How To Stop Your Mountain Bike From Creaking | Locating MTB Creaks

Audible creaks from your mountain bike when you are riding can drive any rider insane. Unfortunately, there are plenty of points and interfaces on a bike where creaking can occur; and the grit from riding in muddy or dusty conditions always seems to find a way in! Here's Doddy with his guide on how to locate and eliminate creaks on your MTB. 🔧
Subscribe to GMBN Tech: gmbn.tech/subscribetogmbntech
Pick up official GMBN merch: gmbn.tech/AZ
Follow us on Instagram or Facebook! @gmbntech
Sign up to the GMBN newsletter: gmbn.eu/newsletter
Have you ever had to track down an annoying creak?
Please submit your content to our uploader: upload.gmbn.com/tech we love to check out what you have been up to and may feature it on the show!
Watch more on GMBN Tech...
📹 gmbn.tech/ILoveClips
📹 gmbn.tech/GetTheMostFromHubs
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound
ES_Turning Tables - Dusty Decks
#GMBNTech #GMBN #MountainBiking #MountainBike #MTB #BikeLife #Cycling
Brought to you by the Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN), GMBN Tech delves deeper into the bikes, kit and technology that powers your rides!
Our mission is to help you discover, dial-in, and get the best from the latest cutting edge bikes and technology available.
If it’s off-road tech you’re after, look no further! The weekly GMBN Tech Show showcases the latest and biggest tech stories, with more besides.
Fancy some factory tours and first looks to keep you informed of how the latest tech has arrived, as well as what they do on the trail? You’ve got it. Want some in-depth maintenance videos give you the knowledge to set up, look after and upgrade what you’ve got? Yep, we’ve got them, too. Lots of ‘em. In fact, our presenting team consists of bike industry professionals with decades of experience of wrenching, writing, and working at the cutting edge of mountain biking so we can keep you informed, entertained and engaged with all the tech that drives mountain bikes forwards!
Thanks to our sponsors:
Canyon Bikes: gmbn.eu/Canyon
Nukeproof Bikes: gmbn.eu/nukeproof
Pole Bikes: gmbn.eu/PoleBicycles
Park Tool: gmbn.eu/ParkTool
POC helmets and eyewear: gmbn.eu/POCsports
crankbrothers pedals: gmbn.eu/crankbros
Shimano Footwear: gmbn.eu/ShimanoShoes
Dainese Protection: gmbn.eu/Dainese
Ergon: gmbn.eu/ergon
Vittoria Tires: gmbn.eu/Vittoria
FSA: gmbn.eu/fsa
e*thirteen: gmbn.eu/EThirteen
Topeak: gmbn.eu/topeak
Garmin: gmbn.eu/Garmin
Muc-Off: gmbn.eu/Muc-Off
crankbrothers seatposts: gmbn.eu/8b
Komoot: gmbn.eu/Komoot
Facebook - gmbn.tech/gmbntechfb
Instagram - gmbn.tech/gmbntechinsta
Twitter - gmbn.tech/gmbntechtwitter

[@jammanjim6914]

I stripped my entire bike last year, turns out the creak was the rear brake hose rubbing a mucky cable tie on the frame! Oh how I laughed 🤣

[@richcole3931]

Great systematic look. Pivot creaking should be near the beginning of the checklist. To isolate pivot creak, simply lockout the rear. If it only creaks with suspension open then you know it's a pivot issue.

[@itarry4]

I'd never hear the creek over my breathing well gasping for air and the sound of my knee clicking... 🤔 😉

[@polishguywithhardtospellna8227]

Clicking knee is a solution to all creaking bike problems 😅

[@teemu3370]

Your pivot hardware might be done. Get some new full complement bearings and remember to change both sides at the same time. And torque wrench is essential

[@Bianchiboy]

I see a lot of riders who ought to be more worried about the noises they make themselves rather than what noises they think their bike is making 🙃

[@JohnDoe-gn3kk]

One source not brought up is the rear shock. I've been hunting creak on my old Canyon Nerve for the last couple of months. After going through everything mentioned in this video and then some, the only thing left was the shock itself. I had already tried cleaning and greasing the shock bolts to no avail. So I made a piece of wood with two holes at the right distance and replaced the shock with it, and lo and behold the noise disappeared. A quick (and long overdue) shock service fixed the issue completely. So if you've tried everything else, check the shock!

