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...so my new bearings haven't turned up yet. The bike was creaking like a right sod at the weekend past. It's so sunny this weekend I want to try and get out on the bike. So, all that creaking is just the bearings right? I'm not gonna **** my carbon frame?! Just want some pat on the back 'everything will be okay' assurance...
If the creaking is the bearings, its likely caused by contamination and corrosion to those bearings. This will likely increase the friction, making the bearing 'turn' less effectively. At some point the friction will begin to add load to the outer bearing race which is the part that contacts the frame. This, especially in a carbon frame, could be bad news as it may damage the carbon or, if the frame has them, the bonded metal inserts that the bearing presses into.
You might be able to pry off the bearing seals and flush with wd40 or gtg4 to remove old grease and dirt, then repack with grease and put the deals back on. This might help until you get new ones.
My money is on the bearings having seized so everything is pivoting metal on metal. As a stop gap I would take the bearings out, free them up & add grease. Probably not what you want to hear.
I had a bike with creaky bearings and carbon rear triangle, I just ignored it.
Eventually the bearings ate their way through bits of the carbon 🙁
Suspension creaking is probably not the bearing internals making a noise, but more likely the whole bearing has seized and is rotating in the frame. It'll wear the frame so when you do replace them the new bearings might be a sloppy fit.
Hmmm. I may just leave it be then!
Yep, a creaky Trek back end turned out to be a seized bearing rotating in the recess. You can usually free them up by popping the dust caps off and working some oil or grease in (that's what I'd do in your situation for this weekend) but that's just a stop gap, get them replaced as soon as you can.