Red7

First off, the shop I bought it at is 2.5 hrs away and they are a really good shop so I'm not writing here because they won't help me. I'd rather first try to find and fix it myself in case it comes back again and if I can't, I'll make the trek down to the Trek dealer.

I got the bike a couple of weeks ago and the first ride I didn't notice the creak but I was mostly just riding around the neighborhood.

Symptoms:
-It creaks when I pedal and creaks when I don't pedal or put any weight on the pedals (does that rule out the bottom bracket?)
-It creaks when seated and it creaks when not seated (does that rule out seat post/rear isospeed?)
-It creaks when hands are on handlebars and creaks without hands (though slightly less but that could be because I'm riding more cautiously without hands).
-It still creaks when I manually stabilize the 2 water bottles/cages
-It still creaks when I hold the cables to make sure nothing is rubbing against the frame (though I did notice the ziptye holding the front brake cable on the fork and I haven't tried securing that cable)
-Manually flexing the seat, I can't get it to creak
-Manually flexing/twisting the handelbars, I can't get it to creak
-It sounds like it's coming from the front; steerer, fork, handlebars, stem, thru axle......
-I put fiber grip on the T nut that the screw goes into to secure the rear isospeed and that had no effect
-I put fiber grip on the stem cap where it mates to the tiny spacer above the stem and torqued it properly but that had no effect
-There is a proper 1/8"ish gap between top of steerer and top of stem so the cap isn't bottoming out
-I didn't remove the stem at all yet, just the cap so that's a possible culprit as it really sounds like it's somewhere in the steerer/head tube/stem area but I'm not sure what to do there so I didn't mess with it yet

I'm not sure if the shop put fiber grip between handelbar and stem or stem and steerer and I know they didn't put any between front hub and fork or rear hub and frame but didn't know if that's a good idea or not so I'm waiting to get some feedback here before I try anything else.

I'm open to any of your suggestions but I'd especially like to hear from anyone with an SLR to find out if you've had a similar creak and if you got rid of it. I love this bike but this is way too expensive of a bike to have my rides hindered by this annoying creak so I sure hope this just isn't something "normal". I'm sure it's not because the Domane 4.0 disc I had briefly before this one didn't creak at all.

Thanks for your help!

cyclozone

Do consider the tightness of your QRs or thru-axles. Based on your info, it doesn't sound like the BB/pedals/seatpost.

zymphad

I'd return it.

Red7

You think there is something seriously wrong with it? They have a 30 days, no questions asked return policy but I really like the bike if I can get rid of the creak. If I can't get rid of the creak then I totally agree as a $6000 bike shouldn't sound like this. This must be a much more common issue with road bikes because I beat the crap out of my MTB and am not that good about keeping up on maintenance and yet it is silent whereas there are a lot of videos about road bikes creaking on youtube.

Red7

They are tight so I don't know if tighter or loser would be the way to go. I've backed them off and retightened them but haven't cranked them down super tight and there isn't a means of torquing them. Would fiber grip on the inside of the fork and frame be good between it and the hubs?

Gladius

Hey,

I suspect Zymphad was beings sarcastic.

I got a Domane SLR 7 disc in April. Mine also creaked shortly after getting it. Unfortunately I don't know exactly what I did to get rid of it - it went away after some miles, and after I had washed it a couple of times.

At first I suspected it was the new seat post, because my old Domane with the isospeed post used to creak from there. I took that all apart and cleaned it (not just the restraining nut that goes through the bottle cage). I do know that I've had to tighten that bolt several times (even torquing it correctly) so check that again.

I also suspected the BB because I've had issues there, and someone suggested my cranks/pedals. I had installed new pedals (speedplays) and cleats so I made sure all of that was tight and appropriately lubed or threadlocked.

Ultimately I don't have a magic bullet answer for you, but it was annoying the heck out of me for a few weeks. There wasn't any "one" thing I did and it suddenly went away. I still suspect the seatpost (even when not putting weight on it, it would creak, but I know the entire frame is flexing to some degree when standing up out of the saddle) but as I said, the noise went away eventually. Good luck - I know how frustrating it is to have an expensive new bike make noise.

Succhia Ruota

There are really only two ways to deal with creaks/general noises.

