terrible creaking sound

frenchcycling said:

i have a terrible creaking sound comming from my drivetrain both the front chainring and the rear casette. What is this? how can i fix it? (FYI SI cranks and record everything else.)

If it is your drive-train, WD40 should provide a quick fix. But are you sure that it is not coming from your knees? Creaking knees can be cured with glucosamine, chondritin and cod-liver oil.

frenchcycling said:

i have a terrible creaking sound comming from my drivetrain both the front chainring and the rear casette. What is this? how can i fix it? (FYI SI cranks and record everything else.)

Loose cranks
Loose pedals
Loose chainrings

Parktool.com has the drill on tracking it down. Lots of times the source isn't where you hear the noise. Good luck.

capwater said:

Loose cranks
Loose pedals
Loose chainrings

Parktool.com has the drill on tracking it down. Lots of times the source isn't where you hear the noise. Good luck.

yea its def not my knees. THe crank, pedals, and chain are as tight as can be. i'm thinking that maybe its a loose casette, or maybe there needs to be some lube in it. but that still wouldn;t explain the noise. I brought it to the LBS and they did something to it but the horrible noise just came back. I also don;t think the crank can be tightened or loosened. From what i understand (and i think that this is wrong) the SI cranks bolts are sealed into place and can not move.

This is a very disconcerthing noise, any other ideas?

frenchcycling said:

yea its def not my knees. THe crank, pedals, and chain are as tight as can be. i'm thinking that maybe its a loose casette, or maybe there needs to be some lube in it. but that still wouldn;t explain the noise. I brought it to the LBS and they did something to it but the horrible noise just came back. I also don;t think the crank can be tightened or loosened. From what i understand (and i think that this is wrong) the SI cranks bolts are sealed into place and can not move.

This is a very disconcerthing noise, any other ideas?

Try checking the alignment of your rear derailleur. I had that similar issue of a noise that is coming from the drivetrain. I examined the chain when going on the cogsets and found out that the chain was 'jumping' in and out of the cog. It turned out that the rear der was not aligned when on a particular cog. I aligned the rear via the barrel adjuster and the noise disappeared. Symptoms may vary but try it out as well. Good luck!

Various things are listed here:
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/creaking_and_squeaking.shtml

Good luck.

Check out your stem-handlebar connection. Tighten or loosen the bolts a tiny bit and add some grease to the bar (assuming its an al bar and stem)--this often gets mistaken for drivetrain noise cause you notice it when your weight shifts when you pedal. Good luck!!

martin_j001 said:

Check out your stem-handlebar connection. Tighten or loosen the bolts a tiny bit and add some grease to the bar (assuming its an al bar and stem)--this often gets mistaken for drivetrain noise cause you notice it when your weight shifts when you pedal. Good luck!!

this is a very good idea. i noticed that the creaking does not occur as much when i'm on the trainer. is that an indication that it is the stem?

frenchcycling said:

this is a very good idea. i noticed that the creaking does not occur as much when i'm on the trainer. is that an indication that it is the stem?

Noises come from the stangest places. Almost everything on a bike can creak, including the rider. My personal experience is that you can get rid of most by using a low gear and spinning, not mashing.
Check the saddle and the bottom bracket.

Don Shipp said:

Noises come from the stangest places. Almost everything on a bike can creak, including the rider. My personal experience is that you can get rid of most by using a low gear and spinning, not mashing.
Check the saddle and the bottom bracket.

Yeah, saddle rails are notorious for this too.

Not sure if less creak on the trainer is an indication of the noise coming from the bars/stem, but its worth looking into. Just loosen up the bolts, add a little grease, tighten the bolts back up and see if it helps. Its the only way to find out unfortunately. You could also try riding no-handed and see if the creaking stops....

thanks for all the ideas. I tried all of this last night, and the creaking persisted. i even inspected the entire frame for any sign of a crack. nothing. i lubed everything, took of the excess, the noise persisted. adjusted the derailleurs and still there was the noise. The bike is literally not ridable because of this noise and vibration. This is really getting frustrating considering how new the bike is and the amount i paid for it. i can only think that it is a manufacturers defect. not even 2 LBS could figure out let alone fix the problem. i think i'm gonna call in the cannondale warranty for this piece of [censored].

martin_j001 said:

Yeah, saddle rails are notorious for this too.

I had a horrid creak on the spare bike that sounded like the BB - I was convinced of it. But it only creaked while seated.

Turned out to be the saddle rails creaking in the Ritchey seat post clamps. I took it all apart, sanded the contact points with ultra fine emory paper to get rid of the anodizing, and re-assembled with a touch of lithium grease. That seems to have solved it - for now.

cydewaze said:

I had a horrid creak on the spare bike that sounded like the BB - I was convinced of it. But it only creaked while seated.

Turned out to be the saddle rails creaking in the Ritchey seat post clamps. I took it all apart, sanded the contact points with ultra fine emory paper to get rid of the anodizing, and re-assembled with a touch of lithium grease. That seems to have solved it - for now.

THanks for all the ideas guys this bike needs all the help it can get. yea i definitly see how that can be a problem. in this case tho, even when i am standing next to my bike and i turn the pedals while the bike is on the trainer (so that there can be some resistance), it creaks so it must be something other then the saddle. ug this problem is so intolerable.

anyone have experiance with a cannondale warranty?

i think i figured out the noise! finally. its the chain. the chain is being stressed unevenly when i pedal and accelerate.

martin_j001 said:

Check out your stem-handlebar connection. Tighten or loosen the bolts a tiny bit and add some grease to the bar (assuming its an al bar and stem)--this often gets mistaken for drivetrain noise cause you notice it when your weight shifts when you pedal. Good luck!!

This may in fact be where it's coming from!!! Do you use a quill style stem? If so, pull it out and slather it in Phil water proof grease and stick it back into the head tube. Also lube where the stem grabs the handlebar.

I had a real bad clicking noise a year or so ago and went over everything. Even cable housings that touch. I finally narrowed it down to the bottom bracket, which is ususally the fist thing that people suspect and the last thing to be causing the problem. It was [censored] so a replacement solved the problem.