Anyone have Squeaky Crank?

[JVBulman]

Do you think it may be possible my squeak may be from metal on metal conact in a high humidity environment? The tech I spoke with said its doubtful the shims with the motor bolts would shift under load. Lot of force is contatnly applied to the cranks when riding and the squeak only happens when turnng over the cranks, not coasting. I did not know the motor bolts on a 2019 Deligte are shimmed to the frame. There is plenty of clearance between the black metal belt guard and the belt and i know its not the edge of the belt contacting the guard.

Hard to say without seeing the bike. But we similarly only experience the related noise while pedaling.

As I mentioned, this may not be the source of your issues, and I encourge you to check what other members have suggested in this thread, but noise investigations by nature are about isolating the source by ruling out known causes, and this a known cause of drivetrain noise in my professional experience.

 

[Alanzo]

Hard to say without seeing the bike. But we similarly only experience the related noise while pedaling.

As I mentioned, this may not be the source of your issues, and I encourge you to check what other members have suggested in this thread, but noise investigations by nature are about isolating the source by ruling out known causes, and this a known cause of drivetrain noise in my professional experience.

I have one more question for you. If you have greased the bolts and eliminated the noise what sort of grease have you used that will not create any issue with the electrical components of the motor? I was surprised to learn the battery contacts require an occasional wipe with grease but it makes sense with weather conditions and dirt from the road. I end up with a lot of dust on the lower portion of my bike after riding. More so now as my local area is dealing with a serious draught of no rain.

 

[JVBulman]

You don't want to grease the bolts - you're greasing the two touching faces of the drive unit and frame. It's far from any electrical parts so no worries there.

Dust you say? Do you have a Gates belt? If so, I'd try hosing the bike off first and foremost. Dust can get trapped between the teeth of the belt and cogs and cause noise while pedaling.

 

[PedalUma]

I have often thought about building an e- bike but I might have to hire someone with aluminum welding expertise to strengthen the frame for mountung a motor. Not sure a how many stadard frames can handle torque of the motor and additional weight with e-bike conversion. I have no arc welding experience but there are plenty of local auto body shops and a welding fabricator in the local area. I'd luv to know more about your homebuilt bikes in greater detail. Sometimes its better to build your own or modify a production frame to accomplish personal goals with cycling.

BTW, I love the red Public bike photo. Remids me of the Guv'nor I rode with swept back bars and more retro appearance. Really nice!!

For metal use Park Tool Polylube. It is green. For electrical contacts use dielectric grease. For rubber use silicone.
Wash bikes using very low pressure to save the integrity of bearings and electrical connections.
@Alanzo, Guv'nor! I love that Pashley. That is exactly the bike that I was going for when I made that red Public. Good eye. I even built a Nexus hub 8-sp wheel for it with roller brakes and click shift but couldn't get the matching front rim until next December. Alas, covid supply chain blues. A motor and battery adds ten pounds. With a secondary mount on the chainstays you be fine without welding. Firmware is open source, parts arrive in two days and cost 9x less. It is subversive in a fun way to be liberated of dealer dependency. Sometime do a Google search for Specialized 42V charger, then search 42V charger. If you want to see reviews that I cannot manipulate go to Google Maps, zoom in on the SF North Bay and search for ebike repair. You will see PedalUma and a link to the website for odd ball photos and information on builds.
To restore rubber put some Dot 5 in a spray bottle with mostly water and a bit of dish soap, shake, spray, then rinse after it turns clear. Works on Gates and tires. After clean braking surfaces to be safe with acetone.

 

[Alanzo]

You don't want to grease the bolts - you're greasing the two touching faces of the drive unit and frame. It's far from any electrical parts so no worries there.

Dust you say? Do you have a Gates belt? If so, I'd try hosing the bike off first and foremost. Dust can get trapped between the teeth of the belt and cogs and cause noise while pedaling.

Sounds good. Thanks for your help.

 

[Alanzo]

For metal use Park Tool Polylube. It is green. For electrical contacts use dielectric grease. For rubber use silicone.
Wash bikes using very low pressure to save the integrity of bearings and electrical connections.
@Alanzo, Guv'nor! I love that Pashley. That is exactly the bike that I was going for when I made that red Public. Good eye. I even built a Nexus hub 8-sp wheel for it with roller brakes and click shift but couldn't get the matching front rim until next December. Alas, covid supply chain blues. A motor and battery adds ten pounds. With a secondary mount on the chainstays you be fine without welding. Firmware is open source, parts arrive in two days and cost 9x less. It is subversive in a fun way to be liberated of dealer dependency. Sometime do a Google search for Specialized 42V charger, then search 42V charger. If you want to see reviews that I cannot manipulate go to Google Maps, zoom in on the SF North Bay and search for ebike repair. You will see PedalUma and a link to the website for odd ball photos and information on builds.
To restore rubber put some Dot 5 in a spray bottle with mostly water and a bit of dish soap, shake, spray, then rinse after it turns clear. Works on Gates and tires. After clean braking surfaces to be safe with acetone.
View attachment 89884

