Help diagnosing loud cracking sound

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03-26-10, 08:06 AM

Skankingbiker

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Help diagnosing loud cracking sound

I took my newly re-furbished mountain bike out for a test ride last night and noticed a disconcerting sound. When bunnyhopping, I would hear a loud "crack" sound from somewhere in the front. The sound only occurs when a lot of force is put on the front end (i.e. just lifting and dropping the front wheel doesn't reproduce the sound, but jumping and coming down with a lot of weight on the front causes it). Its not like the usual "thud" sound when landing..it is a sharp "crack" --like running over a stick.

The bike has a fully rigid fork, new (threadless) headset, and new wheels. I double checked the axle tightness, and there is no play in the fork. Any ideas what can be causing this? Thanks. I don't want to ruin my new ride in the first week.

03-26-10, 10:27 AM

thompsonpost

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Sounds like you may, I said MAY have a stem issue. I'm guessing it's threadless. If so, slap a little grease in all contact points between the stem and everything it touches. Tighten to max allowed.