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Pedals, cable ties at hoses/housings, pivot bearings vs frame interface they are pressed in to, cleat pedal interface, through axles, spokes, nipples, hub end caps.... when all else fails, Bluetooth ear buds cranking your favorite tunes and all is right in the world again.

[@Romain1211]

How amazing, I got a new bike two months ago, it started creaking about a week ago and then a video about it from GMBN ! Thanks for that, hope I'll find the origine of that creaking !!

[@Stilgarnaibfremen]

I half stripped my hardtail a week ago, had a creak coming from the pinch bolts of the non-drive side crank. It only creaked when pedaling, both seated and when stood up. They just needed a bit more torque! Thanks to the whole GMBN team for such useful videos! Ride on!

[@ReinLable]

Sometimes the noise can travel through the frame...had a wierd noise in front...but the problem was actually in the backswing,but the sound traveld through the frame..took a while to locate it

[@nickmurray721]

Very timely, as a result of this video I have sorted out a creak from my seat, thank you!

[@4773phil]

A perfect timing! I'm currently looking for a creak! Thanks a lot I'll go through my rear suspension next!

[@petercox4932]

Cheers doddy, very useful video. I have this issue now so now know where to start! 👍

[@samfalk8420]

Love the content! Everything was explained really well!

[@sixtring73]

Doddy you were spot on! I have a brand new YT Capra which was creaky out of the box. I removed the main pivot lke you suggested and discovered it was dry! Bit of grease and it has silenced the noise although I've yet to try it in anger. Cheers Doddy!

[@Rolzrules]

Right on time Doddy!!!

[@michelepirovano4135]

Great video! It will be saved in my maintenance playlist! You should try headphones, takes a second! I just changed my drive train and rear wheel to give the bike an upgrade, all I got in return was a creack! Fortunately I soon (3 evenings, went through everything!) realized it was the cassette getting loose!

[@V.Dragnev]

Hi Doddy, lately after heavy rain ride I receive a present from my bike, a CREACK while pedaling. I will follow your instructions nd hopefully find this little bugger :D really nice video , thank you!

[@avoidingbadlife]

Great tutorial and brilliant stuff for us all! 👌

[@parkrichard4464]

Thank you sir. Your video made me slow down and not make assumptions. Turned out that the rear brake cable running through the down tube was "slapping" against the inside of the tube. Now I have to figure out how to correct it. I'm glad it is not something serious.

[@crepbmx2484]

Actually have use of this video, I often have this problem, thanks 🙏🏼

[@andrec.136]

I have that same very creak therefore I will check that same very bolt. Thanks a million Doddy!

[@gideondejong1610]

One week too late 😂 last week my bike was ticking while I was pedaling. First took the seat and -post apart; didn’t solve the problem. After that I’ve pulled the crank completely apart, cleaned it, greased it and put it back together. My bike runs so silent now! Love it!!!

[@antoninvojtesek4393]

I just got a creaking XT 12 speed cassette. I lubed contact points between the first and second sprocket and between the second and the thirds sprocket. The creaking mostly occurred on the smallest cog. But it was a mission to find it, I lubed pedals, bottom bracket, dropouts and some suspension pivot points and I was close to lubing the hanger but I just got an idea to check the cassette. What a relief to have creak less bike.

[@timobreumelhof88]

Nice video. :-) I sometimes heard a very loud squeaky sound when pedaling uphill (in the lowest gear). After re-assembling a lot of parts I found that the issue was caused by the bearings in my back wheel. Changing them fixed it..

