Creaking SB66 Carbon

[philboy]

Hi all

I know there has been lots of talk about creaking/cracking on SB66 carbons with bearing failure etc but I have to say I've had no problem, until now! A fair bit of creaking/cracking noises when pedaling uphill/under pressure. If I sit static on the bike and put heavy pressure on pedals (particularly left side) it creaks/cracks. Pushing down on seat to get frame to go through rear travel and it seems OK, no weird noises. Thoughts anyone, switch bearings? I had a similar noise with a mondraker dune xr I had previously and the pivots were shot on RP23 but you could feel play in the shock when this happened so it was fairly obvious what it was then. I am in Scotland so usually wet riding. I bought bike new in august last year! I'm not going to moan about bike being less than a year old and maybe needing bearings etc, just want to identify cause and rectify asap

[rocketmagnet]

Even with the bike to hand these things can be very hard to pin down. So it's a logical process of elimination.

However I'd start by taking the pedals, cranks and bottom bracket off. Check the bearing on the BB, if its a hope
pop the front seals off, clean and re-grease...clean everything else - grease it all up and put it all back together. Test.

Next check your shock, hold it by the back seat and repeatedly lift it slightly, any tiny knocking noise means your rear shock bushes are shot (you can sometimes even see
the shock move a tiny bit on really badly worn ones).

After this I'd bite the bullet and take off the rear triangle and check all the bearings.. it's not that tough a job
and it's nice if you've got a torque wrench... go slow and follow the manual. Ultimately with a 66 it's something you should be doing every 6 months minimum IMO
unless you rarely ride or nice weather only. Getting fingers on with the bearings tells you instantly if they are shot.
If they are your looking at 120 for a full set and 30-50 to fit if you've not got the right bearing press stuff.

[andy]

I had the same the other day creaking when putting on pressure while pedalling uphill.i have an sb95 carbon.in the end the left hand crank arm was slightly loose.nipped it up and its solved the problem..

[shaun7005]

check the derailleur hanger before you go nuts stripping it all down. Take hanger off. Take all bolts out of the hanger, lube connecting surfaces, and then locktite bolts back in... Not saying this'll fix it, as it could come from alot of places on a bike, but this may be the quick fix.

[Mike NZ]

Just to add to what Shaun has said, check your hanger. While you're at it pull the axle chipsets (both sides), clean, grease and re-fit.



This fixed a niggly creak on my SB.

[philboy]

Ok Guys, thanks for the advice, I'll let you know how I get on. BB bearings are fine as checked them yesterday. A mate of mine has exactly the same bike, same spec with XX1 which he thinks sounds like the same problem, he gave the bb cups and left crank arm a really good tighten and it solved it so I'll start with that, pretty sure bushes on RP23 are Ok as I've had this problem before on other bikes and although creaking is a similar noise there's definitely no play in the shock so at least that's one thing eliminated. BB/crank tighten 1st then rear mech and then I'll take it from there.

[elastictangent]

I have a 66C and have an occasional creak when climbing hard and standing up pedalling. On mine it's the top mounts on the rear shock (Fox CTD in my case). There isn't any obvious play in the shock but if I try wrap my hand round the shock and try and rotate it clockwise and then anti-clockwise with some force I can replicate the creak. If I grease the pivot up it goes away for a while. This is with brand new bushes as well.

I've also had an issue where I could feel a knock when compressing the rear shock up that was really hard to find. Turned out to be a sticky clutch in the XX1 rear mech (known issue) so it's worth you check that as well at the carbon frame was transmitting that knock a million miles away from where it was happening.

[philboy]

OK, I do know that carbon amplifies any knock creak etc, lots to look at with the replies so thanks and I'll keep all posted

[maff125]

Jun 30, 2014 15:03:40 GMT elastictangent said:

I have a 66C and have an occasional creak when climbing hard and standing up pedalling. On mine it's the top mounts on the rear shock (Fox CTD in my case). There isn't any obvious play in the shock but if I try wrap my hand round the shock and try and rotate it clockwise and then anti-clockwise with some force I can replicate the creak. If I grease the pivot up it goes away for a while. This is with brand new bushes as well.

I've also had an issue where I could feel a knock when compressing the rear shock up that was really hard to find. Turned out to be a sticky clutch in the XX1 rear mech (known issue) so it's worth you check that as well at the carbon frame was transmitting that knock a million miles away from where it was happening.

Same here, i've had this problem with the nylon bushings in the top shock mount, bit of wet lube and all was cured:-)

[philboy]

First chance I've had to have a look at bike again... turns out bb shell at driveside was very loose for some reason, tightened up hard and creaking gone, simples!
Cheers for comments guys and good to be able to refer back to if any other creaks in future.