Headset creak ... Update/resolution

[Dead Man]

Just about ****in had it with this crap.

Ti frame, 1" carbon steerer, aluminum stem adapter, Ti stem, no spacers.

I've tried two different aluminum stem adapters... Maybe aluminum doesn't like Ti or carbon or both. I'm sure a big part of the problem is flex in the carbon steerer, but there's nothing I can do about that... I'm not going to a heavier fork, nor giving up threadless.

What about plastic or Ti stem adapters? I haven't been able to find any, googling around, but I'd be $5 someone out there makes or at least has made both at some point. Anybody have a lead? No idea if that will fix it, but I feel like it might.

I do know there's a couple of different contributing issues at play here... Sometimes the housing creak under the bar tape as the steerer lightly rotates back and forth, climbing out of the saddle.. And creaks on Ti bikes being what they are, this creak is pretty much indistinguishable from the head stack creak.. Usually just jamming a rag between the cables will stop that creak temporarily, but only disassembling the stack and regreasing everything will stop that creak. But I'm just greasing everything that makes contact with everything there... I don't know what specifically is rubbing against what to make it creak. I don't THINK it's stem to top race or top cap, because I can clearly see grease oozing out of these joints all around their circumference. But I admit it's possible one spot or another rub tighter and squish all the grease out and grind metal on metal.

I know it's not headset to head tube at least... Cause disassembling and regreasing the stack temporarily fixes it.

Any tips hints thoughts or experiences appreciated

[peanutgallery]

Remove everything and reinstall with copious amounts of ti lube. Bolts, cups, bearings, the works

[ultraman6970]

Are you sure is the headset area and not the front wheel quick release?

[David Kirk]

What brand of headset are you using?

dave

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by ultraman6970

Are you sure is the headset area and not the front wheel quick release?

Definitely check this. I've "fixed" so many bikes with creaks that were QRs that weren't tight enough or just super-light ones that weren't stout enough.

[ultraman6970]

Many times they just need some grease, the plastic parts tend to rubber to each other and sometimes they creak.

[Dead Man]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

What brand of headset are you using?

dave

Chris King

[David Kirk]

Originally Posted by Dead Man

Chris King

Cool - do you have the rubber O ring in the upper bearing race?.......how about the white nylon washer between the upper race and the stem?

If either are missing it will creak to wake the dead.

dave

[Dead Man]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

Cool - do you have the rubber O ring in the upper bearing race?.......how about the white nylon washer between the upper race and the stem?

If either are missing it will creak to wake the dead.

dave

Someone at King told me not to use the plastic washer (several headsets and bikes ago)... said it caused more problems then it solved. the top race is new (rest of the headset is pretty old, actually), so I assume the washer is good.. but I haven't taken it down that far since I installed it sometime last year

[David Kirk]

I'm not sure from your post if you have the nylon washer in place or not. If you don't I'd put it in there and my money says your noise will be gone.


dave

[rwsaunders]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

I'm not sure from your post if you have the nylon washer in place or not. If you don't I'd put it in there and my money says your noise will be gone.

dave

+1...word.

[drewellison]

I had a creaky, cracky headset (inset bearings, carbon steerer) and after trying lots of different stuff, I replaced the bearings with some from Wheels Mfg. I just got standard, not high-zoot, bearings, so it was a cheap attempt. Problem when away. I could not tell that anything was wrong with the old bearings either.

[Dead Man]

Little update...

Nylon washer actually made no difference in creak.

Most of the creak turned out to be the front wheel, as ultraman suggested... Which is annoying/embarrassing, because I know that one. But since I clean pretty often, including pulling the wheels and cleaning the hubs, I just kinda ignored the possibility... But then as I creaked, clicked, and drove myself crazy coming up a steepnasty out-of-the-saddle climb, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I cleaned the hub caps or fork ends... So I stopped at the top, used my sweaty cap to polish those up, put the wheel back on - 85% of my bike noise was instantly eliminated.

More creak was eliminated by thoroughly cleaning and regressing the head stack again (so unfortunately the nylon washer might do nothing to prevent that one from eventually coming back). That left just one "tick, tick, tick, when I pedaled... Which turned out to be the BB. Whose drive side cup was absolutely trashed, and would barely even turn by hand, when I overhauled the bike incident to chain/cassette replacement. Less than a year on that 9000 BB... Not sure I care for the new smaller bearing design.

So nice to finally have a quiet bike again. But now that the bike is quiet, I have some kind of creak in my left cleat/shoe!

[cmbicycles]

I think you just need ear plugs

[eippo1]

Originally Posted by cmbicycles

I think you just need ear plugs

Just wait until he hits 40, the body starts creaking as well.