Brand New Cervelo R5 Noise

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*Edit* I questioned if there was a possibility of this noise being related to any accessories I put on the bike or adjustment I made and it may be due to adjusting the seat clamps and not putting Loctite back on them. The seat did come loose during this event. I went on a ride for about 80 miles over the weekend and there was no noise after using Loctite on the seat clamp bolts. It's hard to believe that could be the noise I was hearing, but it might have been echoing possibly. I'll be relieved to not hear it anymore for sure!

My fourth ride on my brand new Cervelo R5 was at the Big Dam Bridge 100 in Little Rock, AR. I wanted to ride it at an event with a little climbing involved and I was not disappointed with the climbing prowess of the bike. I was alarmed by what was not simply the widely reported clicking noises coming from the bottom bracket, but what I would more describe as very loud rattling over rough pavement coming from the bottom bracket. I've ridden it probably 130 miles prior to this event and I never heard anything at all.

At first I thought I must have not tightened my new carbon water bottle cages well enough that were making their first ride or that my hand pump was rattling, but I more and more seemed to believe it was the bottom bracket. It was pretty loud. I could never find anything that even looked loose. I think it has to be inside the bottom bracket.

I'm going to try to verify that it's not the water bottle cages and/or pump and call the dealer that sold it to me and see what they have to say, but I see a lot of people who have had to make many trips to their dealer to try to get these issues resolved and I don't intend to drive back and forth endlessly trying to get it figured out. I will have to use an authorized dealer closer to me if they can't fix it properly.

I found this website this morning that doesn't inspire confidence http://roguemechanic.typepad.com/roguemechanic/cervelo-bbright-solution.html

Anyone else experience loud rattling from their bottom bracket over rough pavement? It was NOT the regular clicking noise during pedaling that I already knew was reported to be an issue that seemed to be an easy fix with Loctite. This was a rattle that could be slightly muted if I just stood on the pedals over rough pavement, but while pedaling was LOUD.

It was embarrassing btw to have a brand new retail $7,500 bike that sounded like it was about to fall apart.

[ghulands]

Did you check the chain ring bolts?

[goodboyr]

2 things. 1. Ignore rogue mechanic. He's full of it.
2. Where is your lbs in this equation? If you are not comfortable doing bb work yourself, then that's your next step.

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Did you check the chain ring bolts?

I have not checked anything yet, but I do intend to look it over myself to see if there is anything simple that I have not noticed or an issue that I created myself.

[wheelsONfire]

If you bought the bike from a dealer, can't you leave it to them?

[Fastfwd]

2 things. 1. Ignore rogue mechanic. He's full of it.
2. Where is your lbs in this equation? If you are not comfortable doing bb work yourself, then that's your next step.

Well, if you say so - that was not the info that I wanted to see when I made my first search for rattling bottom bracket on a Cervelo. I knew about the clicking thing that seems to have a simple fix, but never heard anything about a rattling noise like what I am experiencing.

My 'LBS' is actually not local to me. The shop that sold it to me is in Dallas. It's not the world's biggest deal to take it down there for service. I like to have a reason to visit Dallas actually, but I'm not so keen on having to make 5 trips to get an issue like this sorted out. I don't believe they will contest in the least if I bring it to them with an issue. I've had this bike for only a few weeks. I specifically asked the salesman to make sure my bike had the bottom bracket issue sorted out before I took it home. He cited a bolt on a retaining ring on the Rotor cranks as being some sort of known issue, but I'm not so sure he wasn't full of it himself. I'll check it.

I would eventually need to take it to a local authorized dealer and/or explore what options there are if the bike is just faulty from the start. It's too much money for it to be defective out of the box with anything more than a minor fix needed with Loctite.

[Fastfwd]

If you bought the bike from a dealer, can't you leave it to them?

I intend to once I rule out that it is not any accessories that I have put on the bike or something simple like the chain ring bolts - this is why I asked here.

[trex021]

Were you in the small ring when it rattled? If so, your chain may be too long and you're hearing it slapping the forward jockey wheel / derailleur when on rough pavement, making a loud rattling sound. Check your chain length in small ring small cog configuration and verify you need to remove a link.

[AJS914]

I have not checked anything yet

Well, that is the first thing you have to do.

It sounds like something is loose. It could sound like it's from the bottom bracket area but coming from somewhere else. Recently I had a clicking sound that sounded like it was the bottom bracket but it was the seat/seatpost.

If you bounce the bike on the ground a little can you make it rattle?

[bikerjulio]

Along the line of trex's comment, I'm wondering chain slap. More likely with over-long chain, when in the small ring. And slightly more likely with a compact. Chain will bounce into the chainstay.

Unless a foreign object worked it's way into the BB area, I'm not seeing it there.

Bounce the bike in various gear combos.

[BhSimon]

It could sound like it's from the bottom bracket area but coming from somewhere else. Recently I had a clicking sound that sounded like it was the bottom bracket but it was the seat/seatpost.

+1

I’ve had a similar experience.

If you can reproduce the sound when stationary, hold up a piece of cardboard vertically in front and behind the BB while making the sound. Confirm the sound is definitely coming from the BB side of the cardboard and repeat the process but hold the cardboard vertically.

It is a useful technique to confirm the origin of the sound—it really can be deceiving.

[mike]

Rattling could be loose piece in frame
. Shake frame in air to see if it is internal. As for bb, I would use copper paste and torque it to specs. Re copper paste axle and chain ring bolts.

[goodboyr]

Geez. It's a bbright pressfit bb. Not much to torque on it.

[Fastfwd]

I have not checked anything yet

Well, that is the first thing you have to do.

It sounds like something is loose. It could sound like it's from the bottom bracket area but coming from somewhere else. Recently I had a clicking sound that sounded like it was the bottom bracket but it was the seat/seatpost.

If you bounce the bike on the ground a little can you make it rattle?

You know... it sounded so much like it was coming from the bottom bracket area that I didn't consider it, but the seat post clamp came loose during the ride too. I had loosened the bolts a few days prior to the event to get the clamps straighter than they were originally tightened down. At about mile 70 the seat almost fell off the bike. I didn't Loctite the seat clamps back down because I've never had to do that with my other bike. I thought they were tight enough, but apparently not. I had to snug the clamp back the best that I could to finish the event which equated to the nose of the seat being a whole lot less than comfortable for the last 30 miles because my portable tool couldn't reach the front seat post clamp bolt through the post. I can't remember now if I kept hearing what I thought was the bottom bracket noise after the seat clamp came loose and was retightened.

What I believed to be bottom bracket noises were the loudest around over mile 30 to mile 40 something. I remember because I kept feeling like I should stop at one of the rest stops and I just didn't need to stop at the time and kept riding on. Maybe only about 5 to the most 10 miles before the seat almost came off I noticed that it seemed to have shifted, but it wasn't noticeably loose. It almost felt like the seat post was bent is what I was thinking at the time. It's carbon though - it wouldn't bend is what I kept thinking.

I feel bad that I started this thread making Cervelo look at fault if this is just that seat post clamp echoing the noise to sound like it came from the bottom bracket. I've read so many posts about the bottom bracket I guess it has me super paranoid about it.

I went out and rode it tonight over some rough pavement and I couldn't hear anything.

I appreciate the input. This is what I was hoping for I suppose. Input on what else it could be. I may just delete this thread if I can if that is what the noise turned out to be.

[uraqt]

Don't feel bad, check out the Cervelo forums... there are issues with all the press-fit bb.

rogue mechanic, has a far point. If the wave washer can't take up the play, then the bb is out out spec or the crank.... His work around isn't a bad idea. It's not the right or perfect fix, but it should get the job done...

C