How to Fix a Clicking Ebike Chain While Pedaling

A clicking chain while you pedal usually points to one of three culprits: the chain is dry or dirty, a link is stiff, or the shifting needs a small indexing tweak.

Start with the quick win. Clean the drivetrain, lube the chain with an e-bike specific product, and spin the cranks backward to spot a stiff link that jumps. If the noise shows up only in certain gears, use the barrel adjuster and give it quarter turns to fine tune cable tension until shifts snap cleanly and the click disappears.

Got a lot of miles on the chain? Check it with a wear tool. E-bike torque speeds up stretch, so swapping a worn chain early saves your cassette and chainring from expensive wear. 

The guide below walks you through the whole process, from simple upkeep to deeper troubleshooting.

STEP 1: Quick Wins for a Clicking E-bike Chain — Lube and Stiff Links

Most clicking noises come from plain old friction and grit. On an e-bike the motor keeps steady pressure on the chain, which grinds dirt into the rollers faster than a normal bike. So your first move is a real check of chain cleanliness and link flexibility.

Why your chain “clicks dry”: the lube factor

E-bike chains, especially on mid-drives, see higher torque that pushes grime deep into the pins and rollers. Standard lubes tend to fade fast under that load. A mid-drive can put well over 80 Nm through the chain, which overwhelms light lubricants.

Use an e-bike-specific lube. These formulas are thicker and made to penetrate and hold up under high stress. Good picks include Squirt eBike Chain Lube and Muc-Off eBike Dry Lube. Skipping the right lube accelerates wear and brings the click back in a hurry.

Do this first: clean and lube protocol

• Degrease well: Use a proper bike degreaser on the chain and cassette to strip old oil and packed grime.
• Dry completely: Any water or leftover degreaser will dilute fresh lube.
• Apply sparingly: Drip e-bike lube on the top of each roller while slowly backpedaling. Give it 5–10 minutes to soak into the pins and bushings.
• Wait and wipe: Remove all surface excess with a clean rag. Extra lube on the plates collects dust and restarts the mess.

Still clicking? Hunt for a stiff link

If a clean, lubed chain still clicks, look for a stiff or stuck link. It keeps the chain from flexing as it rolls over cogs or the derailleur pulleys.

The tell and how to spot it

A stiff link usually makes a repeatable click every few chain rotations. To find it, shift to the smallest rear sprocket, then slowly backpedal while watching the lower (jockey) pulley. A bad link will “jump” or lift as it passes the pulley. Stiff links often show up after a chain install or when a joining pin was pressed too tight and pinched the plates.

Two fixes for a stiff link

Manual flex (no tools): Rotate the crank so the stiff link faces up. Grip the chain next to that link and twist it side to side, across its normal path. Work it for about a minute. If you see the link relax and move freely, you’re set.

Chain tool nudge (precise): Set the stiff link in a chain tool. Turn the handle just a tiny amount, about one eighth of a turn, to ease pressure on the plates without driving the pin through. Recheck the flex. If it stays tight, the link may be bent or damaged and the chain should be replaced.

Start here before touching adjustments. A clean, well-lubed, fully flexible chain often silences the click on its own and sets you up for any fine-tuning that comes next.

STEP 2: Indexing and Alignment — Fine-tune Your Shifting

If cleaning and fixing stiff links did not solve the click, you are likely dealing with shifting accuracy. That means cable tension, derailleur alignment, or the limit screws. E-bike power makes precision here extra important.

Spotting gear-specific clicks

If the noise happens in one gear or the chain hesitates moving up or down a cog, your indexing is off. The derailleur is sitting slightly to one side and brushing the next cog instead of lining up cleanly.

The barrel adjuster, explained: The barrel adjuster is the small knurled knob on the shifter or where the cable enters the derailleur. Turning it changes cable tension in tiny steps so the top pulley sits exactly under the chosen cog.

How to index the rear derailleur

• Start position: Shift to the smallest cog.
• Test a shift: While pedaling, click once to move up one cog.
• Read the behavior: If it jumps two cogs or rubs hard on the next one, tension is too high. If it struggles to climb to the next cog, tension is too low.
• Adjust in quarter turns: Too high: turn the barrel adjuster clockwise one quarter turn to reduce tension. Too low: turn it counterclockwise one quarter turn to add tension.
• Refine across the range: Work up the cassette, then come back down to the smallest cog. Keep making small quarter-turn tweaks until shifts are quiet and crisp in every gear.

