Another mystery noise

[ASC1951]

This one has me stumped. It's a chattering creaking noise which has been getting gradually worse for the last couple of thousand miles.

It happens in free wheel as well as under load, so it isn't the BB or drive train.
It disappears when I stand on the pedals, so it isn't the bars, front forks, bottle cages, hubs, spokes, rims etc.
It isn't the saddle because I've swapped it today and it makes no difference.
It isn't the seat post because that is so firmly welded in place that I'm going to have to take it to the LBS to shift it (yes, I know, why did I forget to take it out and clean it off last year?)

All I can think of is that one of the welds at the top of the seat tube is coming adrift, but I can see no sign of that at all. It is a bare metal Ti frame, so there is no paint to cover anything up.

Any ideas? Anything I can spot visually?

 

[awfulquiet]

Maybe check all the welds on the rear (chain stays etc).

A little more description would help. Does it happen simply when you are sitting on the bike at rest? or if moving up and down.

 

[Moodyman]

Disc brake rotor?

I had a similar noise for months and checked every nook and cranny on the bike. In the end I accepted that I wasn't going to find it and forgot about it.

Then one day, whilst working on something else, I discovered it was slightly loose.

Another noise that took ages to locate was a string like material that the front wheel had flicked onto the inside of the mudguard. It must have been wet and stuck to the inside of the guard. Made a whirring sound for weeks. Again, only noticed it when I took the wheel off for other maintenance.

 

[vernon]

All I can think of is that one of the welds at the top of the seat tube is coming adrift, but I can see no sign of that at all. It is a bare metal Ti frame, so there is no paint to cover anything up.

Any ideas? Anything I can spot visually?

Are there any fitting that are screwed directly to the titanium - thinking about it the bottom bracket screw threads offer a titanium/non titanium interface.

I ask this because titanium has a propensity to gall when being machined and their might be some galling in the screw threads cut directly in the titanium - they could contribute to a scraping/creaking sound. The head set fitting/interface with head tube might also be a source.

It's a stab in the dark but you never know.

 

[ASC1951]

Disc brake rotor?....

... material that the front wheel had flicked onto the inside of the mudguard.

It's a road bike, Moodyman, so no disc brake; and in my case, no mudguards. There is nothing mounted on the frame apart from bottle cages, brake fittings and the front derailleur.

I believe I can eliminate all the suggestions so far - apart from chainstay welds - because the creaking only appears while I am sat on the saddle. As soon as I stand up, there is no noise at all, irrespective of whether I coast, pedal gently, pedal vigorously, haul on the bars, whatever.

I think this may be a two man job. On person to bounce up and down on the saddle, another to look closely at the welds.

 

[manalog]

This one has me stumped. It's a chattering creaking noise which has been getting gradually worse for the last couple of thousand miles.

It happens in free wheel as well as under load, so it isn't the BB or drive train.
It disappears when I stand on the pedals, so it isn't the bars, front forks, bottle cages, hubs, spokes, rims etc.
It isn't the saddle because I've swapped it today and it makes no difference.
It isn't the seat post because that is so firmly welded in place that I'm going to have to take it to the LBS to shift it (yes, I know, why did I forget to take it out and clean it off last year?)

All I can think of is that one of the welds at the top of the seat tube is coming adrift, but I can see no sign of that at all. It is a bare metal Ti frame, so there is no paint to cover anything up.

Any ideas? Anything I can spot visually?

I had similar noise you described above, I discovered it was the Headset that was making the noise. Try reseating the stem and make sure it is tight enough.

 

[fossyant]

Saddle mounting clamp on the Post - I know you've changed saddle, but did you lightly grease the rails/clamp interface, or the threads on the bolts ?

 

[palinurus]

Can a stuck seatpost still creak?

 

[Globalti]

Can a stuck seatpost still creak?

Of course and it will creak like a barsteward in a Ti frame. You should hear my Ti handlebar stem creak when I'm climbing hills.

 

[ASC1951]

Of course and it will creak like a barsteward in a Ti frame. You should hear my Ti handlebar stem creak when I'm climbing hills.

I think you and Palinurus may have the answer, Globalti. I took it for granted that it couldn't be the seat post making the noise, if the thing was so firmly stuck that it will need surgery to get it out. Not so - I stuck my nose in at the LBS who sold it to me and that was their immediate answer too; in fact they reckoned that the harder the seatpost was stuck, the more likely it was to be noisy.

So, a month drip-feeding WD40 and machine oil into it....

 

[The Eighth Man]

My bike is the same,but it stops when it rains??? It is not the seat post because it is greased to death, and I have checked everything. It has a new BB and it is not the bars. I am about to fit a new chain wheel and another bottom bracket, if it still does it I am buying ear plugs.

 

[ASC1951]

Your're definitely right with my bike, Globalti. The seat post is still completely stuck, despite 50 miles ridden with the the clamp undone, but a
squirt of light oil on top of the clamp every time I pass it has stopped all the squeaks.

Downside is that I am suddenly aware of the much smaller noise of the head post creaking, but I'm not too bothered about that now that I have realised
I'm not at risk of being applecored by the frame disintegrating.