1. Tear the whole bike down, inspect every part, relube, rebuild, make a blood sacrifice to the cycling gods & cross your fingers.

2. Keep riding and wait for the noise to either go away, or get loud enough to make obvious the offending component.

I used to do option 1 with varying degrees of success, now I always take option 2 with 100% success every time

Red7

Ok, I think I isolated it to the headset. I thought it was coming from that access door on the downtube (below the front water bottle cage) so I removed that and it wasn't the culprit but having it open amplifies the noise while I search for it. I also backed off the thru axle and holding the front brake and pushing forward it creaks the same whether the thru axle is tight or loose. I can replicate the noise by pressing straight down on the stem cap and seat or the stem cap alone with enough pressure so the creak is in relation to the forks flexing forward in relation to the frame. I can get it to creak even easier by holding the front brake and pushing forward and back causing the fork to flex. I get the same creak sometimes when I lift the front wheel or lightly bouncing the front wheel so basically any time the fork flexes forward under pressure or flexes back when pressure is removed.

I backed off the stem cap and stem bolts until the headset was looser and the creak appears to have gone away. So I watched a youtube video by GCN on servicing the headset but not sure exactly what to do given that the Domane has the front isospeed. Should I completely remove the fork and regrease everything or just maybe remove the stem and spacers and grease the top? Surprisingly there is no video on youtube about how to service a Trek headset with isospeed.

I suppose I can call the shop and ask them how to do it but they were the ones who apparently didn't grease it or do something properly to begin with. At least I think I'm closer to resolving this and learning something at the same time so I'll be happy once it's all done.

Thanks!

RushFan2112

I once had a creak that took forever to chase down. I lubed, checked, cleaned and tightened just about every part of the bike. BB, QR, spokes, seat, seatpost, stem, bars, pedals, etc. It was maddening. It ended up being the rear QR skewer. Note that it was plenty tight (I checked it a million times) but as soon as I replaced it the creak went away. To test it just pull a skewer off another bike and see if it fixes it.

asiantrick

Check your seatpost, make sure there's enough grease.

Another trick that I used and works 100% of the time: Wear headphone while riding

enzo thecat

I had a creak when my SLR was brand new this early spring. I swore it was coming from the front tire. The bike shop figured out it was coming from the front iso-speed decoupler. They took it completely apart, cleaned and re-lubed it in about 20 minutes. Totally and immediately fixed the problem. I now have a super quiet bike even after a couple thousand miles later.

Red7

Thanks for everyone's comments. I thought I fixed it with the headset but went on a ride today and it was back and it's frustrating.

I need some honest feedback from you guys. Are creaks just inevitable on road bikes or like enzo the cat above, can they always be found and gotten rid of? I ask because this is really my first carbon bike and I love the bike but I cannot justify what I spent on it if this is going to become an ongoing battle. Is the Domane inherently going to have more creaks because of the "suspension"? I do not want to return the bike but I also only have a little over a week before the 30 day return window and I don't want to pass that thinking this can be resolved, only to find out that this bike is always going to creak. It's as if there is tension in the frame or between the frame and fork that when I press down on the stem cap and/or seat it flexes and creaks, and then creaks again when I release the tension.

Seriously guys, is it 100% sure that this can be found and fixed or do some frames just always creak? If it's possibly the latter, this bikes not for me as I'm just getting more frustrated each time I ride it after thinking I have it fixed.

WorldIRC

Mechanically speaking, something on your bike is causing something to creak. Without seeing the bike, I don't think any of us can tell you what it is...simply make suggestions. My bike doesn't creak, and neither do those of the people I ride with. Call your shop, tell them you're coming from a distance, and ask if they can schedule a time for you to come in and look at the bike while you wait. If it is something they missed on install (like forgetting to lubricate a component) ask the shop owner what they can do for you for the 5 hours return time that they've caused.

FlashBazbo

Creaks are not inevitable. I have two bikes that never creak. Both have well over 5,000 miles on them.

But . . . the more pieces you join together, the more chance you have of creaks invading. Seatpost. Stem. Handlebar. BB. Pedals. QR's. Any place you have a seam or a joint, the creaks are looking for a place to escape. I will admit a certain prejudice against the various decoupler / future shock setups for precisely this reason. They seem like a GREAT place to introduce a creak because not only do you have pieces joined together, but you also have pieces that are designed to move against each other. (see also, the legs of a cricket) I would tend to look (and disassemble and rebuild) there first.

icyclist 

Did you make sure you seat post is properly tightened?

