Hope seems a little pricier - about $150 at CBO (but perhaps The Path, Adrenaline, Switchback, or other fine STR supporters might beat that! ) The Hope is also listed on their site at 109 grams, fwiw.
Still there - now worse Still creaking.... Removed, cleaned, and lubed BB. Cleaned and lubed all seat post/clamp surfaces, just because (yeah, it's a Thomson). It doesn't matter if I'm standing or not. Checked chainring bolts - all snug. Rode the CC on it, enjoying the metronome-effect on the long climbs (note sarcasm), and of course it got worse. No noise when coasting and bouncing, so I don't think it's suspension or frame-related. (And i carefully checked the frame, just in case - no apparent cracks) I can feel rough parts and hear it a little when it's on a work stand and I spin the cranks, but it's much more noticable when on the bike and under a load, such as climbing or dragging the brakes. To me, that all adds up to it being a bad BB, even though it's less than 6 months old and hasn't been abused or ridden in harsh conditions. Unless anyone else has an alternate idea, I'll be headed to my LBS to see about a replacement. Thanks again for everyone's input. :wave:
teflon tape on the threads did you try teflon tape on the threads? if that doesn't work replace the bb..
bob my creak returned as well. i tried putting lube on every shock/ swingarm pivot but that didn't work... randomly though, it doesn't creak anymore or if it does, it's intermittent and i hardly notice it. maybe try greasing your rear dropouts? i have also heard that the main bottom pivot bolts tend to creak on the 575's as well so maybe just take that out and grease it? also maybe check the top shock mount that connects to the top tube--remove and regrease. also could be bushings...? it's frustrating that there are so many possible causes..
I had a creak similare to this on my OLD bike, I fixed the problem by selling it and building a new bike:lol:
I had creaks up the ying yang on 2 of my frames... tried lubing everything... what the guy I was riding with tried that's an Engineer was inspecting every weld. Both times, one of the welds had cracked. I hope that's not your situation, but doesn't hurt to check every weld with a magnifying glass under bright light conditions.
Wow - I looked up this thread again to link in response to another, and can't believe this has been going on so long! Here's the list of regular maintenance, repairs, upgrades, etc., that have been done for a variety of reasons since the noise started: Removed, cleaned, and lubed BB. LBS #1 replaced BB (supposedly) and chased the threads. Cleaned and lubed all seat post/clamp surfaces, just because (yeah, it's a Thomson). It creaks whether I'm standing or not. Cleaned and lubed pedal spindles. Cleaned and greased chainring bolts. Replaced small and middle chainrings. Replaced cassette. Replaced chain. Replaced derailleur hanger, cleaning and lubing in the progress. Replaced complete brake system. Replaced wheelset. Fork overhauled at Push, with bike ridden a few times with a different fork while waiting. Inspected frame for signs of cracking. LBS #2 replaced suspension pivot bearings, freed a seized shock mount bolt, and replaced the shock reducers. I can only think of these remaining possibilities: Pedal bearings or spindle to crankarm interface. I'm due to overhaul them anyway (CB Mallets), so I'll try their rebuild kit with fresh bearings. The BB that was supposed to have been replaced wasn't, but was only cleaned and re-installed. I'm very, very suspicious of this scenario, and the BB in there now has a couple years on it, so if the pedal overhaul doesn't do it, I may try a fresh BB. The frame has a problem - perhaps where the carbon meets the aluminum in the rear triangle. Anyone have any other thoughts?
I was considering the LoisMustDie method: Buy a new bike, and then never ride it. Think I like the ear plugs idea better
Wow, this must be really frustrating. I hate creaks. In fact, I hate when my bike makes any drivetrain noise at all. Nothing is more annoying than humping up a hill in small gears, and hearing that sound on every pedal stroke. I've been running XT cranks/BB for a long time now and have had similar problems. It turned out the first thing I thought of was the culprit - crank arm to spindle interface. I put some red Loctite on both the spindle and the crank bolts and have not heard a creak since. I did eventually develop another unrelated creak, and it turned out my rear hub (XT) had come loose and a lot of dirt got into the bearings. I completely disassembled the hub (not the freehub), cleaned the axle, every bearing, and the bearing cups. It turned out the loose hub had worn a flat spot in one of the cups and that was causing the creak. The only way to fix that is to replace it, but I simply slathered a bunch of marine grease in there and repacked everything. The creak went away, but it comes back after about 30 rides or so, which for me right now, is about 2-3 months worth. If it gets worse I'll replace it. Long story short - check the BB/crank interface. Do not lube the spindle or the crank bolts, in fact use some Simple Green or alcohol and a toothbrush and clean them thoroughly, as well as the interface on the crankarm. Try some Loctite or clear nail polish. If the creak is still there, check your rear hub bearings.
As long as you're grasping at straws, here's an easy one to try. Clean and lube your cables/housings. Twice I've had a creak where the cable housing flexes as the suspension compresses. Once I pinpointed it, I could barely push on the housing, and it would make a tick-tick noise that radiated up through the frame.
Get a broom handle, minus the broom. Put the bike on a trainer. Recreate the noise. Have a friend hold one end of the broom handle to their ear and place the other end on various parts of the bike until the noise is isolated. The sound travels up the broom handle, making it easy to isolate the noise... quiet = far away from source. Louder = getting warmer...
my deore lx bb had a similar creaking issue when i would put some force during peddling. it turned out that the cranks werent super 100% tight onto the crankset/ bb and the creak was caused by the tiny bit of looseness. try to retighten your cranks to the crankset/bb and see how that works out.
I have chased a creak for many years and I finally nailed it and it wasn't easy. I would grease everything. The seat post, stem, BB, pedals, Drop outs, cassette, chainrings, seat rails, cranks. After 2 rides I'd get a creak. Tried a standard different rear wheel and still got a creak. Recently I"ve been hooked on dirt jumping so I decided to buy a wheelset that had has solid axels like bmx bike have. Most mountain bikes come with a hollow axel that do not go through the entire drop out and are secured only by a 5mm quick release skewer. The Transition revolution wheelset I bought Has a 9mm solid steel front and 10mm solid steel rear. These axels go completely through the drop out and are also a quick release. My old standard axels would move around a little in the drop out and would create a creak even after lubing within 2 rides. Its been 3 months now and not one creak. This worked for me. One more thing, this also solved my rear brake vibration. :bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang:
