Hilsen Creaking!!!

[Nathan Neuberger]

I have a 10-ish year old Homer Hilsen.  This summer on a hilly ride, it suddenly developed a creaking sound seeming to come from the left crank.  It is not a 'clicking' noise but rather a 'creaking' sound.  The sound occurs when the left crank is rotating under load from about the 12:00 position to 9:00 position.  It occurs regardless of whether I am sitting on the seat or not.  I've spent hours trying to locate the source.  Here's what I've done:

• Replaced the left crank arm.  Pulled right crank arm and cleaned it.  Torqued both crank arms to the appropriate torque (40 N/m)
• Tightened chainring bolts
• Removed and tightened pedals.  Ensured pedals were adequately lubed (note that I bought new Grip King pedals a couple years ago and lubed the bearings from Day 1).
• Pulled, re-greased and tightened the stem.
• Pulled and re-greased the seat post.  Greased and tightened seat rail bolts.
• Greased drop outs and tightened quick releases.
• Lubed any spot where spokes overlapped.
• Removed, greased and tightened down miscellaneous screws (water bottle cage, rack, etc,).

The bottom bracket, chain, cogs and chainrings were all replaced about 18 months ago and are not worn.  

I am completely out of ideas.  Any thoughts?

Nate

[Deacon Patrick]

Creaking generally means something creating friction with the frame. Followiong this premise, I managed to puzzle out a recent creak by process of elimination as there are only so many places of interface with the frame. Mine ended up being a creaky seat post. Dollop-o-grease and silent as a lamb, quiet as a mouse. Enjoy the puzzle! Grin.

With abandon,
Patrick

On Sunday, August 11, 2019 at 1:48:12 PM UTC-6, Nathan Neuberger wrote:
> I have a 10-ish year old Homer Hilsen.  This summer on a hilly ride, it suddenly developed a creaking sound seeming to come from the left crank.  It is not a 'clicking' noise but rather a 'creaking' sound.  The sound occurs when the left crank is rotating under load from about the 12:00 position to 9:00 position.  It occurs regardless of whether I am sitting on the seat or not.  I've spent hours trying to locate the source.  Here's what I've done:

> Replaced the left crank arm.  Pulled right crank arm and cleaned it.  Torqued both crank arms to the appropriate torque (40 N/m)Tightened chainring boltsRemoved and tightened pedals.  Ensured pedals were adequately lubed (note that I bought new Grip King pedals a couple years ago and lubed the bearings from Day 1).Pulled, re-greased and tightened the stem.Pulled and re-greased the seat post.  Greased and tightened seat rail bolts.Greased drop outs and tightened quick releases.Lubed any spot where spokes overlapped.Removed, greased and tightened down miscellaneous screws (water bottle cage, rack, etc,).

[Peter White]

Take the cranks off and check the frame tubes around the bottom bracket shell. You may find cracks in the tubing right at the edges of the bottom bracket lug sockets. The cracks in the tubes will show up as cracks in the paint.

Peter White

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Peter White

[Kevin Mulcahy]

I know you said that it happens when you’re seated or standing, but I’d still see if it’s related to the saddle. Ride around without the seatpost installed and see if it still creaks.

I’m just saying that because half the time I’ve been hunting down a creak that seems to be coming from the crank/BB, it turns out to be the saddle

[Kevin Mulcahy]

Oh, and did you ever pull the BB itself? I didn’t see that on your list

[Garth]

I once had a creaking that that seemed crank/bb related, took off cranks and bb, reinstalled BB with teflon tape, IO even tried light grease on tapers, something I've never ever done. Chainring bolts tight. Pedals and all that jazz fine. Still ... it came in went. "Maybe it's the weather .... yea ... it's dammn weather that did it ..... I'll blame that ! ".  Hilarity ensued .... it wasn't the weather ... sigh .  Endless thoughts of what to blame ..... to pin the goldarn crime on .... there had to be a perp dammit !  Who or what donnit ?!!! 

You got me !   I just said eff it .... ride on.  Months go by .... seasons change .... creakety creak ..... like a sneakin' creakin' bitin' dog that shows up out of nowhere.....dine-and-dash .... terrorize enough to let let you know "I'm around ... somewhere".... then poof !  ... gone..... for a while .... until the little monster strikes again. 

Well...... ((((( laughing )))))

I felt like my old lady neighbor when I was a kid yelling at me to get off her lawn ....  "get off my bike".  And such is the delusional curse of ownership ... as-if anyone owns anything.... hah ! 

So anyways time rolls on and ho-hum .... I need to change my freewheel(grease and teflon tape) and put on a new chain......  I just slap that KMC on there unaltered and wipe it down. .... and I ride. It sounds lovely..... liked greased lightning. I had been using Clean Ride wax lube for a few years until the quart was gone, times up.

So far with the stock greased chain  ..... no creaks.

I know ... it can't be the lube I was using ...... or can it !!!  Ahahahaahaha ! Theories abound .... and all of them suppositions and assumptions.  I never heard any creaks on the first ride after an overnight application of CR..... but seemed to come on after a few rides..... hmm.

Yes, it was a creak .... and I know what a darn creak is.

At least the chain sounds good for now !

I'm not saying this is the perp for Nathan's bike ..... but it's another "theory" and you know what they say about theories ....... !

