Chainset and bottom bracket

[IanHurley]

Proably a basic question but ... my chainwheel on my 905 torque has been making creaking sounds, the chain itself is fairly new so I took it off, cleaned it and examined the teeth which seemed to be ok. I put it back on but used an old biker trick of reversing it. Out on the road the clicking / creaking noise is exactly the same and does it when putting effort on the pedals at the same points of pedal rotation. There is a little play in the bottom bracket which looks to be one of the Octalink? types and obviously has the strain sensor in with it to sense load. I have never taken one of these apart before but having maintained all my cars, rebuilt write offs, looked after motorbikes and built 4 kit cars over the last 50 years can say I am fairly handy with mechanics.
So, is this unit adjustable and how is it adjusted without causing issues to the load sensor?

 

[vfr400]

Put some grease on the splines. Octalink type BBs are noted for their creaking.

Anybody else with a creaking square taper type BB. Never put grease on it. That's only for splined type. Square ones have to be clean and free of grease, otherwise they come loose, leaving you stranded.

 

[IanHurley]

Thanks for the reply VFR400, I have probably mixed something up here - pedals are square taper and if you look at the left hand side it has a special tool fitting which to me looks about the same as the Octolink fitting. Its the bearings within this that there is a little play in

 

[IanHurley]

Don't all speak at once!
Okay - I seem to have cured it, everything taken off except the torque sensing cassette - everything cleaned thoroughly and lubricated with a cycle chain ptfe spray and reassembled. A short 5 mile test ride and the noise seems to have gone. It's been there since March with several chain cleans etc and didn't go away so why now? No idea

 

[Bikes4two]

Don't all speak at once! ....

I think you lost any possible contributors when you said you had square taper pedals......

Anyway, glad to hear you've solved the issues.

I'd not heard of the 'bikers trick' of reversing the chain before. IHMO that is not worth considering on a pedal bike as the chain rollers wear leading to 'stretch' (easily determined by a chain wear guage) and nothing will be achieved by chain reversal.

 

[Nealh]

Pedals are threaded, it is the crank area assembly to the BB shaft that is sq tapered.
No further advice was forwarded because vfr had covered it all in #2.

 

[vfr400]

I'd not heard of the 'bikers trick' of reversing the chain before.

It's generally not a good idea. As the chain wears, (stretches), the sprocket teeth wear to match it. All reversing does is bring a mismatch in the shapes so you get rapid wear until the two match again. It's like swapping your back unworn car tyres to the front when the fronts get a bit worn. The tyres wear to match the camber, which is different front to back, so after swapping, you get very rapid wear and you end up having to replace all 4 soon after instead of getting plenty more life out of the back ones if you'd left them alone.

 

[IanHurley]

Firstly - I apoligise for upsetting a few of you with my first remark which was supposed to be humour
Then

Bikes4two said:


I'd not heard of the 'bikers trick' of reversing the chain before.
and VFR400 said

It's generally not a good idea. As the chain wears, (stretches), the sprocket teeth wear to match it. All reversing does is bring a mismatch in the shapes so you get rapid wear until the two match again. It's like swapping your back unworn car tyres to the front when the fronts get a bit worn. The tyres wear to match the camber, which is different front to back, so after swapping, you get very rapid wear and you end up having to replace all 4 soon after instead of getting plenty more life out of the back ones if you'd left them alone.

I am an older motorcyclist. Sprockets wear and if reversed can extend the mileage that they can be used for. The chain is not reversed - ok wording could have been better but it is a trick that will allow a sprocket when reversed to last longer , it was the front chainwheel / sproket that was reversed not the chain.

So thank you all for your inputs, I'll try not to say anything outrageous again