Cracking noise

llen

Hope someone can help.

On the last 3 or 4 rides I have become aware of a cracking noise that appears to becoming from the forks/front wheel/headset area of my bike. It tends to happen when travelling a speed and when I got over a bit of a bump in the road - for example when descending. It doesn't happen when I'm travelling at a more leisurely pace. I must admit it is a bit disconcerting to hear when going at some pace downhill. I have a carbon frame and fork and I really am a bit OCD about keeping it nice and clean and I can't see anything (to my uneducated eye) as I'm fastidiously cleaning after every ride.

Does anyone have an idea of what it could be, where I should check or how I could potentially recreate the noise without having to find a hill and a bump?

Many thanks in advance.

Llen

simonj

Could be stem to bars or bars to fork not tight enough or maybe ore likely bearings need tightening or cleaning and re-tightening. Maybe first loosen off stem to bar, take apart, clean and re-tighten (if carbon with carbon paste and torque wrench to right torque - usually 5nm). If not may be stem to fork, do same thing, but also need to tighten top cap to the right feel/no movement if normal threadless. If it were me I'd also whilst taking the stem off, I'd drop the forks out and clean bearings top and bottom at the same time, re-grease and re-fit. A nice job to learn how to do if you haven't done it and shouldn't be too tricky.

kentphil

Is your wheel QR done up nice and tight?

llen

Thanks for both of those replies. I always check that my QR is nice a tight before every ride.

I have a FSA plasma integrated bar and stem and so I will check the bar to fork but will also drop the fork and check the bearings as suggested. Am I looking for anything in particular? What would make such a plasticky sounding crack noise? It sounds like it starts at the base of the fork and travels up towards the headset - although that could be to my untrained ear.

simonj

I used to get noises on mine from crud getting into lower bearing area,seemed to hear it worse if pulling/pushing hard on bars. It wasn't in the bearing as such, just on bearing or bearing seating, when cleaned outside of bearing and frame bearing seating, re-greased and put back all was ok. Would come back if rode in wet a few times as I think wheel flicked up gritty bits and lower bearing didn't have great seals maybe. Was on an SuperSix EVO. I also think a bit more pre-load from the top cap with the stem loosened off can help, but was never always confident tightening it too much.

keef66

I had that kind of noise when I was pressing the bearing cups into the headtube on my carbon frame. When I was doing the upper one I hadn't noticed that it was going in slightly wonky, and as I tightened the headset press a bit more it straightened itself up with an almighty crack. :shock: Nearly soiled myself! Thought I'd just written off £500 worth of frame. Fortunately for me carbon's a lot tougher that many people think.

Doesn't help you much, but I can imagine how disconcerting it must be.

+1 to the advice to drop out the fork and give it a good looking at, and to check out the headset components.

I'd also be checking saddle clamp and seatpost etc; carbon's a bugger for amplifying and moving sounds around the bike.

llen

Thanks. Will get on with the investigations. Cheers again.