I think my first post here, in 2008, was about a creaking noise. The answer was to tighten my seat post and it worked.

enzo thecat

Red, just take it to the bike shop like I did and let them figure it out. You deserve a quiet bike that is only as loud as as a surgical scalpel. It will be worth the drive.

cyclozone

I agree. Any abnormal noise coming from my bike just irritates me throughout each ride. Bring the bike back to the shop and let them take care of it.

rpenmanparker 

Not to be an alarmist, but at this point you should also give some thought to there being a defect in the fork/steerer tube assembly. Maybe just the crown race not being tight enough or lubed well enough on the fork crown. But there could be a hairline crack at the steerer tube/crown junction that is flexing. I had an aluminum fork from Trek back in the day that developed a crack there. The squeaking was how I knew something was wrong.

Red7

Last night I gave it one last shot and I may have found the culprit. I completely disassembled and removed the front iso decoupler and removed the fork and fork looked fine so I added a little grease to the lower bearing. However, the bottom of the steer tube appears to be the problem. The back half of it was nice and smooth to the touch but the front half was jagged as if they never sanded or cleaned that edge before painting. It hung down about 1/16" and was sharp enough that you could cut your finger on it if you weren't careful. I used a very fine file and sanded the sharp edge down by hand and then rounded the edge to match the back half which was nice and smooth. I then made sure everything was nicely greased and put everything back together. I can't get it to make the sound in the garage but the roads are still wet from last night's heavy rain so it will be this afternoon before I go out on a legit ride. If this doesn't fix it I'll have to take it to the shop.

Red7

Awesome, that headset sound is totally gone! I did a 40 mile ride yesterday and not a single squeak from that. However, now that the rest of the bike is totally quiet I can hear what I assume is the bottom bracket creaking slightly when pedaling. I'm not too concerned about this creak as I'm sure that one can be resolved. All in all I"m very happy I was able to find and fix the frame one myself because I learned a lot and will have a better idea how to diagnose a problem in the headset if that creak every comes back.

Now, do you guys have any suggestions for the pedal related creak? I can stand on the pedals going over bumps without it creaking so it only does it when spinning the pedals. The pedals are brand new speed play with stainless shafts and they seem to be spinning freely without any noise so I'm thinking it's more like the cranks or BB. Thanks!

bikesailor

Thanks for the headset creak solution, recently started to happen on my 2017 SL Disc. Now if I could resolve the howling disc brakes. I've tried the alcohol cleaning, light sandpapering, and heavy burn in braking but still get low speed (<5 mph) screech & howl.

EnsitMike

Awesome! New to this thread and it was great reading through your process. Tearing bikes down and learning is the best way to figure stuff out. Every tear down you do and each new tool gets you that much closer to being able to do everything on your own. (and for the record, no, road bikes shouldn’t creak.)

Before I would even think about touching the BB, id switch out your chainring nuts to double allen and tighten the F**K out of them. Get rid of those worthless slotted nuts. Then clean your pedal threads, a nice pack of antisieze, and tighten. If it is still there, check out the BB.

Red7

Where do I get those allen chainring nuts? What's interesting is I think the creak is only when I push down on the drive side and it's clearly louder when climbing or mashing the pedals and barely noticeable if I'm pedalling gently. I love this bike but got to sort out this noise and will likely soon take it down to the store to let them figure it out.

EnsitMike

Sounds like it could be your chainring nuts. These things are notorious for not being tight enough. That said, all pressfit bearings can be prone to creaking—especially carbon.

I use these and love them. Id get them and even if you give your bike back, just take them off and put them on your new rig.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

one side is allen and the other is t-30 torx
comes with the wrench but it sounds like you have a good set of tools.

flighthalo

I'm having a similar problem and I believe it is in the ISO piece that is connected to the stem...I believe friction on the seat is loosening the screw that holds the seat in the stem and that that vibration is causing a noise in the ISO stem...if you figure it out let me know....I rode 50 yesterday and it got worse the more I road...check the screw that holds the seat in place and see if it is loose....mine was but even after tightening it I had problems hours later....