12. How To Check If Your Bearings Are Worn
Did you know that you can check the health of your bearings by listening to your bike seat?
IMPORTANT: Nuts and bolts on your bike should always be tightened to the manufacturer's specifications.
DownloadHere’s a handy tip that will help you access whether or not any of your bearings are worn out. You’ll need to have the wheels suspended in the air somehow, using either a repair stand, hanging it from the roof, or by getting a friend to hold it up for you.
How to Listen
You can listen to your bike by pressing your ear up to the front of the seat. It will act as a speaker, amplifying the bike’s internal noises.
Now spin each of your components and listen to the sound. You will hear noise, but it should sound smooth and even. If it sounds loud and/or uneven, it is likely dry or worn out, and your bearings will need either an overhaul or complete replacement.
Bottom Bracket Bearings
When checking the bottom bracket bearings, it’s helpful to shift the smallest sprocket and remove the chain to eliminate the noise generated by the chain and chainring.
Rear Wheel Bearings
To hear the rear wheel bearings better, remove the chain from the freewheel by removing and re-installing the wheel, so that you don’t hear the ticking as it spins around.
Headset Bearings
Since the headset doesn’t spin around as fast, it’s more difficult to hear if it’s worn. Any dryness or wear in the headset bearings will be very obvious, and you’ll feel a notch in the rotation if they’re pitted. Pitting usually occurs when the front wheel is pointing directly forward.
Recommended Books:
- Park Blue Book
Hundreds of photos and hundreds of procedures. - Zinn & MTB
Mountain Bikes: Maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting. - Zinn & Road
Road Bikes: Maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting. - Sutherland's Manual
Sutherland's handbook for bicycle mechanics on CD-ROM.
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13 Responses to “How To Check If Your Bearings Are Worn”
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and oh, if you have a maintenance/repair question, please ask in the help forums.
Recommended Tools:
- Super Lube (Tube)
Super Lube grease tube works with Finish Line Grease Gun. - Grease Gun
Deliver measured amounts of grease into hard-to-reach places. - Handlebar Holder
Prevents the handlebars and front wheel from rotating. - Park Shop Apron
The SA-3 shop apron is made from heavy 10 oz. cotton canvas. - Park PCS-9
Entry level repair stand for the home mechanic.. - Park PCS-4
Uses the 100-5C clamp and includes a leg stabilizing system.
That’s a great idea, to listen for bad bearings. Speaking of headsets, any chance you’ll do a tutorial on removing and installing them? I would greatly appreciate it and so would my bike.
Status of this Request
Hi Israel, I just finished a threaded headset tutorial:
http://bicycletutor.com/overhaul-threaded-headset/
Excellent tutorial, just brilliant! Thanks Alex!
Hi Alex,
What about if I step on the pedals going up hill and I can hear this squicking-ticking noise coming out of either pedals or BB. So this mainly happens when a pressure is applied. Could BB be bit loose ? I don’t think those are pedals. Got shimano 105 group on my bike.
Hi Adam,
This problem can often be fixed by simply removing your pedals and greasing the threads before re-installing. Give it a try and let me know how if that works.
Hi Alex,
Unfortunately it’s still making same noise. I think BB is loose or maybe it’s worn out. I removed cranks for washing my bike but didn’t touch the BB so maybe I didn’t screw it back properly or maybe did it too tight, although I tried to make it same way as it was before. Will probably go to my local bikeshop to get that thing fixed.
Hi Adam,
Good idea. If that didn’t work and your cranks are installed properly it’s probably best to take it down to the shop. They might even be able to diagnose it for free so you can fix it yourself. Let me know how it goes!
A stethoscope works very well to. Put the head against the seat,
In all my years of cycling I’d never heard of that one or even thought of trying it, total genius …….. cheers for that
When I do what you said I hear a “tock” type sound every rotation, is that bad? Oh yeah, I like to beat my bike down a little bit.
Yeah Taylor, unfortunately it sounds like there is something wrong in your hub. I’d crack it open and take a look.
Thanks heaps for all the time you’ve put into these tutorials. You have two new fans!
im tired of getting other peoples comments to you that do not apply to my comments at all, im getting tons of emails from other people about how they broke something or what ever. then your replys as well. Stop.