How to Stop Your Bike From Creaking | Mountain Bike Maintenance

A creaky squeaky bike is annoying and embarrassing!
Marc's got you sorted though!

Creaks on your bike are not only annoying to ride with but are often a sign of your bike needing some TLC. In this video Marc takes you through some fool proof ways to locate those noises and get to the bottom of the problem.

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Music: Lack Of Aftro - One For The Trouble

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Music - licensed by Cue Songs

[designissimple]

another simple solution not mentioned is - wear ear plugs or ear-buds and blast some music - guarantied to stop the creaking

[hudsonquay]

I checked my bike everywhere for creaks until I realised it was my knees.

[scotyfoxy]

Grease...
Grease...
More grease...
And if that doesn't work...
New bearings. 😆😂 love it mark! Great advice! Mark 2K16

[theraggyone]

This video is a life saver, ive spent more time stripping and re-lubing my new build looking to cure a creak than it took me to build it. I watched this video and 1 hour later my bike is quiet at last . Silence is golden . Thank you gmbn

[Gotdurt]

A few important things he missed:
Seatpost; yes, the the seat tube can twist minimally under torque, and also sees some forces when seated... just enough to creak when dry, so lube the seatpost.
Stem; some creaking can come from the clamp surface on the steerer tube, so check that.
Drop-outs/chip systems; check the torque on your drop-out bolts and apply some lube between the "chip" and the frame, same for derailer hangers on QR drop-outs. Also, for those using QRs, creaking can come from the mating surfaces between the dropouts and the QR.
Chainring bolts (!); this is a common one that everyone forgets, so keep those lubed and torqued.

[PiwnyBrodacz]

I once had a creaking noise which I heard even with headphones on. I was 99% sure it came from the bottom bracket but after 2 days of service it came out to be coming from... the rear derailleur, where it's connected to the frame to be precise. I was very surprised... as much as the bike shop guy.

[alanriddell]

"stay on top of your pedals" always good advice :)

[LeeFluff]

don't forget to check your wheel axles are nice and tight... the new QR axles are lovely and stiff, but can tend to come a bit loose when riding the bumpy stuff.

This will also result in some terrible gear changing / chain noise... seems simple, but easy to miss.

[smithgov]

Great tips for finding the un-find-able squeak. You are right driving me crazy. Just took apart the front end of the bike (Headset, etc), Dropper Seat post and crank-set (but not BB as do not have the tool) and still squeaking. Worse part this is a brand new IBIS Ripley LS and every ride I deal with this. Will start to tear more down tomorrow and hopefully your tips will prove effective.

[RobAndersonLeedsMTB]

All your vids are simple, friendly and useful. Keep it up lads.

[PhBenz]

Good video, guys! Thank you! But according to my experiance, the rear axle can creak too.

[damianduffy]

I had an annoying creak which surprising came from saddle... it was the result of incorrect torque setting while tightening...enjoyed the video 😀

[Promediaspain]

Best looking bike I've seen. Ever.

[superflytnt]

I’m basically that guy you’re talking about in the first 10 seconds. This video was super helpful. Thanks!

[kevinhowley]

Great video. I find the stem faceplate and bolts can cause a creak too if they are dirty.

[Vanadium]

latest problem I found was the casette. It made a sound like your spokes get squezed when I put load on the pedals with one of the first 3 gears. The noise was coming from the freehub what got out of greas.

[RideOrDieRobz]

I've narrowed my creak down to my suspension linkage. This is a great vid but it skipped over taking the rear end apart. An in depth suspension linkage maintenance and overhaul vid would be bangin! cheers guys

[keillenross]

Always torque everything when you put it back together! Nothing worse than when someone tries to work on their own bike and messes it up by over/under tightening bolts. I see it happen to my buddies all the time.

[Willumpie]

In all cases, I'd recommend AAS Juice as lubricant of choice. Why? Because it's not really a lube, but more like an "anti friction grease". That sounds counter intuitive but it really works for me. Its perfect for preventing locked up bolts (cleats on shoes, for instance!) and to prevent creaks and whatnot especially in my seatpost. Perfect stuf.

[sameryounis]

personally i had creeks from 2 more areas witch are not mentioned in the video: the first is the steerer tube, solved the problem by replacing the part. and the second one was coming from the rear brake disc, witch i also replaced, but i had the same problem again after very few rides.