[@francisdee9955]

great topic👌

[@kswsquared]

Just finished taking apart and regreasing my headset the other week after some creaking up front. Solved. I even put a bit of grease on the inside of the headset spacers because hey, there's contact there too... 👍

[@adrianmcleod2983]

Thank you!! found my creek, loose bottom pivot bolt

[@SGT2603]

Yo Doddy. Sorry to say. But my bike made the most nasty creaking from the seatpost. With the dropper down and stood up. Should say it is a ALU fullsus bike. At first we thought is was from the headset or stem because I had just serviced those. But after cleaning that it was still there. After manhandling the frame we tried to take out the seatpost and it was gone.. Cleaned it and used new Muc-Off carbon gribber grease. And it was gone. Anyways the great content. Both entertaining and I have learned so much. Thank you from Denmark

[@rcLawnDartPilot]

The one creak on my bike that took me 3 months to figure out was my rear wheel from the factory had the spokes waaaaay too tight on the drive side. Whenever I pedaled hard or uphill it creaked like hell. After greasing every single part like Doddy just did, I found out the spoke tension was cranked down. Loosened a quarter turn on the drive side spokes and my bike has been quiet and smooth ever since.

[@piercesmith9128]

OMG! Perfect timing I was about to take my bike into the bike shop like literally about to for creaking; then this video pops up

[@leftylou92]

@GMBNTech don’t forget about internally routed cables/hoses in frames that don’t have tube-in-tube routing! Those things can creak and rattle something fierce if they’re not wrapped in foam!

[@kangsterizer]

summary: take every single moving piece apart, clean, grease, put back lol. But to be honest. yeah its true. sometimes you can guess what it is, sometimes its nearly impossible and you just gotta go through it until it stops

[@JeffSheridanTheReal]

Fighting one now. The creak increases over ride time. I usually think I fixed it at the beginning of the ride but then comes back. I do think I finally got it today. Endcap on rear hub was not in all the way. Test ride says it's resolved but history tells me to be cautious until I go for a longer ride.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Bottle cage bolts can also creak and are often overlooked. Most of the time I had a creak, it was the chainring bolts classic 5-arm cranks

[@bryangrubaugh4167]

I couldn't get past "I'm holding the GoPro in my mouth" LOL

[@gogovitch66]

Btw: I had a dry shimano clutch. Servicing it made it working smooth and dead quiet again when loading my rear suspension and pedaling (although I run an oval chainring) :-)

[@KRRT]

another one is if you use a shimano chain and a non shimano branded chainring (even if it's supposedly shimano compatible) you can get a grinding or crunching sound and feeling from pedalling. the severity of it depends on how thin the chainring is but most chainrings were designed when SRAM came out with 12 speed and they're just being slapped on shimano bikes by manufacturers.

[@hansottevanger4112]

I had my e bike display upgraded to the Kiox which involved lowering the motor ( by bike shop) and almost as immediately after I got it home it started to creak after checking cranks, seat etc I removed the bolts holding the motor and found they had put new thread lock on old, after cleaning up threads, applied Teflon white grease torqued up to spec and no more creak

[@jamesmincher3435]

I had horrible creaking few months back turns out it was probably my hope pro 4. Hub end caps took me a while to find out what the issue was

[@Cassie_MTB]

What i need today, my Trek Fuel EX 7 is a pure creaking machine. Thanks Doddy!

[@robertokker8010]

I had the same with my ex8. After watching and doing it this myself it's fully silent again kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIu3pXZ6mr-ZnZo

[@danielhicks5031]

My fuel ex 5 creaks under pedaling and it’s brand new

[@23vicjoe]

@@danielhicks5031 grease your pivot bolts. Trek's are notorious for this

[@MarcusNesbitt4]

If your poor like me and your bike came with 3 piece cranks (eg square taper), make sure the crank bolts are done up tightly, they can come loose, and can make it sound like the bottom bracket has gone. Easy fix, could be hard to diagnose.

[@MarcusNesbitt4]

I found this on my bike only 2 months after I had replaced my bottom bracket. I was going to be very annoyed if I needed to replace it under warranty but luckily I remembered this. Dont worry I didnt replace the old one unnecessarily, it had completely failed.

[@magpie7791]

I've just sorted this out on my bike I changed my bb which was worn, then cleaned and lubed my linkage bearings and the shock hardware? Touch wood its stopped? if not the headset seat post and pedals would be next

[@BillBlandford]

I've seen creaks come from a dry skewer and even spokes. Check there too. Most of the time, it's seat post or seat rails or chain ring bolts tho.

[@ExcelInstructor]

10:05 by the color u might be right, by the brand not so much, I'm using red k2 threadlock, and its somewhere between normal green / blue threadlock in strength speaking.

