Creaking - need troubleshooting help

Collin O'Neill said:

Hi everyone,

I have a Peugeot PY racing bike converted to single-speed.
The frame is reynolds 501. It's been developing a creak
coming some where from the head tube down to the bottom
bracket., although it sounds like it's at one of the head
tubes. The creak occurs when the frame flexes, i.e. when I
hit a bump or when I crank on the pedal with full force.
The creak is steadily getting worse. I inspected closely
the frame, fork (both chromalloy) and stem (aluminum quill-
type) and found no cracks. I want to make sure it's not
the frame, so I disassembled, inpected and reassembled:

1. the headset - the headset was a teeny bit loose, but
there was no visible damage. Repacked with grease and
tightened up so there was zero play and zero binding.
2. the bottom bracket (and cranks, pedals) - good before
and after overhaul
3. front hub - all parts good before and after overhaul
4. rear hub, although not for this

So, what else can I try before shopping for a replacement
frame? I'm a bit surprised I see no damage on the outside,
because I understand that most steels crack on the
outside. Perhaps the crack is at a weld joint on the
inside of the tube?

Have an experienced bicycle mechanic diagnose the source.
Noises resonate, and so may be just about anywhere. The
noise is more likely from equipment than a cracked frame.
Your Peugeot is a nice-handling bike. I wouldn't toss it
gratuitously.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1
April, 1971

A Muzi said:

Have an experienced bicycle mechanic diagnose the source.

Granted that sometimes the diagnosis is far from simple, has
anyone ever tried to use some kind of stethoscopic device
like in the medical practice?

Sergio Pisa

Quoted message said:

I have a Peugeot PY racing bike converted to single-speed.
The frame is reynolds 501. It's been developing a creak
coming some where from the

head

Quoted message said:

tube down to the bottom bracket., although it sounds like
it's at one of

the

Quoted message said:

head tubes. The creak occurs when the frame flexes, i.e.
when I hit a bump or when I crank on the pedal with full
force. The creak is steadily

getting

Quoted message said:

worse. I inspected closely the frame, fork (both
chromalloy) and stem (aluminum quill-type) and found no
cracks. I want to make sure it's not

the

Quoted message said:

frame, so I disassembled, inpected and reassembled:

You might take a look at this piece on our website-

www.ChainReaction.com/noises.htm

It could help you run down the actual cause of the noise.
Good luck!

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

<SNIP>

You might take a look at this piece on our website-

www.ChainReaction.com/noises.htm

It could help you run down the actual cause of the noise.
Good luck!

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗ [/B][/QUOTE]

Good stuff Mike.
Park Tools has similar information and some unique at:
http://tinyurl.com/yw4vu

I find that using Anti-SieZe compounds where grease is called for in a non-bearing surface last longer and has the same desired effects. The material must be used with care.
I am not trolling for bourdreaux on this, I am serious. it works and stays working longer than almost any grease I have tried.
Teflon Tape used for plumbing also works on bottom bracket threads.

Sergio SERVADIO said:

Granted that sometimes the diagnosis is far from simple,
has anyone ever tried to use some kind of stethoscopic
device like in the medical practice?

Yes, a mechanic's stethoscope. It's a common and easily
obtainable item, and quite useful for diagnosing noises in
transmissions, engines and other complex lumps.

I am inclined to think that they would be a lot less useful
for a bicycle, which is far simpler mechanically.

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR

Sergio SERVADIO <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

A Muzi said:

Have an experienced bicycle mechanic diagnose the
source.

Granted that sometimes the diagnosis is far from simple,
has anyone ever tried to use some kind of stethoscopic
device like in the medical practice?

Sergio Pisa

Dear Sergio,

There are indeed $5 mechanic's stethoscopes, with a long
metal probe for touching small parts of engines instead
of a broad flat disk for seeing how sensitive patients
are to cold:

harborfreight.comDisplayitem.tafOpen ↗
umber=41966

The trouble is that it's almost impossible to apply any
stethoscope to a bicycle when it's rolling and actually
making that annoying little noise down there somewhere.

It's extremely difficult to hold any probe in place on the
frame and practically impossible to touch it to something
like our old friend the creaky pedal, crank, or BB.

And even if we could hold the end of a stethoscope to the
bicycle in motion, we might not be able to distinguish the
funny noise from all the other normal bike noises that the
stethoscope magnifies.

Metal, unfortunately, transmits sound quite well. You can
actually hear a badly indexed headset as it swivels
(inaudible to the human ear) by putting an ordinary
stethoscope on a motionless rear axle.

The mechanic's stethoscope is mostly used to probe into a
tangled engine bay with the motor running until you finally
touch the last part that you'd suspect and the faint ticking
noise becomes enormously louder.

Carl Fogel

Quoted message said:

A Muzi said:

Have an experienced bicycle mechanic diagnose the source.

Sergio SERVADIO said:

Granted that sometimes the diagnosis is far from simple,
has anyone ever tried to use some kind of stethoscopic
device like in the medical practice?

Probably. But an experienced mechanic will hear it and tell
you what it is promptly. A chainring bolt noise is different
from a loose right cup noise. A crack in an arm sounds
different than a crack in a frame.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1
April, 1971

I had a creek in my mountain bike frame at the end of last
season. It ended up being loose chain ring bolts of all
things. I spent hours fiddling with bottom brackets & crank
arm bolts. All the odvious stuff. The chain ring bolts were
the problem.

Evan Evans said:

I had a creek in my mountain bike frame at the end of
last season.

You shouldn't ride so much in the wet.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA bike.terrymorse.combike.terrymorse.comOpen ↗

"Collin O'Neill" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi everyone, ....

Quoted message said:

So, what else can I try before shopping for a
replacement frame?

....

Maybe obvious, but be sure it's not the seat or seatpost by
checking if it goes away when out of the saddle... Seatpost
noises never sound like they are from the seatpost!

Nick

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I had a creek in my mountain bike frame at the end of
last season.

You shouldn't ride so much in the wet.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

I thought at first he meant just that. My bike has given
birth (or at least dumped out a whole lot of water) several
times during the winter. I finally gave up on the DuraAce
bottom bracket and put a '105 in there. I still collect
water, but at least the bearings don't require twice-yearly
overhauls.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
chainreactionbicycles.com.comchainreactionbicycles.com.comOpen ↗