Handlebars creaking

bikeit65

Hi all the handlebars or stem have started creaking a lot whenever i am out of the saddle climbing, i have tried greasing the handlebar and the stem joint which holds the handlebars, this seemed to work for a short while but it is now worse than ever any suggestions please.

julk

I had similar noises a bit before my handlebars broke while I was riding home from work.

I would recommend stripping the bars and stem down and giving them a very close inspection for any cracks or scratches, replace them if you find any damage.

If all looks ok I would try them again without grease, but if the creaking starts again then replace them before something breaks.

El Tel

Certainly strip everything down and look for cracks or any other signs first. But, if it all looks OK, reassemble with Pace RC005 'carbon composite shield' or the Tacx equivalent 'assembly compound'.

Both of these are some sort of synthetic grease containing very small plastic beads, which lock the components together (unlike normal grease) while lubricating them at the same time. Very effective at eliminating squeaks on bars, stems and seatposts, and you can use lower torque on the fasteners too.

andyrr

I've the same issue and will be checking my bars (I've already tried using Taxc assembly compound that I've used for carbon - carbon seatpost/frame interface.) HAve already replaced the stem as I'd broken the faceplate on the original and replaced with a different stem that I wasn't 100% confident matched the bars quite as well.

Also try greasing the front wheel axle/QR as I believe that this can be a source of a similar creak from the front end.
And another thing - try checking the cables and cablestops as it could even be related to you slightly turning the bars and pulling on the cables when out of the saddle.