Unknown Creaking

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Unknown Creaking
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flag TheCyclingNerd
Posted: Feb 7, 2014 at 7:51 Quote
Hi all,
I have a weird problem. I have a creaking coming from the front end of my bike.
Only happens when i'm sitting down and pedalling, when I stand up and pedal there isn't a creak at all.
The headset has been replaced and it's still there. I removed the seatpost & seat and cleaned the inside of the frame and inserted a different seatpost and saddle and yet the creak is still there.
It's a metal sort of creak and i've checked for lose bolts and so fourth and can't find it at all and it has me quite up the wall haha

wonder if anyone can figure this one out?
flag Cackerman
Posted: Feb 7, 2014 at 8:41 Quote
Creaks can be hard to locate, so to start with the biggest piece of advice is to be patient and methodical. Often it is a process of deduction to figure out the issue, so you are on the right track subbing out your seatpost/saddle to rule them out.

For creaks that happen while peddaling, I always zero in cranks first. Clean and regrease everything down there. BB cups, BB axle, axle to crank arm interface, crank bolts, chainring bolts. Get both sides of the chainring bolts, so every metal to metal contact point has a grease coating. Try to swap the pedals with a different pair to rule them out, grease the pedal threads when inserting into the crankarms.

Mind you, if the only happens when sitting, that might rule the crank out. I would still start there though. I would check the frame pivots next. Ensure the pivot bearings/bushings are tight and lubed. Clean, locktite/grease and retorque pivot bolts. Clean and lightly relube shock bushings (if metal, the delrin ones should not be lubed) and shock bolts. Closely inspect the frame welds to look for hairline cracks, especially around the seat tube to top tube junction. I had a cracked weld on this junction once, and it was like I had a cricket in my frame when I sat down.

Rear wheel would be a good thing to check next. Sitting means you are putting more weight on the rear, so possibly a poorly tensioned wheel, or if the nipple heads were not greased in the eyelets. Light coating of grease on the freehub body before putting the cassette on.
flag TheCyclingNerd
Posted: Feb 7, 2014 at 12:25 Quote
Cackerman wrote:
Creaks can be hard to locate, so to start with the biggest piece of advice is to be patient and methodical. Often it is a process of deduction to figure out the issue, so you are on the right track subbing out your seatpost/saddle to rule them out.

For creaks that happen while peddaling, I always zero in cranks first. Clean and regrease everything down there. BB cups, BB axle, axle to crank arm interface, crank bolts, chainring bolts. Get both sides of the chainring bolts, so every metal to metal contact point has a grease coating. Try to swap the pedals with a different pair to rule them out, grease the pedal threads when inserting into the crankarms.

Mind you, if the only happens when sitting, that might rule the crank out. I would still start there though. I would check the frame pivots next. Ensure the pivot bearings/bushings are tight and lubed. Clean, locktite/grease and retorque pivot bolts. Clean and lightly relube shock bushings (if metal, the delrin ones should not be lubed) and shock bolts. Closely inspect the frame welds to look for hairline cracks, especially around the seat tube to top tube junction. I had a cracked weld on this junction once, and it was like I had a cricket in my frame when I sat down.

Rear wheel would be a good thing to check next. Sitting means you are putting more weight on the rear, so possibly a poorly tensioned wheel, or if the nipple heads were not greased in the eyelets. Light coating of grease on the freehub body before putting the cassette on.

Hey thanks for the quick and informative reply.
Sadly I replaced the bottom bracket with a new one once I head the creaking with it being an octalink, the bearings and axle are sealed. I cleaned out the threads, greased up the bottom bracket before inserting and properly tightened. when I was doing this, I took my crankset apart, cleaned the chainrings and bolts, greased everything and put back together and still there Frown
I thought it could be a hairline crack but I checked all the welds and they seem to be perfectly okay, no sign of damaged.
Since my Genesis Core is a hardtail, there's not much in terms of pivots, I recently took the xcr forks apart and serviced thinking it could be the forks but they're only a couple of months new but no joy there. the Metal creaking sound sounds like it's coming from the front though, I serviced both the rear and front wheels, new bearings and skewers as well and all seems fine.
it's a fairly new cassette being just bought in September and no signs of damage. i'm just scratching my head with this one thinking my frame has just had it Frown
flag DoubleDog
O+
Posted: Feb 7, 2014 at 13:05 Quote
I'm probably stating the obvious here, but if you're only hearing the creaking while seated, I assume you've checked the saddle??? Saddle rails are a very common source of noise.

If it sounds like the front end, have you looked at the headset?
flag Cackerman
Posted: Feb 7, 2014 at 13:06 Quote
TheCyclingNerd wrote:
I recently took the xcr forks apart and serviced thinking it could be the forks but they're only a couple of months new but no joy there.

Ah, forks might just be the issue then. I don't have any experience with Suntour forks personally, but have read a number of complaints of XCR's creaking, even when quite new.

If it is infact the fork, since you said you heard the creak when sitting and pedalling, I wonder if the noise might be coming from the stanchion to crown joints or the steerer tube to crown joint.

Any chance you have a spare fork to swap (even a rigid fork would do) just to test?
flag quick62bug
Posted: Feb 7, 2014 at 23:22 Quote
Toss a light film of grease on your seat post and clamp. Removing and cleaning the post does not fix the creak. I had a similar problem on my Mach 5 that was driving me nutz and this cured it.
flag TheCyclingNerd
Posted: Feb 8, 2014 at 2:39 Quote
DoubleDog wrote:
I'm probably stating the obvious here, but if you're only hearing the creaking while seated, I assume you've checked the saddle??? Saddle rails are a very common source of noise.

If it sounds like the front end, have you looked at the headset?
I've replaced the seatpost and saddle to try to elimate the creaking but sadly it hasn't, I've greased everything possibly that could make the sound and moves.
the headset has new cups and bearings and greased good Frown

Cackerman wrote:
Ah, forks might just be the issue then. I don't have any experience with Suntour forks personally, but have read a number of complaints of XCR's creaking, even when quite new.

If it is in fact the fork, since you said you heard the creak when sitting and pedalling, I wonder if the noise might be coming from the stanchion to crown joints or the steerer tube to crown joint.

Any chance you have a spare fork to swap (even a rigid fork would do) just to test?

Hmmmm that's what I thought it was hence the servicing I did. I followed a few guides to xcr and dismantled everything, cleaned the old grease out, looked for damage then regreased and rebuilt but the sound is still there.

Sadly I haven't another pair forks on me to test at the moment, could try to source some just to eliminate the forks

quick62bug wrote:
Toss a light film of grease on your seat post and clamp. Removing and cleaning the post does not fix the creak. I had a similar problem on my Mach 5 that was driving me nutz and this cured it.

Well the seatpost and saddle have a load of grease and even the other seatpost and saddle I tried made the same annoying creaking sound.
It was my first place to go, then the bottom bracket then the headset as those are the most common places for the creak but it's all been replaced Frown
flag Dani87
Posted: Feb 8, 2014 at 10:47 Quote
Handle bar to stem grease and stem to steerer grease. Put a light film under the head of the bolts too. Not on the thread for obvious reasons.

Failing that check spoke lacing cross overs and lube with wd40 and test.

I had a few spokes that rubbed together only in certain conditions. Annoyed the hell out of me till i found it.
flag nomad2010uk
O+
Posted: Feb 10, 2014 at 1:05 Quote
Have a look on back weell if these tight I already had this problma
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