I have a 2003 Kestrel Talon and have always had a slight creak in the BB when riding steep grades. Recently upgraded to a carbon crank and noticing the BB squeakin’ something fierce. Is there anything I can do to fix, lessen the squeak? Does it make sense that the new carbon cranks amplified the squeak so significantly?
Probably a dumb question but is the BB tightened down to spec?
fair question. the bike shop that installed the new(used) bb/crank did f’ up a lot of other things. i will check that. do i need a torque wrench ?
If this is an external BB then tape the threads with tef tape and crank them on as much as possible. I think most torque specs are like 40 ft lbs which is quite a lot. makes sure to clena the threads on both male and female sides as debris can cause the squeek.
The new crank shouldn’t have made the BB squeak more, unless the crank itself wasn’t tightened down. You may also want to grease and tighten your pedal threads and all the chain ring bolts. They can make annoying noises as well.
If a shop installed the new crank, then take it back in, it’s their fault it’s creaking. If you did it yourself, I’d pull the crank back off, take off the bottom bracket, clean it as well as the threads in the frame really well. Make sure it’s totally try, then grease it up good. Don’t be afraid to use too much. Then make sure everything’s tightened down well.