More Creaking

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by mre
This creaking is driving me nuts! It's most noticeable when on the trail, but still present when riding on the road, just not quite as frequent. At a stop, I get NO creaking when pushing down on the front suspenion.

I've cleaned and greased the bearings in the front wheel and the bottom bracket. I checked the tightness of the chain rings, stem, handlebars, pedals, crank, seat, and seat tube. Could the creak come from the head set? How about the front shocks?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Does it creak only when pedaling?
Does it creak only when you are pulling or pushing on the bars?
Does it creak only when you are seated?
There are a lot of interfaces on a bicycle that can creak when under load.
I have never heard a creaking headset.
Grease interfaces between seatpost and frame, etc.
Make sure that all threaded interfaces are coated with grease or Anti-sieze compounds.

Does it creak only when pedaling? No, most of the time I'm on rough surfaces.

Does it creak only when you are pulling or pushing on the bars? No, see above.

Does it creak only when you are seated? No, see above

Make sure that all threaded interfaces are coated with grease or Anti-sieze compounds. This I'll try.

Thanks, daveornee

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by daveornee

Does it creak only when pedaling?
Does it creak only when you are pulling or pushing on the bars?
Does it creak only when you are seated?
There are a lot of interfaces on a bicycle that can creak when under load.
I have never heard a creaking headset.
Grease interfaces between seatpost and frame, etc.
Make sure that all threaded interfaces are coated with grease or Anti-sieze compounds.

-Snip-
Does it creak only when you are pulling or pushing on the bars? No, see above.

Where does it say anything "above" about pushing or pulling on the bars?
Do you have grease in the bar to stem interface?

Does it creak only when you are seated? No, see above

Where does it say anything "above" about being seated?

The idea of the questions is to help you isolate where the creak may be coming from.

David,
Today I rode the bike on the street and off road. I tried pulling and pushing on the handlebars. Nothing, no creaking.

There is no grease on the bar/stem interface. It was put together dry.

I tried recreating the creaking while out of the saddle. No sound. I tried on various road surfaces and the bike was quiet. There was creaking while seated, no creaking while out of the saddle. This is definitely a lead. Later, I removed both the seat clamp bolt as well as the seat tube clamp bolt, applied some Loctite blue, tightened the bolts, and rode around on the street. It wasn't completely quiet, but it wasn't as noisy as earlier.

I won't really know if this solved the problem until I ride a little more extensively.

Any more ideas?

Thanks for your advice.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by daveornee
-Snip-
Does it creak only when you are pulling or pushing on the bars? No, see above.

Where does it say anything "above" about pushing or pulling on the bars?
Do you have grease in the bar to stem interface?

Does it creak only when you are seated? No, see above

Where does it say anything "above" about being seated?

The idea of the questions is to help you isolate where the creak may be coming from.

Creaking usually comes from a few key places. Worn pedal spindles and bottom brakets. Seatposts and seat clamps, and headset interfaces. The most comon is usually the seatpost. Remove the seatpost and apply a thin film of grease on the length of the seatpost that goes into the frame. Many people don't realize you are actually supposed to grease seatposts to keep them from seizing into the frame (causing creaking). Loosen up and retighted the saddle clamp firmly as well. You say the creaking comes whe sitting down only so this is the most likely cause. Headsets can also tend to creak after a while, especially if the headtube is not faced and reamed well and the headset isn't pressed in perfectly.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by mre
David,
Today I rode the bike on the street and off road. I tried pulling and pushing on the handlebars. Nothing, no creaking.

There is no grease on the bar/stem interface. It was put together dry.

I tried recreating the creaking while out of the saddle. No sound. I tried on various road surfaces and the bike was quiet. There was creaking while seated, no creaking while out of the saddle. This is definitely a lead. Later, I removed both the seat clamp bolt as well as the seat tube clamp bolt, applied some Loctite blue, tightened the bolts, and rode around on the street. It wasn't completely quiet, but it wasn't as noisy as earlier.

I won't really know if this solved the problem until I ride a little more extensively.

Any more ideas?

Thanks for your advice.

Try the saddle rails with a very light coat of grease where the clamps interface.
Also put grease on the clamping bolt(s) threads where they interface.
Make sure the seat post has a light coating of grease over the entire surface area that contact the inside of the seat tube.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by mre
David,
<SNIP>
I tried recreating the creaking while out of the saddle. No sound. I tried on various road surfaces and the bike was quiet. There was creaking while seated, no creaking while out of the saddle. This is definitely a lead. Later, I removed both the seat clamp bolt as well as the seat tube clamp bolt, applied some Loctite blue, tightened the bolts, and rode around on the street. It wasn't completely quiet, but it wasn't as noisy as earlier.

I won't really know if this solved the problem until I ride a little more extensively.

Any more ideas?

Thanks for your advice.

One other idea-
If you have a removable seat tube collar, pop it off and grease the interface area of the seat tube. Make sure the interface is clean an smooth before applying grease.

Dave,
After cleaning and greasing the seat post and seat rails and applying Loctite to appropriate hardware, the creaking is gone. Unfortunately, with the noise level down, other squeeks and rattles became more audible. These I can live with, this is, after all, a mountain bike.

Thanks to Dave and others for all the help.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by daveornee
One other idea-
If you have a removable seat tube collar, pop it off and grease the interface area of the seat tube. Make sure the interface is clean an smooth before applying grease.