[@quijadriss7650]

I had a creek on my commuter bike a few weeks back. After a bunch of testing, it turned out to be the seat. Not at the post or the rails, but a few screws hold the body of the seat to the upper pad.

[@benjaminroys6613]

Not everyone has the #doddy know how so Make little video of how you take apart to help reinstall! It dose help!

[@TunkkRS]

@GMBN Tech I have the crank like shown at 10:20 and the left crank keeps falling off after like 40km. How do I make it so that it sits more reliably? I tried screwing the cap harder, or tightening those 2 scews towards higher tolerance, still keeps falling off. What Should I do? Should I put threadlock on that cap thing? Bike is new, couple of months old

[@reyndavis41]

Can you recommend a video on how to adjust/tune a sr suntour xcr 32 suspension. I’m new to mtb and don’t know how to do this.

[@LeecMTB]

Just had my creak solved.. thought it was bottom bracket , was actually the bearings in the rear hub needed replacing, now it’s smooth and silent!

[@lyrooo326]

I had an issue with creaking and it was driving me insane, to the point were I didn't want to ride anymore. my bike is a a low to medium end budget bike and it turned out to be the fork just some cleaning and lubing up with silicone oil and two days ago I even rode 47km in one day.

[@Mark-jm2wz]

Hello Doddy. I wonder if you can make a video about csu creaking. So my bike is extremly loud when im hard breaking or just riding very hard. I thing its the crown, steerer tube or something. Please help

[@kevinwood8021]

Doddie, do you recommended clamping my bike seatpost for maintenance , even with wheels on🤙

[@8sim6]

Cool video where can I buy that saddle?

[@rodrigormotta]

Just finished doing a full bike rebuild like yours. Could last week I was sure the creaking was from loose spokes... turns out it wasn't. So i went with the computer approach and did a full rebuild. Hope it fixed. Will know tomorrow

[@jeffedmisten6576]

And?

[@amandajane8227]

Great timing as my bike crashed yesterday and then creaked the rest of the ride. Now i have some pointers on how to isolate the source.

[@polishguywithhardtospellna8227]

Yeah just isolate that broken frame 😂 Hopefully not*

[@amandajane8227]

I followed Doddies advice and tested the bike for creaks. There were none. Turns out it was the handlebar bag which shifted in the crash and started rubbing against the head unit.

[@polishguywithhardtospellna8227]

@@amandajane8227 it's a broken bag Amanda! Do not use it again!😂

[@francoisvienne5030]

What about creaking from cable housings? Mine seems to come from inside the head tube where the cables goes inside the frame. Any tips?

[@marcelh5500]

is it possible for the rails of the saddle to creak against the seat clamp? Should I grease that interface or would that make it slide around?

[@MrGrayFox0]

When ist it time to replace the rear plastic shock bushings on a fox damper?

[@samb2334]

I have a creek that I thought was coming from the back suspension pivots but I’ve disassembled them and regressed and still the same, I think it could be the headset

[@yannhenriot2568]

So for press fit bottom bracket in my Scott genius 940 aluminium frame I should have not used Shimano anti seize past but a compound retainer ? Well we’ll see this afternoon: because it was cracking that much since I replace it, yesterday I have dismounted it and fit it again with real proper quantity of anti seize ! 🔊🛠🧼=📢or🔕

[@ExcelInstructor]

#ASKGMBNTECH i got new bike, it went thru its first store warranty checkup, its #MERIDA #9.400 #Fullsuspension and whenever I hit something bigger it make a clacking noise. the fork was sent to euroBike SRSUNTor and sadly even after return it still makes that noise, I also received a paper saying that a steel spring inside the fork that makes that sound. What can I do to fix it?

[@fattoamanowoodwork3638]

brilliant video good man, thank you. I'm having kittens with internal cables routing as the cables are hitting the frame..

[@androdelrosario]

#AskGMBNTECH Would any part of the cockpit creak? I know Doddy mentioned the stem bolts, but can it come from handlebars, i.e. putting pressure on them?

