As you ride your bike, do you hear strange clicking noises coming from your pedals? If so, you’re not alone. Many cyclists experience this problem at some point in their cycling career. Fortunately, it’s not a sign that something is broken or irreparable.
This is natural and has a simple solution. Unfortunately, there are many reasons why your pedals might be making clicking noises. Each of these reasons is easily solved with the help of this article.
Why are my bike pedals clicking?
All cyclists experience clicking noises from their bike pedals at some point. Fortunately, this is a very common problem that’s rarely a cause for concern.
There are many reasons why your bike pedals might click. The first thing to do is check that your shoes are not too tight. If they are, they might be pressing against the pedal and causing the clicking noises.
After that, you’ll want to check your pedals for looseness. If you’re riding with worn out pedals, they’re likely to be too loose and clicking as you pedal. If this is the case, you’ll need to get new pedals or have the old ones tightened up.
If your pedals seem fine, you might be dropping your cadence while climbing. This means that you’re slowing down and putting too much pressure on the pedals. Once you become aware of this problem, it’s easy to solve by increasing your cadence.
You might also have a bent chainring if your pedals are clicking. If you’ve noticed that your chainring has become misaligned, it’s possible that a fall or crash has caused it to bend out of shape.
This is a common problem that’s easily fixed with the help of an expert. If your pedals are clicking, you might have bent spokes.
You’re most likely to notice this problem if you have a mountain bike or a road bike with loose spokes. In this case, you’ll need to get your spokes tightened up.
Your Shoes Are Too Tight
Your Shoes Are Too Tight One of the most common causes of clicking pedals is that your shoes are too tight. If your shoes are pressing against the pedal, they might cause clicking noises as you ride.
This is easy to fix. Simply loosen the laces on your shoes and the problem will disappear. If your shoes are too loose, however, they might cause other problems.
Your Pedals Are Loose or Broken
Your Pedals Are Loose or Broken If your pedals are loose, they might click as you ride. If you’ve recently fitted new pedals, they might be loose and need to be tightened. If you’re riding with old or worn out pedals, they might be too loose and need to be replaced.
Most metal pedals are adjustable. If you have adjustable pedals, you can simply turn the screw on each pedal to tighten them up.
If you don’t have adjustable pedals, you’ll need to find replacement pedals or have your old ones tightened. If you can’t do either of these things, your only option is to ride with loose pedals.
You’re Dropping Cadence while Climbing
You’re Dropping Cadence while Climbing If you’re dropping your cadence while climbing, you might be clicking your pedals. This is a very common problem.
Many cyclists slow down when they start climbing. This puts a lot more pressure on the pedals, causing clicking noises. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to prevent this problem. The best thing you can do is to become aware of it as soon as possible.
As soon as you notice yourself slowing down while climbing, try to increase your cadence to avoid the clicking.
You Have a Bent Chainring
You Have a Bent Chainring If your chainring is bent, it might be causing clicking noises from your pedals. If a fall or crash has caused your chainring to bend, it’s easy to spot. Just look at the front of your bike and you’ll be able to see that it’s not straight anymore.
When your chainring is bent, it can cause a lot of different problems. It can cause clicking noises, make it harder to pedal, and make it harder to change gear.
Fortunately, it’s easy to fix a bent chainring. All you need is a chainring removal tool, a hammer, and pliers.
You Have Bent Spokes
You Have Bent Spokes If one or more of your spokes are bent, they might be clicking as you ride. Bent spokes are usually caused by a crash or fall, but they can also be caused by bad wheel building. If your wheel is poorly built, the spokes might not be put in the right place.
This can cause them to bend and click as you ride. It can also cause a lot of other problems, such as wobbling and uneven wear. Fortunately, bent spokes are easy to fix. To do so, you’ll need a spoke wrench, pliers, and a hammer.
You’ll also need to have someone help you or do the job on a workstand to prevent the wheel from falling apart. When your wheel is disassembled, you can bend the spokes back into shape. You can then reassemble your wheel and it will be as good as new.
Dry Bearing Causes
Dry Bearing Causes If your bike pedals have been clicking for a long time, there might be something wrong with the bearings.
When a bearing gets too little grease, it can dry out and cause clicking noises. This can happen if you don’t clean your bike often enough. When bearings get too little grease, they might make a clicking noise.
They might also feel rough when you spin the wheel. If this happens, you’ll need to take your bike to a shop and have the bearings replaced.
How to Stop Pedals from Clicking
How to Stop Pedals from Clicking If your bike pedals are clicking, you’ll want to solve the problem as quickly as possible. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to stop the clicking and get back on the road as fast as possible.
First, check that your shoes are not too tight. If they are, loosen the laces and the problem will disappear.
Next, check your pedals for looseness. If they’re too loose, you’ll need to find the cause of the looseness. If they’re too loose, they might need to be replaced.
If your pedals seem fine, you might be dropping your cadence while climbing. If this is the case, try to increase your cadence to solve the problem.
You might also have a bent chainring if your pedals are clicking. To solve this problem, you’ll need to remove your chainring and straighten it out.
Finally, you might have a dry bearing. If you do, you’ll need to take your bike to a shop and have the bearings replaced.
How do I stop my bike pedals from clicking?
The spindle joint and pedal springs should be lubricated with a drop of lube. Wipe away any excess lube. Your bike shop may require maintenance on your bearings if your pedals are grinding or difficult to turn. Check your bike shoes’ cleats if lubing the pedal spring does not eliminate creaking.
Why is my pedal making noise?
The first thing you should do if you have a noisy pedalboard (or pedals) is check your power supply for issues. Are you using a cheap or underpowered power supply? If so, you should switch to something more appropriate for your setup, eliminating buzzing and humming forever.
Why do bikes click without pedaling?
The pawls are spring-loaded teeth that make the hub move forward when you stop pedaling. When you apply force from the chain, the pawls will grab the freehub shell again.
Conclusion
Bike pedals clicking can be frustrating, especially if you don’t know why it is happening. Luckily, there are many reasons why this might occur, and most of them have simple fixes.
Once you understand the problem, it is easy to find the solution. Check your pedals for looseness, adjust your shoes, and reduce your cadence while climbing if you notice this problem.
When you identify the cause of the clicking, you can easily stop your pedals from clicking. To prevent this problem in the future, you’ll also want to make sure you clean your bike often enough.
