[jwiggs offline]

hello, whenever i start pedaling quickly you can hear creeking in my trek 4900. any help

[maddslacker offline]

On a hardtail, the stem is a likely culprit. A chain in need of oil will also do it, and their are other causes.

Can you narrow it down to what area of the bike it's coming from?

[dgaddis offline]

On a hardtail, the stem is a likely culprit. A chain in need of oil will also do it, and their are other causes.

Can you narrow it down to what area of the bike it's coming from?

The stem? More likely the the drivetrain or something in the seat post/saddle/frame area.

And why narrow it down? Open ended questions will lead to a longer thread

[maddslacker offline]

The stem?

I just had this issue on my hardtail and a new stem fixed it.

[jwiggs offline]

thanks, its coming from the crankshaft area

[mlorenz242 offline]

The stem?

I just had this issue on my hardtail and a new stem fixed it.

Mine made that sound when the headset loosened up.

[98special offline]

Clean and lube all the crank set,cranks,BB and check all the frame area.My frame started creeking and I foud 2 small cracks in my 98.Good reason for a new bike though.

[choctawken offline]

This is kinda funny!? I just replaced my stem and sure enough my bike is creeking!! Now the question is, what to do to stop it? Open to suggestions......

[steve32300]

First of all,loosening the bolts back up and making sure you have a light film of grease on everything includung the bolts threads and clamping surfaces and retorquing to specs is in order.Don't fret if the creek don't go away right away,there is a lot of experience and repition somtimes in getting a feel for actually bolting parts together so they don't creek.Parts just don't always align up just the way we want them to and learning how to stay ahead of them comes with trial and error,it could even be a case of light dirt or some kind of debri cought between the mating surfaces that is causing the creek so clean it or wipe it down and make sure the grease is free of any debris too before applying.

[element22]

Following manufacture instructions is the first step and torquing the face plate down evenly is key. Some manufactures like Easton for example want you to tighten the top two bolts down making sure the face plate meets the stem. Then evenly torque the lower two bolts (on a four bolt stem).. Other manufactures want the face plate evenly torqued and spaced.

Using anti-seize compound is adviseable. But "buttering" up everything with grease is not a great idea. Dust and dirt will attract itself to those areas and act like sand paper if given enough time. If you check most all the parts out there they will have etched on them somewhere a torque to value. Torque to that value and don't exceed it...Some brands will fail if done so. Causing damage which cannot be repaired...

Places where things tend to make noise.

Stem to bar..
Brake levers to bar..
Pedals body to pedal spindle..
Loose pedals to crank arm..
Crank arms..
Loose Bottom bracket cups..
Loose chainring bolts..
Loose seatpost bolts..
Worn out seat - rails..
Loose suspension pivots..
Worn bushings on rear shocks ( also will clunk)..

When checking suspension parts and your doing some exploration check out the areas behind the suspension parts for any uneven paint wear marks, cracks in paint. Etc....Some creaks and growns are from terminal cracks in the frame.. Happens more often than people wish to think...Highly stressed areas such as the pivots or rear shock mount often crack. Most manufactures are cool and contacting them with high resolution photos will usually get you covered under warranty (as long as your the first owner and proof of purchase).