Hi all

I’ve got a strange one on my road bike.
It’s an Orbea Orca carbon frame with carbon steerer.

I flipped the stem as got a sportive coming up, and ever since it’s made a v loud creaking sound under pedalling force but only from the left pedal (if I pedal one footed with the right there is no creak).

It creaks when the crank is just before the bottom of the stroke.
It has a low creak but also a louder higher pitched crack sound.

Could this still be the headset?
The creak magically appeared as soon as I’d flipped my stem so I assume it must be related.

I accidentally undid the compression bolt adjuster (as well as the top cap), reassembled it and put it back. It’s an fSA compression bolt and I’m not sure how deep to insert it (ahem).
You can screw in or out the top cap from the assembly body to elongate or shorten it, hence effecting the depth it goes into the steerer tube. I think I should get the expanding wedge part to sit under the bottom/lower stem bolt – but I could be wrong.

Any help would be awesome and very much appreciated.

Thanks all
RT

Had a similar creak start up on my new Cotic whilst experimenting with stems. I’d greased the headset bearings and races prior to assembling the bike, so discounted those as the source – but after much head scratching (& suggestion of bike shop mechanic), I dropped the fork out, cleaned and regreased the cups & top cap bolt – hey presto, creak gone! Mechanic reckoned all you need is a tiny bit of grit to get between bearing races, headset spacers etc., and you can get a creak.

Can’t guarantee that’s the source of your bikes creak, but a spot of dismantling and regressing might be worth a try.

Hmm it’s usually pedals. Surprising how the sound travels along the down tube to the head tube

Does it still creak when you’re freewheeling and/or standing on the cranks

thanks for your replies both.

I’ve stripped and regreased.
Still the same!

It still creaks when standing but not when freewheeling.

It only happens when putting power in the crank and when its nearly at the bottom of the pedal stroke.
It’s worse on hills when there’s more power going in.

Its a sort of light crack noise.

Sound like bottom bracket but it’s just odd it started creaking straight after I adjusted my headset.

One thing I noticed is the steerer tube has a slight ridge on the carbon, I guess where the stem grips it. It doesn’t appear cracked but there a definite ridge you can see and feel when you run your nail over it.
It’s like you’d imagine if the carbon got compressed and indented a little.
Does that sound worrying?!?!

Thanks again

When you took the stem off a mouse ran in and has holed up in your frame…..and is eating dry granola….but only when you pedal.

Lol!

I’ll borrow my neighbour’s cat!

Does it happen with different hand positions on the bars? Could be as you push and pull on the bars.

Also worth removing, cleaning and greasing the left legal and crank.

thanks

I tried forcing the bars back and forward to see if it made it worse but it didn’t really make a difference.

I’ll try the pedals and then crank.

Thanks for your help!

Try the quick releases on the wheels. I recently had a creak that I was convinced was BB or pedals as it was perfectly in time with pedal strokes. Turned out to be the rear QR.

You changed something on your bike – it will now forever creak – deal with it princess 😉

How old are you? Could be your knees.

It’s a baby robin.