Possible Crankset Worries

[Rick&Pat]

We are new to cycling on a regular basis, and to overcome our pace differences we have purchased a Tandem.  We have put a couple hundred miles on the bike in the nine months we have owned it. (We LOVE IT by the way!)  Lately, I have begun to hear noises in the lower portion of the bike.  I believe the noises are coming from the crankset, the front and possibly both.  The noises are "creaks and snaps" and not a constant grinding.  Could the bearings in the crankset be going bad already?  Is it going to be a tough job to find the correct bearings to rebuild the bearings if they are?

[Sailariel]

I don`t know what kind of tandem you have. If it is not a Wal-Mart model, I would seriously doubt that it is your bottomn bracket. I would check your pedals to make sure they are tight and I would check your cranks. You remove the dustcaps on the crank arm and tighten with a socket wrench. I think it` a 13 or 14mm socket. After your cranks are tight, firmly grasp the crank and try to wiggle it. There should be no play and the circular motion should be smooth. Park Tool has a good website for troubleshooting. You may want to check them out. Best wishes, Alex

[wanderingwheel]

I agree with Alex that it is probably not the bottom bracket.  Besides his suggestions, check the chainring bolts and the condition of the chain.  If you bought it from a bike shop, maybe the easiest thing to do is just to bring it by and ask them for help.

Sean

[Rick&Pat]

Thanks to the respondents.  I did already have the bottom brackets open and repacked them. The cranks were tight. I still have the same noises. I am now having a bike shop look at the chain, because I could not find a stuck link by just looking.  

[JayH]

I was going to second the idea of the chain. How old is it, has it sat around for a bit? in damp/humid air? Any visible signs of rust?

You can check for a stuck link by

1)shifting into the small sprocket in the back and simply using your fingers to wiggle each link up and down to see how freely it moves

2)Look at your guide or jockey pulleys on your rear derailleur as somebody spins the chain through them. If you notice the chain either skipping or a slight jerk in the pulley, it could be where the stiff link is and that could cause your creaking.  Sometimes you can fix a stuck link by moving that particular link with your hands and then degreasing it and relubing it.

Jay