I’m very happy with my Trek 7.4 FX and I think it’s a great bike. However, over the last few months it developed a clicking noise, or clicks, as I cycled along. Here are the two fixes that worked for me.
The clicks were difficult to pinpoint. Sometimes they seemed irregular, at other times not. They were happening on uneven surfaces and also when I was standing up out of the saddle. I could hear them but wasn’t sure where they came from. The bike was silent on flat surfaces and when freewheeling but on anything else, there was an annoying clicking sound. Grrrr.
Pedal seal
I called my friend Simon from Horsham Bikes and he stood by the side of the road as I cycled past. At first, there was no clicking noise but as I stood up and pedalled, it returned. Quickly, Simon thought it might be a pedal and replaced my left pedal with a different one. No clicks! Great result!
My original pedal has an O-ring type seal as it screws into the pedal arm and this had broken. The pedal seemed tight but this broken seal caused the clicking noise. We’ve temporarily fitted the pedal without its seal and I’ll be buying new pedals shortly. The pedal might not be completely sealed but it is greased and tight enough for the moment.
The next day, I could still hear a different clicking sound (occasionally), not from the pedal but when cycling on uneven surfaces. Groan! Don’t tell me the pedal wasn’t the only cause!
Saddle seat post and clamp
On further investigation and without much hope, I tightened the saddle seat post clamp slightly and this reduced the clicking. So, I loosened it and removed saddle and seat post before applying some bicycle grease at the point where the post is clamped. I put the saddle back on the bike, tightened up the clamp and the second clicking noise had disappeared. Yay!
The clicks from my bike were caused by two apparently unrelated items which made it difficult to diagnose. Now that they are both fixed though, the bike seems to be running like a dream!
I’m having the same problem. Took the bike back to the dealer and they said they had adjusted everything, but the problems persist. Like you noted, it doesn’t make the noise all the time, but enough to make me crazy. Can’t wait to try your ideas. I went out over the weekend in 27-degree temps to record the sound so my bike dealer could hear it, but wouldn’t you know, it wouldn’t make the sound with the recorder running.
I also like the bike, but the noise is embarrassing when I’m riding with my buddy that always has the model that two steps better than mine.
Good luck. I hope you can fix it.