I have some basic questions for your with your homebuilt e-bikes. What is the speed limit of the no throttle motor systems you are familiar with and can you get 100+ miles with the battery systems if your pace is in the mid 20's. If I were to build something I am not sure where the best sites are to acquire reliable battery and motor systems. I have seen the mid rive kits that attach to the BB and I have also seen massive mods in the BB section of the frame of extreme e-bikes. How do you determine if the bike frame is going to be strong enough to handle the mid drive conversion kits? A couple years ago I thought about buying a kit for the Pashley but I was not sure the frame could handle the stress as the bike had no suspension on bad roads. So I opted for the Delite.

As for the Pashley I never understood why some folks suggested that was a bad design due to the fork rake. That bike had excellent handling and was a blast to ride. Was a killer on hills due to the weight and 3 speed rear hub. I would have never been able to do a long ride on it had I cycled in your area with big climbs. I'll be interested to see if you ever acquire a Guv'nor and turn it into an e-bike.

 

[PedalUma]

I have some basic questions for your with your homebuilt e-bikes. What is the speed limit of the no throttle motor systems you are familiar with and can you get 100+ miles with the battery systems if your pace is in the mid 20's. If I were to build something I am not sure where the best sites are to acquire reliable battery and motor systems. I have seen the mid rive kits that attach to the BB and I have also seen massive mods in the BB section of the frame of extreme e-bikes. How do you determine if the bike frame is going to be strong enough to handle the mid drive conversion kits? A couple years ago I thought about buying a kit for the Pashley but I was not sure the frame could handle the stress as the bike had no suspension on bad roads. So I opted for the Delite.

As for the Pashley I never understood why some folks suggested that was a bad design due to the fork rake. That bike had excellent handling and was a blast to ride. Was a killer on hills due to the weight and 3 speed rear hub. I would have never been able to do a long ride on it had I cycled in your area with big climbs. I'll be interested to see if you ever acquire a Guv'nor and turn it into an e-bike.

@Alanzo, I have wanted to get my hands on a Guv'nor. No such luck. Six month wait times and big bucks upfront plus shipping. A Public V7i is $600. I did a Canadian version of a Pashley Princess Sovereign. And have done a number of three-speeds with handmade steel frames. Reviews on motors and batteries are scatter-shod because so many are knock-offs or seconds. It is like buying jeans off the sale rack that end up having an upside down, inside out zipper. The supplier is super important. One three pound battery will take you 50 miles at 18.2 Mph average with some hills, starts, stops at lights and traffic. Add a pound and you can go 1/3 longer. Taking two does not double range because you have added weight. But putting a 7-Speed Nexus in the Pashley wheel would help a lot. I love the fork rake on the Gov'nor. It is like piloting a long sailboat on chop instead of a dingy. I remove speed limiting controls so I can use a low nominal drain motor with seamless sweeps into huge peaks. Then top speed and climbing ability is a matter of drag and gearing. If you want to talk directly you can message me or contact me from PedalUma anytime. You have some cool bikes! The Gov'nor frame is made for Gates compatibility. Look for the frame break on the drive-side seatstay.

 

[Alanzo]

FWIW, I found this video for removal of the motor. No interest in doing the same or purchasing another lockring tool for limited use.

https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/Bosch-eBike-Drive-Unit-Removal-Installation.

 

[JVBulman]

FWIW, I found this video for removal of the motor. No interest in doing the same or purchasing another lockring tool for limited use.

https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/Bosch-eBike-Drive-Unit-Removal-Installation.

This isn't even current... the Gen4s use six T40+ bolts and a yet another lockring tool

 

[PedalUma]

If I purchased a new Benz and it was under warrantee I would take it to the dealer and make them make it right. Avoid voiding the warrantee on the R&M. It is sold as a Sweet Ride not a Squeak Ride.
Is the Pashley the double toptube? That bike makes me drool like a court jester's fool. I would make it into a superior stealthy electric to blow past guys in spandex with $9400 bikes.

 

[JVBulman]

@PedalUma how does telling someone they should buy a different bike help them with the very solvable problems they're looking for assistance with?

 

[Alanzo]

@Alanzo, I have wanted to get my hands on a Guv'nor. No such luck.