[@cancer8343]

#AskGMBNTECH Hi Doddy, I am struggling to understand hydrolic disc brakes. How does the brake system adjust for brake pad wear? To my understanding the volume inside the system should increase as brake pistons have to extend more to compensate for pads, do the brake levers move in more? What happens when I push the pistons back after brake pad change and should I bleed them. I am struggling with old avid elixir 3's, as brakes in my budget are out of stock, due to covid. My rear brake has a bent lever, but both of my brakes need to be bleed every 6 months. What could be causing this? Thank you, very much. I am getting into the sport and your videos are very helpful even if often out of reach for a broke student like me. Cheers, from Latvia.

[@jazzaplayz4852]

i dont know if he mentioned this but of yiur hearing creaking when pedaling and sometimes when just coating it may be the cassette just taking it off re grease and it should be fine

[@dylan-5287]

I can't stand creeks, my buddy on the other hand doesn't even notice them lol. Recently cleaning and regreasing the bb fixed my creek.

[@rollinrat4850]

Ride with headphones, chill, stop worrying.... fix junk when it breaks. You can always just hoof it, right? Problem solved.

[@rollinrat4850]

Creaking is often just the symbol of poor assembly in a factory in Asia.Often it's as simple as changing pedals, greasing saddle rails or taking stuff apart and regressing. Bikes are very very rarely properly assembled at the factory anymore.Even on high end bikes! They're also more complicated . My opinion is that DIY has the best possible chance for high quality. No one give a shit like you can! Its your bike! Assembly workers are often paid by the unit, not the hour. Think about that awhile, quality wise. I assemble every one of my bikes frame up and build my own wheels. Now I'm learning to braze. My first comment was sarcasm. I'm a machinist with that perfectionist's disease!

[@wpautz]

My issue right now is more of a pop sound, at every rotation of the front wheel. None of the spokes seems to be loose. Most likely spokes or front hub?

[@gogovitch66]

Let‘s us know, if you managed to get rid of the creaking @Doddy. Idk, it would satify me, to know your bike is fine again ^^

[@VR6Boki]

How much do we need to tighten the rear suspension bolts, can we do that job without torque wrench?

[@MrBaker88]

Dont forget to check your mudguards. Just figured out mine was making a whole heap of noises😂

[@martinhayes5087]

I found my creak, it was the fox 36 steerer tube and stanchions 😂 second set I've had this happen now, very annoying

[@hench_wrench_repairs]

My cannondale had pressfit threads in the bb, it was like an insert and it was creaking, sold it the day after i found out 😂😂

[@TheWebstaff]

Mines creaking as some Toft in London's told me I can leave the house so I've got fat..

[@brokenlegz]

I thought this was pretty interesting, I had a squeak last week, I could hear it was related to the back wheel, I took apart the hub and the cassette bearings and re greased, no good, checked all the spokes, no good, took the inner tube out of the tyre, it was stuck together from previous sealant, put some baby powder in there, fixed!

[@enduroelite]

Shimano clutch derailleurs can make creaking sounds at times. the clutch needs a special grease that only Shimano has. You can turn the clutch off, but then you have no chain-drop protection.

[@vtecmossy]

My xt hubs say don't disassemble but they came to me with a defect from the shop Nd not working properly so I had to open them to repair them am guessing the warranty on them is gone now 🤔😁 Guessing the wheel builder messed up or came from factory defected 🤔

[@sethkevin9813]

Doddy what seems to be the problem cause everytime I pop to make a bunny hop there is like a sound my fork is making

[@ProgressiveMTB]

Handle bars creaking in the stem clamp

[@aperson4869]

My dt swiss ratcheting thru axle on the rear will creak badly under load if it’s loose.

[@masnolmn]

I had a very anoying creak, sitting and standing. Tried everything from cranks, pedals, chain, chain ring, seat post, saddle.....It was the bearings in the free wheel hub....

[@senna17]

I have a creak where my stem holds thé handlebar. Anyone a suggestion about where and how to solve it?

[@starmostarmo3711]

I just got my bike back from the bikeshop and they say it wasnt the cranks but they think its the frame. I have Scott genius 750 and the creaking is in area where the rear shock is.... its so annoying. anybody else have the same issue and have any tips??

[@chrisridesbicycles]

#AskGMBNTech Do you know of a combined bearing and headset press? Most toolmakers have separate tools for this jobs, even if they do the same. A combined tool would be easier to justify for the home mechanic.

