Hi
After some frustrating times trying to id a creak in my bike its off to the bike shop with a "pleae fix, not telling you what i have already checked, it just makes a big noise". Its a just over year old HB130
Genuine prize for whoever gets the answer as to what is causing it.
Its most prevelant under power and not evident whilst not pedalling/cycling the suspension.
What it probably isnt..
Headset - checked and tightened
Bb - replaced
Seat and seatpost-replaced
Rear mech -serviced and tightened
Frame bearings-all checked
Frame -double checked all over for cracks
Crank/chainset -sram carbon so spiderless chainset. bolted tight.
Chain-less than 0.5 wear
Rear hub-checked
Casette -checked and tight on freehub
Handlebars -tight
Stem -tight
Cables -all secure
Shock mounting -all tight
Shock -serviced and checked
Forks -serviced and checked
Brakes -replaced and checked
🙂
When you say frame bearings checked, how were they checked?
Knees,
I'll take the prize in complete, creak free form.
Thanks
If it's a DM chainset, did you check the lockring is tight?
Chainring bolts - ah, missed you’d checked them
clipless cleats
Pedlas are flats, hopes and checked by swapping them out.
Frame bearings were checked by removing, visual/turn by hand and replaced.
Thats what made the bb be replaced, it had a slight notch...
I was going to say knees, but that's already taken. I'll take thumbs as my second choice.
It will be a creaky sticker.
Jonathon?
I’ll take thumbs as my second choice.
Do you even want to win?!
Oh and rider swap to try to work out where it was coming from rules out my knees, hands, wrists, thumbs, incompetence etc.
I fully suspect its something that has been checked or replaced.
For another clue its loud enough to hear by a rider beside me.
My money's on the rear axle. Tried removing, regreasing and retightening to spec?
A spoke nipple on its way out, or a spoke nipple about to pull through the rim.
chain ring
Freehub body?
I'm going with freehub body as well - just had a Sonder that I have had to almost strip to the frame to try and cure a creak
turned out to be no grease in freehub body where the owner had been using a jetwash to clean and had flushed all the grease out of the freehub
it sounded just like a spoke 'pinging' under load...
My bet is on a missing shim on the suspension somewhere. Fell off when checking the bearings and not noticed. Now the linkage is 1/2 a mm out of line and rubbing on something it shouldn't. Do you have an exploded diagram of the suspension to check nothing has been misplaced?
Mech hanger? Wouldn't be the first time.
Chainring slightly hooked and not releasing the chain properly under power.
Deleted
internal cables rubbing inside the frame. Need to be pulled a bit tighter?
or your A# needs replacing...
Can I have a second guess?
Its all purely coincidence and its actually the spooky oak tree in the garden creaking in the wind.
Rear axel? Rear freehold bearings? Lock in grips?
Fork CSU - bike upside down, front wheel out, stand on bars and give the fork legs a good wrench
I had an annoying crash on my Spider FRO. It was one of the cable ferrules in the shifter. Took a more or less complete strip down to find it though.
I know you’ve swapped the pedals, it’s an obvious one and I’m sure you would have greased the threads, but it would fit with the under power thing.
Likewise I know there’s a new saddle, but may be worth getting some WD40 down the rails into the saddle as mine sometimes squeaks there.
Front hub bearing.
Got to be freehub.. Specifically dry or knackered bearings.
Direct mount ring/spider on the hope chainset, or pedals
(these were my last two creaks)
Handlebars may be tight enough but those threads can be squeaky buggers too if there’s nothing on those bolts.
Where the fork stantions are press fitted into the headset, probably wouldn't have been checked in a fork service
Is it the unrelenting creak of time reminding us we're all mortal.
Maybe get some GT85 on that.
Rear quick release skewer/axle. Needs cleaning and regreasing.
Gx stuff? I have the same click under power on two bikes and it’s the only common factor
Spokes.
Cable outer end cap, metal one, where it meets metal cable guide on frame....had this happen on a Kona FS bike
Shorts?
@stevemuzzy has the bike shop found the noise? What if they don't find it? How will we know who wins the prize?
Have you tried wrapping the bb threads in ptfe tape before refitting them? Any play/give between the threads can make a god awful noise
Saddle rails.
Try changing the saddle.
Most of the saddles I've had creak after a while. You can't fix and gives the I impressiom of bottom bracket creak.
Bike been in shop for 2 days, no feedback yet!
Gears are X01 eagle so no Gx issues.
I only started checking parts after the creak, so as ham fisted as i am its not of my doing.
I dont powerwash but have ridden it constantly in Scotland for over a year, so anything is possible re grease not being in the right place.
Will update as soon as i know, if no one has correct answer will chuck some cash to the air ambulance 🙂
Could still be the frame. My last frame cracked, it started under one of the welds then eventually worked it's way out and round the seat tube. The creak was doing my head in, I presumed it was the frame bearings. Luckily I spotted it before total failure/snappage
My bet is on the seat clamp
Had this recently with my bike, only happened when pedalling, swapped out the cranks, BB, seatpost and saddle, greased the saddle rails where they entered the saddle, checked everything was tight and moving freely with no luck
As a last resort i removed the seat clamp, gave it a good clean, took the bolt out and cleaned that too then greased it up and refitted, creak gone!
