I’m two rides in after getting my bike back from the LBS and there is an annoying cracking/creaking sound when the forks depress. (The LBS had it while the forks and shock went back under warranty to Mojo and had wider bars fitted).

This happens under small compression (trail chatter) or big compressions. I can emulate it with the bike stood still and pumping the forks. I can do the same by compressing the forks holding either the head tube or the fork crown.

I’ve taken off the stem and all looks OK. Quite strangely it doesn’t seem to do it without the stem or the stem untightened??

(Which in my mind eliminates headset, cables, bar, etc).

Apart from stripping out the the fork and rebuilding or going straight back to the LBS anybody have any suggestions, ideas??

Quite strangely it doesn’t seem to do it without the stem or the stem untightened??

<obvious question>I take it you’re doing up the stem and headset top cap in the right order?</obvious question>

Top cap first, stem after?

Yep. Apologies for the granny/suck eggs moment.

No worries martin, quite baffled as to what it is/might be and struggling to identify it so any input is appreciated.

I thought I might have done the top cap up too tightly, but I hadn’t and it makes no difference. I thought it might be the wider bars not installed properly (or something). It’s not that either.

At present I can’t understand as to why it does it once the stem is tightened. Re-grease stem bolts?

Damn thing!!

Something to do with the cables?

I also thought that too with adopting a wider bar and shifting the controls out a little further (711mm to 750mm bars) but it doesn’t do it with the stem removed from the steerer (bars and controls attached) or with the stem installed but untightened. I’ve also removed the first cable mount for those cables under the downtube to provide some slack and it still does it 😕

I could obviously remove all of the controls to see if it does it then which would either rule the cables in or out but there seems to be enough cable length and this would be extra hassle, PITA as the grips would have to come off, etc, etc.

quick question / hijack

what torque roughly should the top cap be done too? do you torque this first before then doing the stem bolts up?

always forget which way around and ive never actually known how tight todo the top cap bolt

what torque roughly should the top cap be done too? do you torque this first before then doing the stem bolts up?

as it’s a bearing I wouldn’t torque up the top cap as more so remove play and what feels right. Then tighten stem bolts to required torque. That’s my method. May not be right but it’s my way.

^^ what he said…

Top cap first, I don’t tighten it too much, just nip it up, I also don’t have a torque wrench so can’t say how many nms.

Then stem, again, just nip up. Like most things, you want it tight enough not to work loose or move but want it to be able to move under load/crash instead of sheering off your steerer or bars. If that makes sense.

Is it a Hope headset by any chance? I had a crack/creak until I fitted a couple of the thin washers they supply underneath the upper cover.

Stem bolts can make a creak/crack if not greased and evenly tightened too (Renthal ones especially)

I have the same issue
I have eliminated the stem bolts as I have regreased, everything torqued to correct nm’s
I serviced the fork completely last week so not that
Has to be the headset
Im going to remove, regrease and see, funking annoying though eh?

cheers guys – my headset is a hope one (see other annoying nosie thread) so theres still a chance its causing my noise too, will just nip the headset cap bolt up and then do the stem ones, cheers

I have a not dissimilar noise, which I traced to the brake pads rattling. I was worrying that it was the steerer tube, but eliminated that by pushing bike againsat a wall, which copmpresses fork and loads steerer, but as no rapid movement the brakes dont click/rattle. I also went for a ride with no front pads 🙂

Yep, it’s a hope headset. Both external cups for tapered forks/headtube. I’ve checked and it has two, possible three washers/shims under top cover already.

I may re-grease stem bolts (Thomson 50mm stem BTW)and look to nip up evenly to eliminate.

Headset look to have grease in it but it wouldn’t hurt removing the forks and re-greasing this too.

Very, very annoying 🙂

Suspect it’s stem bolts then, cleans and grease the threads, and do them up alternating/quarter turns/etc until they’re right.

Just resolved a similar issue on a Carbon MTB frame… Remove the headset cups a re-assembled with a small amount of carbon assembly paste

http://www.boysiescyclerepairs.co.uk

Yep boysie, it’s a carbon frame too. I don’t have the tools to remove and replace the cups so it may have to go back to the LBS. If works quiet then I’ll strip it all down and regrease laster this afternoon before giving them a ring.