Bicycle Mechanics - I think I know the cause of my creak.....now what?

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA
powpow
05-21-09, 11:54 AM
So, after months of thinking my annoying creaking sound (only when standing and climbing) was coming from my SRAM Force crank/bottom bracket area, I think I've finally figured it out.

I switched to some new wheels, and guess what? No more creak. I'm now thinking it's coming from the front or rear hub (I haven't had time to figure out if it's the front or rear yet).

So, what causes creaks in hubs and what can I do about it? The wheels are Easton Orion II and the hubs are Easton's "R-series with patented Twin-Thread Technology. Gray annodized finish. Precision-sealed cartridge bearings with asymmetrical, low-drag seals."

Thoughts?

Thanks.

joejack951
05-21-09, 04:49 PM
I had a creaking front hub once and it was because the grease was contaminated (too many rides in the rain). Like yours, it would only creak when I stood up to pedal. They were cheap hubs so I simply cleaned them out and added fresh grease. I really should have used new ball bearings but I needed the bike to get to work the next day and didn't have any readily available. On your wheels, you'll probably have to replace the bearings completely if you have the same problem. You might also try adjusting the preload if possible.
neil0502
05-21-09, 05:03 PM
It's worth posting this again....

You many find the following links helpful in tracking it down:

http://sheldonbrown.com/creaks.html

AND

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=123

It's usually just a matter of patiently removing, cleaning,
re-lubing, and re-torquing fasteners until it quiets down.

In your case ... spokes?

mcoomer
05-22-09, 08:26 AM
If it quit with the change of wheels I'd swap one wheel at a time and see which one causes it to come back. That will allow you to concentrate on the wheel that's causing the problem. You can still service the other wheel but you won't have to troubleshoot it.

Mike