Finally! - fixed the CREAK in my Fierte IT

[tv_vt]

This has been driving me nuts for almost a year. My Fierte IT has had this creak - whenever I stand up and hammer, it creaked. Even when I torqued it hard sitting down, it would do it. Creaked in rhythm with cadence. My search to destroy included the following:
-regrease headset races
-regrease handlebar-stem contacts
-regrease pedal threads
-retighten brake/shifters to handlebars
-regrease seatpost/frame and seatpost/seat contact points
-replace aluminum crank bolts with steel ones and regrease
-pull bottom bracket and regrease,
-pull BB again and use teflon plumbers tape in threads
-pull crank and try a completely different one
-lube cable stops on headtube
-clean F/R ti and aluminum dropouts completely, grease skewer ends
-tighten everything until near breaking
-tighten seatpost clamp until it does break, 8 miles from home
-start ignoring bike in garage and riding other bikes
-start worrying creak is coming from frame - is a carbon/ti join creaking?
-or is the bolted joint between carbon seatstay/ti chainstay creaking?
-think about selling bike or sending back to Serotta for checkup
-then stumble on the braze-on front derailleur adapter clamp - hmmm, it doesn't do anything, doesn't move, BUT when I push hard on my front derailleur with my hand, I hear a creak - and it sounds like the one I've been hearing all along (by this point, I could ID the frequency of that creak in my sleep...)

>Bingo. Well, whaddya know - it's the stupid braze-on FD adapter clamp creaking on the ti seattube - how can that be??

Anyway, I pulled the 'double-strap' SRAM braze-on adapter clamp, put on a Shimano clamp with plenty of grease, and.....the.....creak......is......gone.

Postscript
There is nothing as enjoyable as riding a smooth, beautiful, quiet bicycle down a back country road on a summer's eve. Ahhhhhhh. ;)

[rice rocket]

I've learned to live with creaks on climbs. Makes life sooo much easier. ;)

[avalonracing]

I "fixed" the creak on my Seven MTB this way just last week.

[Peter P.]

I'm impressed. I'm not only happy for your success, but since you told us all what the source was, I'll file it away in my head should I ever encounter a creak.

Thanks for spreading the word.

[tv_vt]

Edited post to make it a little more clear what problem was - I have a braze-on front derailleur (without a wrap-around clamp), so I need to use an adapter to mount to frame without a braze-on mount. Adapter clamp was the issue in this case.

T

[dave thompson]

Dang SRAM stuff! :p

[dekindy]

Glad you found it. You never know when something like that could actually be serious and cause harm to the bike or you.

[kenw]

Did all the stuff you did. Turned out to be the front quick release. Found it when I accidentally bumped the bike while it was leaning against a wall.

[shiftyfixedgear]

Had one where the wee little screw that held the BB cable guide on was rubbing against the BB axle cartridge. Went through everything OP did and (unfortunately) more. Put a slightly shorter bolt in there and all was quiet. Tip-off was a marring on the cartridge body. Where was the movement in there when everything was tightened down ?

Also - had a mystery click on a bike. Did the whole 9-yards like OP. And more. And more. Gave up. After a while one of the alloy spokes breaks on the rear Krysium wheel (less than six months old). Fix wheel and click is gone. Maybe the one broken spoke was looser or tighter than all the others ?

[Kontact]

Edited post to make it a little more clear what problem was - I have a braze-on front derailleur (without a wrap-around clamp), so I need to use an adapter to mount to frame without a braze-on mount. Adapter clamp was the issue in this case.

T
I wonder if the clamp was creaking against the flexing seat tube, or if the creaking came frome cable tension variations as the BB shell rocked under load?


Nice find. I'll remember that one.

[tv_vt]

Shiftyfixedgear,

Oh yeah, I checked for that, too, when I pulled the BB. Didn't see any marks on the BB cartridge shell, so figured that screw wasn't the problem. I did wonder, though, cuz it does stick up into the BB opening in the frame a bit.