On high-torque mid-drives and heavy cargo e-bikes, perfect indexing is vital. Poor alignment under load scuffs the sides of the cogs, which speeds up wear and can cause skipping.

Bent hanger check

If tension tweaks do not fix it, the derailleur hanger may be bent. The hanger is designed to give in a crash and even small bends throw off alignment.

• Stand behind the bike with eyes level to the cassette.
• Picture a straight line through the middle of the current cog, the upper pulley, and the lower pulley.
• If that line looks crooked, the hanger is off.

Even tiny bends cause big problems on high-power drivetrains. The accurate fix uses a derailleur alignment gauge, which is usually a shop job.

Limit screw basics

Limit screws set how far the derailleur can travel. They prevent the chain from falling off the cassette.

Low limit L for the largest cog

• Push the derailleur inward by hand until the upper pulley sits under the center of the largest cog.
• If it goes past the cog toward the spokes, tighten L clockwise.
• If the chain jumps under load on the largest cog, loosen L a quarter turn and retest.

High limit H for the smallest cog

• Shift to the smallest cog. The upper pulley should sit under its center.
• If the chain tries to walk off the cog to the outside, tighten H clockwise until it runs clean.

B-tension for pulley-to-cog clearance

B-tension sets the derailleur body angle and the gap between the top pulley and the cassette, which matters a lot with wide-range cassettes on e-bikes.

• Shift to the second largest cog.
• If the upper pulley is very close to the big cog or touching it, turn the B-screw clockwise to increase clearance.

• If the pulley sits too far away, shifting will feel slow and imprecise. Back the screw out until the gap is right per your derailleur or cassette guide.

Dial in these steps and most gear-specific clicks disappear. You will get smooth, quiet shifts that hold up to e-bike torque on real trails.

Note: Valid as of September 30, 2025. Prices may change at any time. Click to see the latest price.

STEP 3: Wear Check — Measure Chain Life before It Costs You

If cleaning, lube, indexing, and alignment did not stop the click or skip, the parts may be worn. E-bikes load the drivetrain hard, so wear shows up faster and small delays in maintenance turn into bigger bills.

Chain wear check

Motor power lengthens the chain over time by stretching the pins and bushings. Letting it go ruins the cassette and chainring. The right way to measure is with a chain checker tool like the Park Tool CC-2. Slip the tool between the plates and read the elongation.

• Mileage varies a lot, roughly 700 to 2000 miles, based on motor type, assist level, and how often you clean and lube.
• Check at least every 500 miles or once a quarter.
• For modern 11 and 12 speed setups, replace at 0.5% wear. Narrower chains do not tolerate stretch.

Table: Chain Replacement Thresholds

Worn teeth: the shark-fin tell

Ride a stretched chain too long and the rollers climb the tooth faces and grind them down fast.

• Look closely at the middle cogs on the cassette and your chainring. Healthy teeth look blunt and even.
• Worn teeth look thin and hooked, like a shark fin. That is terminal wear.

Once teeth have that hooked profile, filing or reshaping does not fix it. A fresh chain on shark-fin cogs will skip under load because the pitches do not match. At that point you need a new cassette and likely a new chainring as well. The lesson is simple: swap the chain early and protect the expensive parts.

STEP 4: When the click is not the chain — advanced checks

Some of the most stubborn clicks happen in time with your pedaling but have nothing to do with the chain. They often show up once per crank revolution, which makes them easy to blame on the drivetrain. Start here.

Clicks that match your pedal stroke

Mid-drive e-bikes push steady force through the crank axle, so the crankset and pedals are common noise sources.

Loose pedals: If a pedal is not tight on the crank arm, it can move a hair and click under downstroke load.

Fix: Use a pedal wrench to snug each pedal to spec.

Loose crankset or crank arm bolts: After the first few rides, e-bike torque can work bolts loose. A slightly loose arm converts every push into a sharp click.

Fix: Tighten crank bolts clockwise with the correct size hex key, often 6 mm, to the listed torque. If the sound keeps coming back, pull the cranks, clean the spindle and interfaces, add a light film of grease, then re-install and torque again.

Bottom bracket issues: If crank bolts are solid and the click remains, the bottom bracket bearings may be loose, dry, or worn. This click tends to sound deeper.

