[ant:]

this bike was recently built up from a used frame/fork/headset/wheels package...

it now has two of the most annoying creaks I've ever encounterd...

1. front of the bike: azonic bars, azonic stem, fsa pig headset, manitou x-vert super, 9mm specialized qr hub.

creaks *loudly* with hard breaking... impacts from wheelies, jumps, bunnyhops, etc.

2. back of the bike: 3pc tublar chromo cranks "has pinch bolts" w/ azonic bb, sealed platform pedals, ****ty chainguide, horiz. dropouts, xt qr hub.

creaks when I pedal hard, a hard push on the left crankarm is usually worse than a push on the right crankarm...

suggestions on how to make my bike the quiet beauty she was meant to be...

Please help!

 

[WTGPhoben]

At least for the front end, the best way to figure out what the deal is, is to take everything apart and put a tin layer of grease between all the parts, incl the clamps on te brake levers and shifters and reassemble. If it's still creaky, you probly have one of three problems:
1. headset is loose/trashed
2. headtube is ovalized
3. fork is loose somewhere, and creaking

another thing you might try is to get off the bike and try to flex the front end and listen to see of you can figure out what its comin from.

as far as the back, those type of cranks tend to creak pretty often. again, try removing them and giving then a thin lyaer of grease, then clamp them back on hard, but I'm guessing it may not work.

 

[ohio]

Ditto WTGPhoben's "grease everything."

Also, grease the seatpost and the rails on your saddle. Use teflon tape on the BB install. And if that doesn't work, start looking for cracks in:
a) the seatpost
b) the handlbar
c) the frame at the BB and at the headtube.

 

[diesel]

Originally posted by ant:
this bike was recently built up from a used frame/fork/headset/wheels package...

it now has two of the most annoying creaks I've ever encounterd...

1. front of the bike: azonic bars, azonic stem, fsa pig headset, manitou x-vert super, 9mm specialized qr hub.

creaks *loudly* with hard breaking... impacts from wheelies, jumps, bunnyhops, etc.

mine does the same thing buts it is a marz. z3 qr20 and i know for sure it is creaking from the stanchion/crown joint. maybe your fork is doing the same thing. they way i figured it out was by riding along with my hand over the joint and breaking with my other hand. i could sorta feel where the sound was coming from...tried the left joint then the right joint and sure enough thats where the creak was.

 

[ant:]

I got rid of the front creak... the headset cups were moving around in the headtube a little bit so I carefully installed a new headset... and the noise went away...

although it is not nearly as troubling as a cracking headset... The bb/crank area is still creakign...

I rmoved the chainguide and I am goign to try a different set of pedals when I get the chance... if that doesnt clear it up I'll go through the clean & grease/teflon tape routine...

Thanks for the help guys...

 

[rstrange1]

Impacts:

1) fork crown was not greased between stanchions on last overhaul.

2) Stem. hanldle bar creak...make sure headset is tight.Overhaul your stem with grease. That means taking apart all of the pivots and greasing everything and the joints around the handlebar contact points lightly. Grease Bolts around the head and holes too.

3) BB repack, recut threads and grease BB inside cups and thread and Shell threads.

4) Left pedal arm, tighten your crankbolts really hard before they round out, fall off or get worse. That will eliminate pedal arm noise, if using splined grease contact points between pedal and BB.