Scott Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Remove the seat from the seat post. Clean the rails and mounting points on the post and maybe add a touch of lube to them. My guess is that the sound bounces off the underside of the seat and projects down toward the back of the bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 I would just strip the bike down to the frame, leaving only the headset cups. I do this two my bikes about twice a year. Not very time-consuming if your workspace is organized. Deep clean all the nooks where dust works it's way in, true wheels, lube and thread-lock stuff, check for worn out bearings, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinBike Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 A breakthrough of sorts. Pulled the wheel off and took the dropouts sliders out. Bad news: Kona does a proprietary slider, so the Paragon sliders from my other bike will not work. But in taking the slider apart I noticed the drive-side dropout was severely grooved (see pic below). My gut was telling me that the sound was coming from the dropout, so this could be the culprit. I took a mini grinder and smoothed that down. I was also able to find an old 8-speed chain that fit it perfectly (the 9-speed chain was a little short and the slider was as far forward as possible so it was hitting the frame, not the adjustment screw. If this fixes it then I will probably replace the dropout and get a new chain while I am at it (not a big fan of running multiple magic links on a chain that gets high torque on hills). Anybody want to lay odds on the dropout being the problem? Ed, you were riding behind me and trying to listen so you had the best perspective. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olddbrider Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 I'm liking the loosening rear wheel/dropouts theory. It's really the only explanation that makes any sense given that the creaking seems to get worse over time and with increased torque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olddbrider Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 I swear I posted that before your last post came through... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinBike Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 Just now, olddbrider said: I swear I posted that before your last post came through... That's what she said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anita Handle Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I wouldn't be surprised, it did sound like it was coming from the rear wheel at times. I think you had too short of a chain which lead to the wheel not sitting in the dropout quite right or with too much chain tension. A longer chain with the wheel adjusted for correct tension. What is that rear hub, a cassette or a fruehewheel? The cog or freewheel seemed loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinBike Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 The rear was a singlespeed freehub. While it looked loose, when I think about the actual usage, when I have it cranked into the frame, that *shouldn't* matter I would think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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