Pulling up hard and occasionally riding along i get a distinct click/creak in the front end which can be clearly felt.

Bike has had a full strip down today, including suspension linkages etc, lovingly cleaned, regreased reassembled.

Put bike on side, lift up a bit by the bars, weight the pedal, i can track it to the front end. Repeat the same by supporting the bike from the fork crown, still there, isn’t bars/stem, unlikely top headset cup.

Wedge front wheel between knees, twist bars, no creak there, so not fork crown/maxle/front wheel.

That leaves lower headset cup, which was freshly cleaned, regreased and reassemble, bearing is still smooth as and about 6 months old.

Am i forgetting anything?

Pedals? Wheel bearings?

Put earphones in…. Turn up…. Pedal…. 🙂

Brake hoses or cables loose or zip ties not done up tight – had this on one of my bikes, on another I was sure something was coming from the front end, I checked stem, headset, cables, checked cranks and BB … it was the bloomin saddle in the end!

Your knees?