for a whole new automobile transmission and drive train.
And probably ten times that for therapy if the clicking really drove me nuts.
As evidence of my frustration, I sought help, stopping in at Counterbalance Cycles and having my friend and master mechanic, Dan Boxer take a look and a test ride to see if he could find the source of the noise. Naturally, when he went for a spin, the clicking stopped—and even when I pedaled home that night, it seemed to be gone for a while.
Dan did point out that my chain was stretched and that the middle chainring on my crankset was all sharkfinned; he also agreed that my suspicion that it might have something to do with the one centimeter spacer on the drive-side bottom bracket might have something to do with it.
So, anyway, in a last-ditch effort to resolve things, I bought a brand-new Velo-Orange bottom bracket which at 122mm was just long enough not to need a spacer. I also sprung for a new chain and a new cassette and most extravagant of all, a fresh TA Specialties middle chainring which—at $56.00—was half as dear as the whole Sugino PX crankset cost in the first place.
It was quite an effort to loosen all the seized up bolts on the crank; I came this close to rounding out the hex heads, but patience and WD40 saved the day and eventually, the new ring was installed.
But huzzah! (So far, and knock wood.) With all the new stuff greased up and installed, I’ve yet to hear any clicking even after fifty-some miles.
Total cost: about $150 bucks but compare that to thousands for a whole new automobile transmission and drive train.
And probably ten times that for therapy if the clicking really drove me nuts.
posted by Professor Dave at 5:12 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home