Fix: Inspection and service usually need specific tools. Plan on a shop visit if you are not set up for BB work.

Other things touching the crank area

Look for anything brushing the chainring or crank: loose mounts, zip ties, or a cable end that is too long and tapping once each rotation.

Fix: Trim, reroute, or secure anything that can touch moving parts.

Intermittent clicks from the wheels

Heavy e-bikes, especially cargo models, put big loads into the wheels. Those clicks may not line up perfectly with your pedaling, but they show up while rolling.

Loose spokes: Spokes that have lost tension can flex and rub, creating a faint repeating click.

Fix: Use a spoke wrench to bring tension up evenly and keep the wheel true.

Hub bearing issues: Loose or dry hub bearings can click as the wheel turns.

Fix: Service the hubs with fresh grease and correct bearing preload, or have a shop handle it.

Quick brake test

While the noise is happening, apply a very light squeeze on the brake. If the sound changes, disappears, or gets louder, you may be hearing slightly loose hub bearings, a rotor brushing a caliper, or a wheel that is a touch out of true rubbing a fender.

Motor and electrical checks: If everything above checks out, the noise may come from the motor area or its mounts.

Motor mounting and alignment: Mid-drive motors bolt to the frame. If those bolts back off, vibration and torque can create a click, especially when assist kicks in.

Fix: Verify alignment and torque on all motor mounting hardware.

Internal motor noise: A click that seems to live inside the housing and shows up regardless of chain work can point to internal wear or a manufacturing fault in the gears.

Fix: Time for a certified e-bike tech to inspect it.

Electrical connections: Loose or damaged connectors can cause intermittent clicks as power delivery surges under load.

Fix: Check that all plugs and cables are seated firmly and show no damage.

Work through these checks in order. Many “mystery” clicks vanish once the pedals, crankset, wheels, and motor mounts are tight and clean.

Table: E-Bike Clicking Noise Symptom Check

Proactive Clicking E-bike Chain Prevention Timeline

E-bike chains need attention more often than regular bike chains. A simple schedule keeps the drivetrain quiet and saves money.

Daily or after each ride

• Do a quick look for grime, debris, or anything wedged between cogs.
• Wipe the chain to clear surface grit.

Weekly or every 100 miles

• Give the chain a full clean with degreaser, then re-lube with an e-bike specific product.
• This matters even more after wet, muddy, or dusty rides.
• Many riders find that hard trail days call for a clean after as little as two 20 mile rides to keep things silent and smooth.

Monthly or every 500 miles

• Check and snug common trouble spots: crank bolts, pedal threads, and motor mounting bolts.
• Do a quick indexing check to confirm shifts are crisp and noise free.

Quarterly or every 1000 miles

• Measure chain wear with a checker tool.
• Replace the chain at 0.5 percent elongation on 11 and 12 speed systems to protect the cassette and chainring from premature wear.

FAQs

Why does my e-bike chain click only in one gear?

This is almost always an indexing issue, meaning the derailleur cable tension is slightly off for that specific gear. Adjust the barrel adjuster (turn it clockwise to loosen tension if the chain is skipping up, or counter-clockwise to tighten if it struggles to shift up).   

How often should I lube my e-bike chain compared to a standard chain?

E-bike chains must be lubricated more frequently due to the higher torque and power transfer. While a standard bike might go 200 miles between lubes, an e-bike, especially a mid-drive, may need cleaning and relubrication every 50 to 100 miles, or immediately after a muddy ride. Always use e-bike specific lube.   

Can a clicking noise be caused by my pedals or crankset instead of the chain?

Yes, absolutely. Loose pedals or loose crank arm bolts are extremely common sources of clicking, especially since e-bikes put significant, consistent force through these components. Always check and tighten these bolts first.   

What is the most important thing to check to save my cassette from wear?

Use a chain checker tool frequently (quarterly is recommended). The moment your chain reaches 0.5% wear (for 11 or 12-speed systems), replace it immediately. Delaying this replacement by even a few hundred miles will ruin the teeth on your expensive cassette and force you to replace both simultaneously.   

My chain clicks, but I just installed a new chain. Why?

If a brand-new chain clicks or skips under load, the problem is likely severe wear on the old cassette/chainring (shark-fin teeth). The new chain’s tight pitch is incompatible with the worn gear profile. Alternatively, check for a stiff link created during the installation of the master link or pin.