[@DanuelNuel]

Can nipples and loose spokes makes "ticking" noises? On other cases - some time ago small rubble enter (somehow) my seatpost ant rattle around bb...

[@Pillokun]

Upgraded my good old 26" alu ht/rigid with new xt 11spd drivetrain and apex gxp 42t crankset and now after a year(less than 6monts use) the bottombracket/crankset/pedal on the left side is creaking... baaaaaaaaaaaaaah. My old xt, or stx rc or accera x or alivio groupsets never ever creaked down there... quality is not even up to snuff of touring/budget components from good old days. My Scott scale 900 elite with full Sram nx also creaks at the bottom bracket/crankset after three months of use... What is happening? I am not even riding offroad that much if at all.

[@floppydisk1137]

Finally I found where the goddamn creaking song was coming. it was the seatpost tube tha was dirty. Now I can pedal without hearing that noise.

[@junkhoo100]

Hi doddy, I just get my new hardtail less than a month, my bike creaks very loudly when im gently push the bike forward and backward while im applying the both brakes. (While im sitting on the lowest postion of the saddle - not paddling ) I cant figure out where the sounds came from. so annoyed.

[@kicknitoldskool]

You might need to clean and bed the brakes in properly. But often discs sqeal until they heat up depending on the pad material. So sintered / metallic pads are noisiest, organic pads are quiet

[@26DV]

I can’t find the freezing freaking I’ve probably watched like 50 videos and have tried I feel like everything, it sounds like it it’s coming from the bottom bracket area, or cassette area, it only happens when standing under high load. And makes more of a clicking sound rather then creak.

[@stephenhudson6543]

I had to replace the entire rear shock and the attachment bolts to be rear end of it the pivot bolt and all

[@lameboysmtb6705]

My gx derailleur was loose the other day at the hanger and holy shit that think creaked so bad like I had my bike upside down and in the middle 4 gears the whole thing shook and rattled along with this my rear break had been torqued down to like 1.5 Newton meters and rattled so bad The lesson here was never let anyone else service your bike and do it yourself

[@hench_wrench_repairs]

4:40 flexy frame

[@MrCampbellZA]

Other biggie is where spokes overlap. If you’ve been riding dusty conditions they can creak like mad. Luckily it’s an easy fix with just a splash of water

[@oskarstaudte]

Wow this comes handy, my bike started creaking two rides ago.

[@MG_Gily_Wut]

I GAVE UP 😂🤣🙌 My bike creeks and I DONT CARE ANYMORE, just ride the damn thing

[@jimpowersyt]

Not smart. Sometimes creaks are due to damage and continuing to ride can further that damage.

[@jamincarbonell99]

i have a newly built bike. a week old. then suddenly it goes creaking. it creaks when i'm pedalling. no creaking when freewheelin. 1st i thought it's the bearings on the front hub. wrong. 2nd culprit bottom bracket. cleaned and greased. didn't solve it. and the main culprit is the wtb volt saddle. lube the saddle rail connecting to the plastic saddles frame. problem solve! 😂

[@superspecky4eyes]

I have a "ticking" sound coming from the back of my bike when I get out of the saddle and really crank out some power. I thought it might be some loose spokes but I had no luck fixing it, Anyone have any ideas?

[@parkrichard4464]

For me, it was the rear brake cable slapping against the inside of the down tube.

[@buggermonkey94]

Hears a creak strips bike to the frame 👌

[@1067148]

A friend of mine sent his fork for maintenances and the shop refused the work unless they swapped the CSU because it was creaking.

[@dathorneli8514]

I have creaking between chain and chainring in front. Everyhing else is smooth, shifting perfectly but have strange noise while pedaling. I can't find out what's going on. Next thing that I have issue while I'm on 1. speed (the biggest one) while pedaling backward, my chain starts to drop down to higher level gear for some reason... Those are 2 issues that I can't find solution to it. I wish I could send a video to someone to help me out.

[@pieterdorrestein9286]

I have have similar experience with both bikes recently. In both cases my rear hub bearings were dying. One was dtswiss and tiger an i9 hub. It’s a cheap fix.

[@travelfitnomad]

Have you ever experienced a creaking from supposedly the front, that starts only after riding for about 20 min or so?