I have an aluminum bike that has developed a creak with every pedal stroke. the LBS bike shop guy has said he thinks its an issue with tolerance b/w the frame and the bottom bracket causing just a slight amount of movement when pedaling. the other possibility is a slight crack somewhere in the frame (or more likely welds).
ive also checked the usual suspects to be sure its not something more simple: the bottom bracket and crankset are brand-spanking new, headset is not loose, seat and clamp are clean, removed bottle cages, skewers, pedals, and even the small eyelets for the internal cable routing. i can also cause the creak by pushing on the frame (lightly) laterally near the bottom bracket, so it would seem to be the issue is caused when the frame is torqued (and nothing else is moving). i have been pretty successful at keeping all of my bikes silent as an assassins, even the mountain bike, and i beat it like it owes me money. the creak is driving me nuts, like a dripping faucet.
assuming that the problem is the frame, do you guys have any suggestions for me? the bike is a 2011 transition elite that i bought brand-used so i dont have a warranty. would contacting specialized lead anywhere? anyway to dampen the sound? my only thought was getting some rubber tape and installing inside the frame to try to dampen the noise, but i am skeptical of this fixing anything.
I just went through this with mine. For me it turned out that the rear brakes were too toed it and my wheel was catching it ever so slightly when I put down any torque. The only other thing I can think of is to grease the the bottom bracket treads and re-install it (assuming it is an English threaded BB).
the bottom bracket and crankset are brand-spanking new, headset is not loose, seat and clamp are clean, removed bottle cages, skewers, pedals, and even the small eyelets for the internal cable routing. i can also cause the creak by pushing on the frame (lightly) laterally near the bottom bracket, so it would seem to be the issue is caused when the frame is torqued (and nothing else is moving).Does the creaking occur when you are out of the saddle? If not, what happens when you pedal and kind of hop up and down ~1 inch of so to exacerbate saddle movement as it could be seat post/saddle interface. Otherwise, assuming the frame uses a threaded internal or outboard bearing style bottom bracket, since the crank and BB are new, was teflon tape applied to the threads of the bottom bracket before being installed?
When I have a creak I check first:
crank arms
bbracket
hub bearings
brakes
seatpost
saddle rails (specialized saddles are great on the arse but have this weakness)
.
im fairly certain that its coming from the bottom bracket area. i re-checked everything, even taking off the seatpost and clamp and the wheels and i can still create the creak by holding the frame and pressing with my foot laterally.
i had the LBS install for me, so I have no idea how it was installed. i looked into the teflon tape a bit. are you thinking that that would take up some of the slop between the threads and stop the creak?
When I have a creak I check first:
crank arms
bbracket
hub bearings
brakes
seatpost
saddle rails (specialized saddles are great on the arse but have this weakness)
BB30 or other press fit bottom bracket? If so, were the bearings Loctited in? If not, consider having someone do that.
Sidenote: 99 times out of a 100, a creaking BB is press fit. Threaded is a more reliable, foolproof and superior design. I’m still uncertain why press fit standards have proliferated.
When I have a creak I check first:
crank arms
bbracket
hub bearings
brakes
seatpost
saddle rails (specialized saddles are great on the arse but have this weakness)
cleats on shoes
Which would totally cause it to squeak when he flexes the frame while not on the bike.
I’m been “certain” that the creaks I’ve had were BB related. They all turned out to be either saddle rails or the rear hub bearings or dropouts F or R. Sometimes just tightening the front and rear skewer and little more has made them go away.
In my experience every creak has been in the pedals/cleats. If I can’t isolate which it is (which is most of the time). I take the pedals off, lube the threads. I also make sure all the cleat bolts are tight (sometimes they loosen up just enough that with pedal force the cleat bolts and metal washers creak a bit.)
I’m been “certain” that the creaks I’ve had were BB related. They all turned out to be either saddle rails or the rear hub bearings or dropouts F or R. Sometimes just tightening the front and rear skewer and little more has made them go away.
Creaks have a way of “migrating” through a bike / frame…it seems like they are coming from one area and they are actually on the other end of the bike.
Yeah, the BB / crank is always the likely culprit, but I have had creaks that I would have sworn were from the BB and were actually my saddle rails, QR skewers and even my HB / stem.
IOW, you gotta be willing to check everything, even if you are “sure” it is from one specific area.
Matter of fact, I am trying to track one down now…really only shows up in the trainer (and then only after about 45 min of riding). Maddening…
guys, let me re-phrase the question. i have already more or less stripped the bike and determined that the creak is either:
a creak from the frame or a welda creak caused from slight movement between the bottom bracket and the frame
assuming either 1 or 2, do you have suggestions? the suggestion of teflon tape seems like it might be onto something.
I’m been “certain” that the creaks I’ve had were BB related. They all turned out to be either saddle rails or the rear hub bearings or dropouts F or R. Sometimes just tightening the front and rear skewer and little more has made them go away.
This. I was sure I had BB issues and the creaks were coming from the stem.
There’s no way to tell where bike creaks are coming from based on where you think the sound is coming from. None.
Use process of elimination. If it doesn’t creak out of the saddle it could be saddle rails or saddle post.
If it creaks when you are climbing there’s a good chance creak is somewhere in the handlebars or stem.
Etc… you get the idea.
Another way to fix it is to go military OCD cleaning on it. Take apart everything that could creak, wipe it, lube it, tighten it back up with a torque wrench.
I had a creak that was a result of not enough lube in the headset. Headset was tight and all, but after riding in some wet/dirty conditions, some grime worked its way into the headset. Lubed that baby up and it’s been fine ever since.