Clicky, grindy noise in low gears

[zzzTimzzz]

Hi all, I just got my first eBike, a Cube Hybrid Race 500 Allroad. It's a 2017 model and I really love it.
I have noticed that in the low gears, particularly on an incline there is a kind of clicky sound coming from around the pedal area. I am new to cycling and don't know for sure if there's something amiss, but it seems a bit odd to me. The sound happens even with the motor disengaged. The motor itself runs beautifully.

I made a short video yesterday of the issue. I'm cycling without the motor in the lowest gear, uphill, which is when the sound is most noticeable. I posted it to Youtube as I can't upload here and have put a link at the bottom of this post (I hope it's ok to link to this vid - i couldn't find anything in the forum rules telling me not to).

I have taken it now to two bike shops to get an opinion on it. Whenever it's been up on the stand for inspection it doesn't make as much noise. At both shops they've only been able to take it for a test ride on the flat, so unsurprisingly, it doesn't make as much noise as it does when I'm taking it up the steep hills that make up my commute.

I compared it to my friend's Cube Kathmandu which ran quietly under the same conditions (motor off, uphill, lowest gear). The chap in the bike shop suggested the fact that the Kathmandu is 10 speed, whereas mine is 11 speed (different angle of chain in low gears) may explain why mine's noisy and my friends isn't.

Both shops suggested the chain looked a bit tight and could do with being lengthened a little which they suspected would help. So after being told that twice I agreed. It's made little difference as far as I can tell. The video I have uploaded was from yesterday.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether this sounds normal? Or any other Cube Hybrid Race owners out there who can tell me if theirs do the same thing?

Many thanks if you read this far

Cheers,

Tim

 

[JPGiant]

If I understand the video correctly, it sounds like the 'click' is when the RH crank is facing rearward, which may lend itself to a link on the chain being at fault when it passes something in the drivetrain.
Might be best to replace the chain, get a good ebike chain, and Google chain length calculator for required length.
Also check motor spindle bearing with chain and motor off and check pedal bearings.
Do a chain line check to see if the chain ring is correctly aligned with cassette.

 

[zzzTimzzz]

Hi and thanks for taking the time to reply.
I have uploaded another video which I took last week which I think makes it a little clearer. In this one the noise I am noticing gets gradually lessens as I move through the gears (again this is without the motor engaged).

When I am in the high gears towards the end of this clip you will hear the bike runs a lot more quietly and smoother.

I'm hearing a constant ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka kind of sound rather than a "click" on each pedal revolution.

 

[Ducknald Don]

I'd agree with JP, try checking the chain for wear. Also take a look at the teeth on the front chain ring, they may be worn.

Is it a new bike?

 

[zzzTimzzz]

Thanks for posting the vid.
The bike is only 1 month old, I bought it new (online from Chain Reaction), and have not done more than 150 miles on it. So it's under warranty.

 

[Ducknald Don]

Thanks for posting the vid.
The bike is only 1 month old, I bought it new (online from Chain Reaction), and have not done more than 150 miles on it. So it's under warranty.

I'd push the problem back to them then.

 

[zzzTimzzz]

I have opened a warranty enquiry with them. Now that 2 bike shops have failed to diagnose a problem I have been feeling a bit wary of sending it away, as i suspect i’ll be told again they can’t find anything wrong with it. That was my motivation to looking to this community for an idea of whether this does in fact appear to be a fault or if it sounds like normal operation.

From my (admittedly poor quality) video/audio would you say it sounds ‘wrong’?

 

[anotherkiwi]

I couldn't hear anything to be honest...

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Your chain is rubbing on something. It shouldn't be to difficult to figure out what.

 

[JPGiant]

Try to lift the rear wheel off the ground (bike stand) and turn the pedals, stand on both sides of the bike, put your ear closer to the mechanism or even use an engineers stethoscope all along the drivetrain.
Look closely at the point where the chain goes round the chainring - is there a guard it could be catching or even a brake/gear/sensor cable?
Check if the RD hanger is bent, make sure the RD sprockets and side plates aren't catching.
Check the headset/stem for correct positions and torques, check seat and saddle clamp for the same.
Possibly catching the mudguard?
Does it only do it when you're sat on the bike?
Here endeth the second lesson!!!
Good Luck

 

[JPGiant]

Third lesson!
Check gap between sensor and magnet.

 

[zzzTimzzz]

Always happy to get a lesson.
The noise only happens when I'm sat on the bike, and most noticeably when going uphill, in low gears.

It sounds super smooth in the high gears.

To my ear it's like the chain is rubbing on something as d8veh suggests.
I know it's not the mudguard, have checked that.

I'll do some more checks as suggested.

I just heard from tech support and my video and info has been sent to by Chain Reaction to Cube for an opinion now.

Thanks all.

 

[Trevormonty]

My bike made noise when climbing in high power mode, thought it was motor. Turned out high torque twists wheel slight causing it to rub against mudguard. Easy fix (adjusted mudguard) once shopped figured out cause.

Problem likely to be different in your case but twisting of wheel might be part of it.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The noise I can hear in the video, apart from the clicking at the beginning, is definitely the chain rubbing on something. It changes its angle and position in each gear, which is why you don't hear it in the high gears, so to look for the cause, you have to put the bike in bottom gear.

You should also look behind the chainring. There's sometimes a guard there that gets damaged when the chain jumps off. There's an after-market guard that you can buy that's much better, but it depends what you have. I think there are different versions on those Bosch motors with different guards or different bike manufacturers fit different guards.

 

[JPGiant]

Here we are again...
Check the gap between the top of the jockey (upper pulley wheel) and the bottom of the biggest cassette sprocket (known as the B setting) on the RD.
Google for setting procedure if not sure what to do, above all remember how much and which way you adjust the screw, if you have to. Don't go mad with the adjustment.

The chain may be getting trapped and clicking/dragging.

 

[zzzTimzzz]

Thanks again, I will check these gaps today.

I got a reply from Cube:

It is normal that the bike makes a little more noise when using the big cogs on the rear because of the chain tension.

If the noise is coming from the motor then we will need to contact Bosch and the bike will most likely need to be collected so we can remove and replace the motor.

I understand that a bike makes more noise under tension, but of course they're not telling me if the noise I am describing is normal.