i heard a noise coming from my bottom bracket. but only noticeable when i am really putting some torque into the crank at a high gear. other wise it is not there. it almost sounds like the bearings are really rubbing in the cups. i took the bearings out and re greased them with a water proof grease and it is still there. i also cleaned the pedal bearings and re greased them as well. this bike only has about 200 miles on it and i bought it about 3 months ago. could it be that the bearings are bad, just crap. or could it be something else. this bike is a 220 dollar mongoose. please help.
This question comes up enough that answers should pop up as you are typing the question. It is probably NOT your bottom bracket. What else do you put stress on when you pedal hard? Your handlebars and stem! Remove the stem from the steerer- lubricate and reinstall with the correct torque. Loosen and retighten the handlebars to the correct torque. Test. Since frame tubes are, well, tubes, they telegraph sound. Since most tubes meet at the bottom bracket thats where the most noise collects.
Try readjusting the cups, it may require a fine touch and several attempts. There shouldn't be any pitting yet. You can get better quality balls for a minimal cost. Or else replace the whole bottom bracket. The bike is junk to begin with, real bikes start at twice that price and up, yet, you could make it last if you invest extra time and cash on maintenance. Don't feel too bad, you are just one in 15,000,000 americans (75% out of 20 million bikes sold) that bought a piece of junk.
