Sounds to me as though the clutch inner cable is frayed and the strands are snagging on the outer sheath, it shouldn't be that expensive to replace. I'd be interested to know which bearing was loose that necessitated a clutch change.(?)
As for the belt ticking, mine makes a ticking sound when the engine is idling, in my case I think it is caused by the alternator after a cold start and it goes away once the battery has recovered its charge. You could get the belt changed and correctly tensioned and see if that cures it. They don't last forever.