Cracking coming from headtube area

gt-arrowhead

Hi, i have had this problem of a cracking headset for ages now, and i just cant get it to stop. I am 100% sure i have fitted the headset correctly and got all the parts in the correct order. I have tried loosening the headset and the stem then tightening the headset and tightening the stem up after, to make sure its all tight and snug, and i am tightening the headset up quite tight, so i am adamant that the problem isnt a loose fork.

I have also taken the fork off and greased every single part of the headset and fork steerer. I also greased inside the headtube. The only part of the headset i havent greased is in between the headset cups and the headtube. There wont be any grease in there anyway even if i tried because it would just get pushed out when i put the cups back in.

I have read on another forum that it could be ferrules causing the noise, which i doubt but it could be a possibility. I have also read that it could be the cables slapping against the frame but im sure it is not that, it doesnt sound anything like cable slap but i will give it a go anyway.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to stop this creaking/cracking noise? It really ruins the ride

pesky_jones

Can you actually feel play in the headset? If you hold on the front brake and rock the bike forward ever so slightly you should feel a small amount of play if there is any - it will be tiny n you'll have to concentrate. Dont get it confused with the fork travelling

gt-arrowhead

i dont have a front brake at the minute :oops:, otherwise i would do that, thats the best way to check. Instead I get the bike up on the rear wheel and lift it up a couple of inches, then drop it. Usually you can feel the play and hear the fork moving around in the headset but it is not as accurate. I dont feel anything, and the headset is properly tight anyway.

Chunkers1980

Yep. On rear end with front wheel in the air and bounce with your fingers around the headset to feel for any movement and listen out for any vibration.

cooldad

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

i dont have a front brake at the minute :oops:, .

Death ruins the ride more.

fredblob

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

i dont have a front brake at the minute :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:


thats brave :P :P :P :P

rather you then me

pesky_jones

My mate rides the same bike as me without a front brake. He used to ride with no brakes, and no chain at one point believe it or not. Granted, he was a lot more into street stuff then

gt-arrowhead

When i read no brakes i instantly thought of a fixie type bike, like the ones where you back pedal to slow down. But then i read "no chain" and i was like :shock: :shock: :shock: Thats like trying to drive a car with no driveshaft.

I think i may have just got to the bottom of the click/cracking noise. I realised that the sound stopped when standing up, no matter what i did (push down on the forks hard, lift the front wheel up etc) the sound wasnt happening. Then as soon as i sat down it started making the cracking. Turns out that i had the seat clamp really tight. I loosened it off a bit and re tightened it and a quick trip up and down the road shows positive results. Im going for a bike ride up in the forest with mates tomorrow so that will be a good enough test to see if it all holds up without any cracking.

fredblob wrote:

thats brave :P :P :P :P

rather you then me

You think thats brave? I was messing about in the skate park today and i had a very very bad off...all because of my bravery. I took a long run up to go up the ramp and clear the flat bit at the top and go back down the ramp on the other side...doing a wheelie. I bloody did it alright! when i got to the bottom of the ramp the bike lifted away from under me and i landed quite heavily on my back. I was so winded i couldnt reply to my mate asking me if i was alright. My mate was laughing at me because i was scrambling to put the chain back on when i couldnt even speak! Bike comes first, always!

The Rookie

Probably the shonky fork making the noise which is a presume a creaking not a cracking!

gt-arrowhead

When you say shonky i take it you mean the dual crown zooms? They are gone. I now have an RST Deuce.

I dont really know which of the two suits the sound best really, so i said both