[Patrick Moore]

I need to get Garth to help me locate and !!!annihilate!!!! the hateful, annoying creak/whine/buzz from the SKS P65 fenders on my Matthews. It sounds like a stay or a stay bracket is momentarily and very lightly rubbing against the tire, but I can't identify which stay or bracket and I can't catch it or them or he/she/it in the act. Every time I hear it, I am tempted to stop and do a diagnostic, but efforts so far have been fruitless.

So Garth, what's the regimen?

Not that I will have to live with this much longer as, God willing, Colin at Kelpie will deliver on my custom 76mm wide fenders before our 2019 monsoon season departs ...

(Reminds me of car problems that suddenly appear and then, just as suddenly and mysteriously, disappear. For a few months, every time I turned a tight right-hand corner, the horn of my 1984 Passat/Quantum wagon would sound. Ignored it; it went away.)

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique

[Garth]

((((( Laughing ))))))    

The regimen ?   

Cookies 

That's right, cookies . For every whine, have a cookie, after awhile you'll either be so repulsed with cookies, or so fat, you'll take the damn things off !  

Hah !  

Or just take em' off and save the cookies altogether !

Really, it "sounds" like you are running too close of tolerances to begin with, IF it's really tire rub that is !

It might be what you'd least expect...... maybe it's just rubbing to rub You the wrong way..... that's what the little monsters do you know..... mock your sensibilities..... the things you take so seriously about yourself. They're like the heckler in the crowd you never see, but hear plain as day above everyone else. You can fight 'em (hopeless) or you can just laugh .... hecklers can't stand laughter, because it drowns out the noise ! 

Take this "advice" with a grain of salt !  

((((( Laughing .... there's no crying in cycling ! ))))))

On Sunday, August 11, 2019 at 6:45:26 PM UTC-4, Patrick Moore wrote:

I need to get Garth to help me locate and !!!annihilate!!!! the hateful, annoying creak/whine/buzz from the SKS P65 fenders on my Matthews. It sounds like a stay or a stay bracket is momentarily and very lightly rubbing against the tire, but I can't identify which stay or bracket and I can't catch it or them or he/she/it in the act. Every time I hear it, I am tempted to stop and do a diagnostic, but efforts so far have been fruitless.

So Garth, what's the regimen?

Not that I will have to live with this much longer as, God willing, Colin at Kelpie will deliver on my custom 76mm wide fenders before our 2019 monsoon season departs ...

(Reminds me of car problems that suddenly appear and then, just as suddenly and mysteriously, disappear. For a few months, every time I turned a tight right-hand corner, the horn of my 1984 Passat/Quantum wagon would sound. Ignored it; it went away.)

[Patrick Moore]

Garth: If my question had been serious, I would have immediately run out and bought cookies. As it is, I have only to endure until Colin-At-Kelpie delivers.

But this itself immediately raises the question: Which cookies? Store bought cookies are often, most often, offensively sweet; Oreos being an example. Horrible things, and they won't by any means solve any problem, let alone a fender problem.

Fig Newtons are the conventional rear-jersey-pocket energy food, and all would be well except that Nabisco continues to put too much refined corn syrup in them; they're offensively sweet. Damn them!

The Pepperidge Farm cookies are just meh; not as bad as Oreos, but hardly Rivendell quality (and after all, isn't Rivendell quality what we all aspire to in each and every aspect of our lives? I know that I do!).

Sometimes the cheap cookies are best; those cheap 1 lb brown bags of ginger snaps -- meh also, but at least the $ to meh ratio is very low.

Long ago my girlfriend used to make me "Ranger" cookies -- lots of roughage: oats, cocoanut, raisins; and just enough sugar to make them pleasant. But she is long, long gone.

Biscotis: I think these are the Rivendellian summum bonum. But hard to find commercially, and frankly, I'm too lazy to make them. And when I mention the type, I raise the question, which biscotis? I refer to the Italian ones, but the Italian ones are very different from New Mexican ones, and I am sure that there are many others besides. Which ones to choose for Rivendellian solace?

Patrick Moore, looking forward at the end (8/15) of the Dormition fast to once again eating animal products, including dairy in cookies, in ABQ, NM.

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[Luke]

I 2nd maybe pulling the BB - I've had this issue on a recently installed UN-55 on my Ram (and Trek 520) - the cup/BB interface is prone to creaking if it isn't given a good layer of tenacious oil. Bearing grease wears away i've found at which time the creaking comes back. You can also "feel" the creaking on your pedal strokes. 

[Brian Campbell]

I would also look for small cracks around the pedal "eye" on the crank. Might just look like road grime but could be hiding a crack that flexes as pressure is applied. Unlikely but a possiblity.

[brendonoid]

I had a click for six months that only happened when I stood up or climbed hills. I went absolutely crazy finding it.

It was the front derailleur clamp being just loose enough that the hinge moved enough to click as the frame around the bb flexed when I climbed hills... (79kg on a 63cm Hilsen) half turn on the front derailleur clamp bolt fixed the problem.

Just leaving this here as an incredibly unlikely scenario that has happened to at least one person.

[Tim Tetrault]

It might be worth (as others have noted) cleaning your drivetrain areas, letting it dry, and using some sort of SpotCheck like spray to reveal cracks.

Secondly, I agree with the above responder who mentioned the saddle- epsecially if it's a Brooks. Tighten your seat post, rail clamp, and saddle bolt, if you have one. Once every three years or so, my Brooks will give birth to a creak.