This creaking noise developed only two weeks ago. It is a 2004 Specialized Allez aluminum frame. Noise only happens while pedaling. No difference when pedaling out of the saddle or without hands on the bars.
I have tried:
Removing the crank and removing the bottom bracket. Removed the chainring bolts. Cleaned everything, re-greased and torqued to spec.
Removing the pedals, taking the pedal spindles apart. Cleaned everything, re-greased and torqued to spec. I also tried different pedals.
Removing the saddle and seat post. Cleaned everything, re-greased and torqued to spec. I also tried a different saddle.
Removed the handlebars, stem, and fork. Cleaned everything, re-greased and torqued to spec.
Removed the wheels. Regreased the hubs and freewheel. Greased ends of QR skewer. Checked spoke tension on both wheels (just with my hands, I don't have a tension tool) Tried different rear wheel.
Removed, cleaned and regreased every other bolt on the bike down to the bottle cages and including derailleurs and derailleur hanger.
What am I missing? What else can I check?
Creaking from "bottom bracket" I've tried many things, at my wits end.
byu/ZaphodBeeblebrox4011 inbikewrench
by ZaphodBeeblebrox4011
28 Comments
After all of that I also bought a new BBR60 bottom bracket and that changed nothing.
Put the bike on a trainer and try to locate the sound with help of someone
Bike mechanic here. Tighten your seat post, belive it or not that’s the most common fix for bike creaking. Slightly overtorquing isnt gonna break anything if you’re careful just tighten it a little bit extra. Check your chain ring bolts as well and if you have a hollowtech or dub crankset type check your spindle
Sometimes creaks that are definitely from the bottom bracket aren’t actually from the bottom bracket. Here’s a video that explains some possible sources of creaks: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX_SSImlabI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX_SSImlabI)
Check see the chain rings bolts are tight
I spent a year chasing a creak. Swore it was coming from the left pedal or the bottom bracket. New BB, no help. Finally greased each post one at a time (stem, seat, bb, pedals). Until the right pedal, noticed it was dry (no grease). Problem solved. They are fairly new pedals, so I didn’t have to tear the pedal down and rebuild it.
Not saying this is your issue, positive energy 🙏. The issue is real and may require taking the bike fully apart cleaning, greasing and torquing it back down; being sure to notice everything along the way.
Good luck! You can find it!
Can you reproduce it without the bike moving? Just hold the brakes and bounce on a pedal. Bounce on the seat. Push down on the bars.
You’ve tried a lot of good things but you really gotta isolate the problem to at least a general area or system and that’s tough to do going down the road
Try tightening your front and rear wheel skewers. That has often solved issues for me. The other phantom noise I once had was traced back to the derailleur hanger. I had to unscrew the screws (ed: the ones designed to shear off in an accident) that held the hanger to the dropout, remove it from the dropout, clean the area where the hanger contacted the dropout and the hanger itself, and then put it back together. Pretty much everytime I cleaned the bike or after riding in the wet – so, at least once a week. PIA, but better than the cracking/creaking sound.
When all else fails, check your skewers. I had a squeak that was driving me crazy. After replacing all the usual suspects, it ended up being the skewers.
Remove, clean, and regrease the seatpost
This was attached to the video, reposting in comments
This creaking noise developed only two weeks ago. It is a 2004 Specialized Allez aluminum frame. Noise only happens while pedaling. No difference when pedaling out of the saddle or without hands on the bars.
I have tried:
Removing the crank and removing the bottom bracket. Removed the chainring bolts. Cleaned everything, re-greased and torqued to spec.
Removing the pedals, taking the pedal spindles apart. Cleaned everything, re-greased and torqued to spec. I also tried different pedals.
Removing the saddle and seat post. Cleaned everything, re-greased and torqued to spec. I also tried a different saddle.
Removed the handlebars, stem, and fork. Cleaned everything, re-greased and torqued to spec.
Removed the wheels. Regreased the hubs and freewheel. Greased ends of QR skewer. Checked spoke tension on both wheels (just with my hands, I don’t have a tension tool) Tried different rear wheel.
Removed, cleaned and regreased every other bolt on the bike down to the bottle cages and including derailleurs and derailleur hanger.
What am I missing? What else can I check?
My usual joke is that a good set of ear buds and some loud music fix any creaking. But beyond that I got nothing, good luck
Following this one. I have the same sound and can’t figure it out. When indoors I hold the brakes rock the bike and get clicking and the sound travels through the frame making it impossible to find.
Check the frame itself for cracks at the welds.
Check water bottle cage bosses
Grease the post handelbars head set , replace the bottom bracket
Shouldnt be a problem
I just went through this same exercise.
Turns out in my case it was the springs on my SPD pedals. I cleaned and greased the actual springs and creaking went away.
Doesn’t look like it’s your problem here, but I had a similar problem for weeks that stumped both me and a bike shop, until the shop later realized the issue was simply that the front derailleur cable end was sticking out a bit and the crank arm would hit it when pedaling.
I had the same problem, I posted a video similar to yours a week ago.
In the end I managed to fix it, I think it was a combination of 2 things:
– freehub bearings: one of the two that are in there was not properly spinning, so I changed it. Re-greased everything and closed it (except for the pawls, just out some oil but not grease)
– chain: I changed it as I noticed it was too long compared to a new one I had ready to use.
Can’t really tell what was causing this noise, but with these 2 fixes I managed to clear it.
Hope it helps!
I had a mysterious creak that was audible when putting more force while pedaling.
Turned out to be loosened front chainring bolts (on a new bike).
Just to rule it out, over-tighten your headset and take the bike for a short spin, see if the sound goes away.
A stretch chain will cause creaking too. Are you sure the chain on not touching the front derailuer?
Sounds like chain rub.
Usually if I have BB creaking it’s the cassette/freehub interface. Pull it off grease it and put it back and it’s done.
Or it’s the seat post
Or the handlebars
Or chainring
Or a cleat
Or a pedal
It’s never the BB….
Shoe cleats. Mine turned out to be one sod cleat. Try a different pair of shoes
Does it creak when you are peddling just in the air? Try to pretend to pedal by not using pedals just to simulate load on the seatpost and frame, but omitting load coming trough drivetrain, if it doesn’t creak at least you eliminate saddle/seatpost issues. If it does then it is definitely a seatpost/saddle/frame issue. I had a nasty creak coming from a seatpost. I had to swap it for a different one. No amount of cleaning and greasing was helping.
Does it creak when you’re out of the saddle?
Ride it in trainers. Just to eliminate shoe/cleat shenanigans from the list.