Creaks

[Crazy Chris]

I have an annoying creak, or creaks, on my Serotta Hors Cat. that could drive me crazier. It happens on climbs, primarily, when I stand up on the pedals. The creak sometimes goes away, only to return shortly, and seems to be related to crank position, with one creak followed 180 degrees later with another with a slightly different sound. Maddening. Any help would be appreciated.

CJV

[stevep]

what crank/ bb do you have?

[Allez!]

Check the bolts on your handlebar and stem - I find that these loosen up on me. When I'm pulling on the bars while climbing they creak if loose. Also make sure your chain is well lubed. Could be one of many different things, but those are two of the easiest things to check. Good Luck!

[thwart]

Wow... 2 different sounds 180 degrees separated in rotation when out of the saddle. First I would look at the BB and crank (including the bolts holding the chainwheels together) and the pedals---try a different pair and see if the sound goes away.

Frustrating, those creaks... can really detract from a great ride. :crap:

[DRZRM]

Are you riding an F-1 fork? I had the exact same thing happen on my then 10 year old Legend, and it went on for a very long time as I lubed pedals, took off crank arms, checked spokes, switched wheels. Finally someone one this forum told me to check the dropouts on the fork. I'd thought the sound was coming from the bottom bracket, but it was coming from the front end. One of my Ti dropouts was coming loose, it only creaked when I was standing. I could replicate the sound by grabbing the dropout and twisting. I was forced to replace the fork (it was a threaded 1") with a Wound Up, which worked fine.

[PaulE]

that is causing the creak and you are the original owner, Serotta may replace it for you. My threaded F-1 had a creak that came and went and they replaced it with an Ouzo Pro, which they also painted to match the defective F-1. Only thing was I had to switch from threaded to threadless on that bike.

Creaks can drive you insane, good luck!

[jthurow]

I've been suffering with a creak on my CSi for a while, as have those who've ridden with me. It mainly flared up when I was really putting pressure on the cranks, e.g., climbing, sprinting or taking weight off the saddle going over bumps and such. It usually happened at regular intervals when I was peddling, like you 180 description. I think the problem was the UN72's left side cup rubbing on the shoulders of the bottom bracket cartridge. I wrapped the shoulder in plumbers teflon tape and a quick spin seems to indicate I might have solved the problem. Further testing is required... ;)

jimi

[Crazy Chris]

Thanks for responding. I do have an F1 fork and Campy Record groupo. I am due for an overhaul soon and hope the LBS can sort it out.

[Too Tall]

Sell the bike. No really. Kidding. These things make me nuts. I'm going to buy a 55 gal. drum of oil and just start dipping whole bikes :rolleyes:

[Fixed]

my f1 cracked and made a creak check that out bro
good luck
cheers

[TimD]

Check that the fork ends are clean, the front skewer is tight, and the skewer is actually clamping the fork ends.

I know that last bit sounds silly, but an otherwise-beautiful DT Swiss skewer has a small protrusion on the inside of the cam side which prevents it from effectively clamping a narrow fork end, such as might be found on an Ouzo Pro. This results in one side being a bit loose and creaking under load.

Every other part on my Legend Ti was disassembled, cleaned, lubed, and re-torqued before I finally figured this out... :crap: And no I could not bring myself to insert a washer!

[bob59]

FWIW, I had the creak from hell on my new Legend w/ DA -10. Finally the guys at City Cycle, regreased and retorqued all the chainring bolts and BB threads and the creak is gone. :beer: