Wow... it's weird feeling when a thread you started two years ago suddenly pops up again.
To be honest, since the noise just seemed to be the folding pedal, I've pretty much ignored it. After two years, a number of plane and train trips, and riding it some ways it was probably not exactly intended to do, the noise has pretty much faded into the background. For me, nothing untoward has happened since, and mechanically, the rest of the bike seems fine.
Not sure if this helps you out much...
