Creaking

[r5bcIwnt1]

New bike from REI with about 300 miles. It makes a creaking sound while pedaling. I have lubricated and tightened everything , but still creaks. I have been told that aluminum frames do sometimes creak, but I don't like that answer. Any suggestions?

[RBurrelli]

I don't like that answer either. I have an aluminum framed Cannondale road bike that is 12 years old and does not make any creaking sounds at all.

Can you pinpoint the sound to any particular area of the bike?

[JohnV]

Bought mine in November of last year and I have almost 2,000 miles on it and I ride it hard and no noise from the frame. I do occasionally get some noise from the right pedal on the down stroke, but I think I just need to have the bearings lubricated. Did the bike come with pedals or did you put some existing pedals on it?

[r5bcIwnt1]

(07-09-2011, 07:04 PM)RBurrelli Wrote:  I don't like that answer either. I have an aluminum framed Cannondale road bike that is 12 years old and does not make any creaking sounds at all.

Can you pinpoint the sound to any particular area of the bike?

It sounds like it is coming from the middle to the back. I greased the seat post and lubed everything else except the head set as I do not know how to do that. It seems to get worse as the ride gets longer.

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(07-10-2011, 06:51 AM)JohnV Wrote:  Bought mine in November of last year and I have almost 2,000 miles on it and I ride it hard and no noise from the frame. I do occasionally get some noise from the right pedal on the down stroke, but I think I just need to have the bearings lubricated. Did the bike come with pedals or did you put some existing pedals on it?

The pedals came with the bike . I bought one for myself and one for my wife. They were both extremely quiet but about a month ago my wife's started creaking. They are flat bar road bikes (Novara Express). Got them on sale at REI last August during one of their big sales.

[JohnV]

I'm not familiar with that brand name. What type of drivetrain components do the bikes have? Does the sound happen when coasting as well as pedaling or just when pedaling? And, does it do it at lower speeds or just on higher speeds when you are putting more pressure on the pedals?

Something you can try if you are riding clipped in or with toe clips to eliminate the pedal bearings. Since sounds can be deceptive as to their origin, when you start to hear the sound, remove one foot from a pedal and pedal with the opposite leg. If you still hear the noise, change sides and pedal with the opposite leg. If the noise is gone, then it is a very good chance that it's the pedal bearings on the pedal that is not being rotated. If the noise is still there, it may be the bearings in the bottom bracket. If you have worked on them before, check the BB and grease the bearings. If not, take it to your LSB and have them do it, unless you have the tools and want to try it yourself.

[r5bcIwnt1]

(07-10-2011, 04:54 PM)JohnV Wrote:  I'm not familiar with that brand name. What type of drivetrain components do the bikes have? Does the sound happen when coasting as well as pedaling or just when pedaling? And, does it do it at lower speeds or just on higher speeds when you are putting more pressure on the pedals?

Something you can try if you are riding clipped in or with toe clips to eliminate the pedal bearings. Since sounds can be deceptive as to their origin, when you start to hear the sound, remove one foot from a pedal and pedal with the opposite leg. If you still hear the noise, change sides and pedal with the opposite leg. If the noise is gone, then it is a very good chance that it's the pedal bearings on the pedal that is not being rotated. If the noise is still there, it may be the bearings in the bottom bracket. If you have worked on them before, check the BB and grease the bearings. If not, take it to your LSB and have them do it, unless you have the tools and want to try it yourself.

Have never worked on a BB.
Happens when pedaling at all speeds particularly after a few miles.
Don't have any clips on the pedals so can't try that.
When I put it on a bike stand and rotate the pedals there is no creaking sound, so it is only under pressure.

FSA Vero triple crankset has lightweight and durable cold-forged aluminum arms; ramped and pinned chainrings. .
9 cogs and the triple chainring provide 27 speeds. SRAM X7 derailleurs and X5 shifters.
Tektro linear-pull brakes.
The bike has under 400 easy miles on it.

[Joe_W]

Do you have a fizik saddle? Those are prone to creaking (mine does and several tests on saddles I read after buying mine also mentioned that). You can put the bike in a very high gear and do out of saddle sprints, if creaking disappears it might be the saddle (or the seatpost or the saddle rails on the seatpost). Does it make the noise when riding free handed?

[r5bcIwnt1]

(07-11-2011, 02:52 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  Do you have a fizik saddle? Those are prone to creaking (mine does and several tests on saddles I read after buying mine also mentioned that). You can put the bike in a very high gear and do out of saddle sprints, if creaking disappears it might be the saddle (or the seatpost or the saddle rails on the seatpost). Does it make the noise when riding free handed?

I greased the seat post and the saddle rails. Creaks whether in our out of the saddle. Creaks hands free but not quite as bad. Probably because we I ride it more carefully and slower hands free. Not a fizik saddle.

[Joe_W]

Ok, so headset seems unlikely, as are saddle / seatpost. Most likely culprits will be pedals or BB or maybe the chain ring bolts. Check pedals: replace them with a pair that makes no noises. Chainring bolts: Torque to spec (see manufacturer homepage?). BB: depends on the type. Maybe it needs to be removed, threads cleaned and greased and replaced. What type do you have? Check the repair guides on this site. (Though on a new bike this should not be necessary...)

[Joe_W]

http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/34/Vero

Ok, square taper BB, so this will most likely be a cartridge bb. Try the following: remove crankset, remove BB. Clean and grease threads (on frame and bb). Install bb. Clean square taper and grease lightly. Reinstall crankset with correct torque (probably about 40 Nm?).

[r5bcIwnt1]

(07-11-2011, 04:49 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/34/Vero

Ok, square taper BB, so this will most likely be a cartridge bb. Try the following: remove crankset, remove BB. Clean and grease threads (on frame and bb). Install bb. Clean square taper and grease lightly. Reinstall crankset with correct torque (probably about 40 Nm?).

That's way above my pay grade.

[Joe_W]

Look at the howtos on this site. Some special tools are required (crank puller and bottom bracket tool, those will set you back, dunno, about 30-40 bucks I guess), but since the bb is (most likely) a cartridge there is not much that could go wrong (cross threading when reassembling comes to my mind). If the bb is a cup and cone one it is more difficult (actually it only takes lots of patience the first time).
Steps are:
- remove bolts that holds crank arms in place (including the washer!)
- screw the crank puller in the crank (don't cross thread!)
- and then pull the cranks (by tightening the screw that is screwed through the tool), repeat on other side
- using the bb tool, unscrew the bb from the frame. Look at the howto on which side to turn in which direction. I always forget and have to look it up...
- clean the treads with degreaser, clean square taper and cranks with degreaser
- lightly grease threads
- put bb in frame, taking care not to cross thread the thing! This is the only really critical step.
- lightly grease square taper (really just a little smear of grease)
- put crank arms on, tighten the screw with 40 Nm (don't forget to put the washer on again!)

I'd say if you ever assembled furniture bought at IKEA (dunno if you have those where you are, basically you buy the furniture and have to assemble it on your own with a manual that had been translated from Swedish to your language by somebody who could speak neither or maybe the Swedish Chef from the Muppets) you will manage.
However, my local bike shop charges only 20 EUR for labour costs, so the tools are a bit more expensive.
Oh, and as your bike is not that old, you should probably go back to the shop and ask them to take a look. But (as you mentioned above) it probably helps if you have an idea where the noise comes from. Sometimes bbs are installed dry which can (will) make noise sooner or later.

[dave_sd]

Could be your wheel hubs. Mavic hubs are notorious for creaking. My front hub creaks and it sounds like it's coming from the crank area.