Trek Fuel creaking noise

Anyone had any issues with their Treks creaking?! This is only after a few rides. It’s rather loud!!!

Seems to be be coming from the front area. Have loosened stem and headset and tightened back up but no joy.

Mine got loud quickly but it was the back end, stripped it down and found all the hardware bone dry. You can check by depressuring the shock and cycling the suspension. I applied a light coat of anti sieze and it’s been silent since

Will take another look today. Sounds front end but will check rear too. I did notice the headset seems to have been put together using some sort of silver grease.

Mine was a custom build so dunno on the headset. It is a big metal downtube so easy for sound to resonate and make you think noise is coming from somewhere else

CSU assembly worth a look. It can creak something rotten and hard to pin down as resonates through frame.

You’re not going to nail down the creak from riding around filming your bike.

Try flexing stuff around/ pushing and pulling stuff one bit at a time to narrow down where it’s coming from.

Bimbling around with your phone in one hand doesn’t really help you solve the creak…

It only happens under load and makes no noise when ‘pushing’ or ‘pulling’ anywhere.

I didnt film myself to find the creak, I was ‘bimbling’ on my phone to ask if anyone had the same issues.

But thanks all the same for being so helpful.

I bet a pound to a pinch of shit that you could nail down the creak with the bike not moving at all.

It only happens under load and makes no noise when ‘pushing’ or ‘pulling’ anywhere.

Try replicating the “load” by pushing and pulling…

I’ll leave you to it though if you’re just going to get all pissy.🙃

You need to start by narrowing down what causes the sound.

Even though it sounds like it’s coming from the front the frame may be amplifying the noise making it sound like it’s coming from elsewhere.

Does it do it only when sitting down or standing up?

Hands on bars/hands off bars?

Still happening when on flat tarmac/with forks/shock locked out?

And so-on…

There should be no reason why you can’t make it creak with the bike stationary, even sat on it bouncing up and down/pulling and pushing will do it.

Nope only makes the creaking under load when going up hills pulling and pushing on the bars. If I stop the bike and push and pull on the bars no creak.

Anyway, decided I’m taking it back to where I bought it. I didn’t spend this much on a bike to have to take it apart to stop it creaking after so little use.

If I stop the bike and push and pull on the bars no creak.

Have you tried sideloading the cranks?

Flexing the seatpost backwards and forwards?

Checked the chainring bolts? greased the pedal threads?

Rear axle not tight?

My money is on it being nothing to do with the headset or front end.

Creak chasing ain’t rocket surgery.😉

Just check standard things that are well known for creaking.

How much a bike costs has nothing to do with anything…

Specially if it’s a Trek.😜

No matter what the brand or price you would not expect to be chasing creaks after 4 rides? Well I don’t anyway! My last trek was creak free for 2 years so rather than chase creaks I’m letting someone else do it for me. That’s how I roll, or troll!

All fixed. Culprit was the main pivot bolt. Whilst they were there then took about the whole lot including cranks. Re-greased and torque to spec

Not something I could have done as I only have a baby torque wrench! The kind folks did it there whilst I waited.

Happy days its a simple fix.

My Remedy pivot bolts were dry and came loose first ride. Grease on the shank, loctite 242 on the threads, torqued to spec and its been perfect ever since.

Slightly annoying that the first thing you need to do with a new bike is take it half to bits though.

Going to get myself a better torque wrench for my Birthday so can sort next time if it happens again!

I just had the same issue on my 2018 Fuel EX after about 6 months of solid use. Creaking / clicking sound started infrequently one day, but by the next ride was constantly making noises whenever under load and particularly bad when pedalling out of the saddle. It was obviously not anything to do with saddle rails or seat post (which is where I always had noises on my old bike), so started process of elimination.

I was sure it was coming from the BB area, but read some other forums which said check the headset area first, so I took apart headset, removed handlebars and stem, cleaned and re-greased / re-applied carbon paste to everything, but to no avail.

Thought that it must be the BB, so took bike to LBS and paid for them to remove and re-install BB and cranks (as I don’t have a bearing press to properly remove / install press fit BB) – that did not fix it.

It was only after I had done this that I found this forum (and a couple others) that explained the various tests you should do on the bike when stationary. Could not hear any noise until I sideloaded the cranks (which indicates creak in linkage / pivot bolts). Sure enough, after removing, cleaning and re-greasing linkage and pivot bolts, bike is silent again.

Glad you got it sorted! Mine has been noise free (apart from the odd cable rattle) since it was taken aprt and re-set.

Wondered why mine was a little noisy in the Alps last week. The whopping crack in it I didn’t see gave it away!

New 9.9 frame arriving today 🙂