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I've never really been sold on these pinch bolt cranks, but having a nightmare with a fairly new XT one. Previous ones have been annoying but normally any noises are easily fixed by reassembling.
This one's a bastard, though. I've isolated it to the cranks - removed chain and pedals and it still clicks on the left side under load.
I've had it apart several times, checked the splines and they look fine, I'm using a torque wrench, washers still present on the bolts, etc.
Is there some kind of trick I don't know? Driving me nuts.
I'd try doing it up a little tighter first. If you've ridden loose for any length of time it might be beyond salvation though
Can we assume it's not the BB loose or worn?
Saint BB seems smooth. I could swap crank from another bike to check I guess.
... Was rather hoping there might be some wisdom I'd missed like "tap it three times with an old hand grip, whisper incantations then tighten with your eyes closed" or something... Although I could try that, too.
Check it's tight in the frame, i've seen plenty that run smoothly, but clunk and click because one of the cups isn't fully tight.
Oh that's definitely not an issue, tight as can be.
Grab the end of the crank arm and rock it back and forth - even the slightest of movements will result in a clicking. I suspect the drive side bearing is worn / rough if there's no movement between the crank / spindle. Remove the cover and seal from the bearing to see if it's dry / corroded and repack with a thick grease e.g. marine grease as a short-term fix.
Oh dear... Well @coatesy I typed too soon. It was loose cups. Damn, never had them loosen like that before 😬