Thanks for sharing the photos. Nice stuff!1
I bought the Guv from Universal Cycles many years ago. Single top tube. That was my first single chanring bike and I learned how to maintain the Sturmey Archer setup which different than Shimano components. I had Schwalbe studs for winter riding and a set of Woody's 3 tone fenders. Learned how to finish the leather bar tape with twine and lacquer and rode it with a Brooks saddle. Very retro. Beautiful bike that was donated to to a charity group delivering bikes to people in need. I imagine someone is putting it to good use that desperatley needed a bike.

 

[Alanzo]

This isn't even current... the Gen4s use six T40+ bolts and a yet another lockring tool

You are correct. Its only good for someone with pre Gen4 setup. Its really not too complicated to remove the motor if time is spent studying the video. I can visualize greasing the frame/motor contact area before reinstalling the motor. You mentionied not to grease the bolts and this makes sense after seeing the installation process in video. Learned something new with this thread and all the follow up comments everyone posted have been very helpful.

 

[JVBulman]

You are correct. Its only good for someone with pre Gen4 setup. Its really not too complicated to remove the motor if time is spent studying the video. I can visualize greasing the frame/motor contact area before reinstalling the motor. You mentionied not to grease the bolts and this makes sense after seeing the installation process in video. Learned something new with this thread and all the follow up comments everyone posted have been very helpful.

The biggest hurdle in removing and reinstalling a drive unit in my experience is being careful not to crush anything - this is especially challenging with a Dualbatt, E14 HS bike as things get pretty cramped in there...

 

[Alanzo]

The biggest hurdle in removing and reinstalling a drive unit in my experience is being careful not to crush anything - this is especially challenging with a Dualbatt, E14 HS bike as things get pretty cramped in there...

I see you have the frame upside down in the photo. Thats a nifty little trick to keep all the cords in the frame. Everyday I learn something new. Very doubtfulI I am going to attempt motor removal to grease the contact portion of the frame/motor. If I had another e-bike I'd drop the Delite off at the dealer in Oak Park so they can ride it and resolve the squeak. Might have to wait till the weather gets cold and crappy. If I take it to the dealer now I'll be bike-less for a while. No fun if that happens.

 

[Alanzo]

I have now had 2 squeak free rides. Turns out the Selle Anatomica X saddle was squeaking with every pedal stroke no matter the tension bolt setting. There is a aluminum slider at the nose of the saddle which contacts another piece of metal when weight is on the saddle. Placing a thin slick strip piece of UHMW between the metal contact points eliminated most of the squeak. Lacing the saddle and spraying CRC into the component securing the back of the rails killed off the remaining squeak.

Odd thing with this squeak episode is the squeak sounded lower when riding. Did not know it was the seat till after pressing my hand into the saddle leather after a ride.

 

[Jay Kay]

Great to have found and fixed it.

 

[JVBulman]

I have now had 2 squeak free rides. Turns out the Selle Anatomica X saddle was squeaking with every pedal stroke no matter the tension bolt setting. There is a aluminum slider at the nose of the saddle which contacts another piece of metal when weight is on the saddle. Placing a thin slick strip piece of UHMW between the metal contact points eliminated most of the squeak. Lacing the saddle and spraying CRC into the component securing the back of the rails killed off the remaining squeak.

Odd thing with this squeak episode is the squeak sounded lower when riding. Did not know it was the seat till after pressing my hand into the saddle leather after a ride.

That leather saddle life. I have a Brooks Flyer on my commuter that sounds like an old spring mattress

 

[Alanzo]

That leather saddle life. I have a Brooks Flyer on my commuter that sounds like an old spring mattress

Fourth ride after dialing in the saddle. What a joy to ride a quiet bike. No squeak with crank turnover. I can now hear different tone of the motor for each gear. The bike is definitely a keeper that will be a touring bike. I eventually want to do some riding in the WI area. Spring Green, Dodgeville, Baraboo, Mineral Point and surrounding areas. I know the gears on the Rohloff will be able to handle those hills as I've don all the smaller hills with steep grades in my area. Took a while to understand how to use the Rohloff for smooth shifts. The Delite is a very cool bike!

 

[Alaskan]

Fourth ride after dialing in the saddle. What a joy to ride a quiet bike. No squeak with crank turnover. I can now hear different tone of the motor for each gear. The bike is definitely a keeper that will be a touring bike. I eventually want to do some riding in the WI area. Spring Green, Dodgeville, Baraboo, Mineral Point and surrounding areas. I know the gears on the Rohloff will be able to handle those hills as I've don all the smaller hills with steep grades in my area. Took a while to understand how to use the Rohloff for smooth shifts. The Delite is a very cool bike!

Aren't you glad you didn't start messing with the engine mounting bolts? Enjoy the ride.