View Single Post
  #8  
Old September 21st 20, 07:02 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Lou Holtman[_5_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 826
Default Latest BB creaking -- it was the headset.

Op maandag 21 september 2020 om 02:43:07 UTC+2 schreef jbeattie:
My commuter was a wreck and abandoned after the plague and shift to work-from-home, so I gave it a pannier rack, a new cassette, chain -- and to address the incessant BB creaking (Cannondale CAADX aluminum with BB30), I first tried the rear wheel, cleaning BB faces, greasing QR, etc. That didn't work. Then I removed and reinstalled the pedals with some Teflon tape. That didn't work. Then I removed the crank, got it all cleaned up and reinstalled it with grease on the axle, bearings and pinch bolts. Nope, still had creaking, so I removed the crank and knocked out the 6806 bearings, which spun like a charm and felt great -- so I wasn't going to toss them. I pressed them back in with some Loctite 609, but they didn't get long to dry because I had to go pick up dinner at the food cart. I was kind of sabotaging my work, and indeed, the creaking didn't go away. Meanwhile, shifting was not perfect even with new chain and cassette, so I changed the inner cable, which improved things. Threw on some bar tape and then decided to revise the headset a bit and raise the stem, so I dropped the fork cleaned the bearing cartridges and greased those and added a thin HS spacer to the existing line-up because I don't think I was getting good compression on the retaining cap -- not enough space between the top of the last spacer and steerer. I adjusted the HS, hit the road, and the bottom bracket creaking had disappeared.. The bike is super quiet, even with a Thompson Elite post.

The deal is that I could pedal out of the saddle or put my foot on the crank holding the saddle and bars and produce a nice creaking -- but that was also side-loading the front wheel/forks/HS and probably causing the HS to creak -- but it was an unmistakable BB creak. Again, I think that BB creaking can be a lot of things besides the BB.

-- Jay Beattie.



Most people blame their BB of the creak. Most of the times it is unjustified. My first suspect is saddle and seatpost.

Lou
Ads
 

Home - Home - Home - Home - Home