Bicycle Mechanics - The dreaded creak-itis

I have skimmed the previous creaky threads in here, so this is more of a vent than anything else. I of course welcome advice on anything I may have missed.

Rode home in a bit of a rainstorm last week. This, after I had spent the previous weekend cleaning my BB shell and cups, lightly greasing the shell and threading the cups with teflon tape. Removed and cleaned the RD, hanger, and seatpost as well. All that's left are pedals and then possibly *gulp* the frame. Since the symptoms cropped up after the rain, but having just rebuilt the BB, I am thinking it's not the BB. I even removed and re-installed the FD just to be sure.

Guess it could be the chainrings, but hoping for the best. Only happens under load, but it doesn't take much to get to Creaksville.

105 Hollowtech II BB
Alu frame
Sora compact (50/34) crank
Sora RD
105 5600 FD (I know, on a 9 speed - I am not rubbing though)
Crank Bros. Candy-1 pedals
Forte Titan wheelset (a month old)

Also check your bikeshoes/cleats if you wear them. Plastic on plastic rubbing/flexing caused creaking in bike shoes are not that uncommon.

Chombi

saddle?

Saddle is a good idea, although the creak seems to be coming from the lower end of the bike and occurs while standing. Will re-install to be sure.

I had a horrible creak on my cross bike, only happened when cranking hard on hills. Tried everything, new b/b, regreased shell, greased seat post, saddle rails, different pedals, changed crank, changed b/b and crank type from Isis to square taper. Drove me nuts. Turns out it was from the stem. Added a touch of grease to faceplate bolts and stem bolts, on headtube and on inside of faceplate. Solved the issue.

I have pretty much the exact same problem as the OP. Annoying as heck. :(

I have had a problem with a creak that would go on if I peddle or not and on two different rear wheels. Mine was the rear spokes. If you oil them right where they meet the hub its quiet till you need to do it again. And it makes the wheel look terrible

What a dork I am. Turned out I did not tighten down the non-drive crank arm well enough. It was tight, but you know, not tight enough.

Dork.

Let this be a lesson to you, and by you I mean me: Always check your work!

Good thing you caught this early enough. I learned the hard way once on an LX crankset. I use a torque wrench now...

I checked all the usual items...twice. Turned out it was the headset bearings creaking...yet it sounded and acted like a bottom bracket problem

My most recent creaking wound up being the ferrules creaking inside the cable stops, don't ask me how much work I put into re-greasing things before figuring it out.

What a dork I am. Turned out I did not tighten down the non-drive crank arm well enough. It was tight, but you know, not tight enough.

Dork.

Let this be a lesson to you, and by you I mean me: Always check your work!

Did you torque the bolts to spec?

I had a similar issue a couple weeks back. Drive side crank arm slowly worked loose on my commuter. Started squeeking on downstroke. The bolt had worked loose over time riding on cobblestones. Regreased, installed and torqued them up - last time I did it was a guestimate as I loaned my torque wrench out to a buddy. Not this time!

I do not own a torque wrench, but I'm pretty good at gauging tightness. This was my first oversight in quite a while, and with the severity of injury it could have caused, learned from it. Think I'll start saving for the torquie though...