No, I would lubricate the seat rails

And there is also the stem and handlebars that can creak. New bikes are high maintenance. Just be glad it doesn't explode when you sit on it!

I've found most of the creaking on my bike is coming from my knees.

Tighten your bottle cages. Take your wheels off and put them back on. Tighten your derailleur hanger. Tighten or replace your cleats. And finally, tighten all your spokes (equally).

^make sure you've got enough chamois lube... it might just be your junk that's a-squeakn'

So this is where I'm at. I removed the left crank arm, couldn't figure out how to get the drive side arm out. Spun spindle with my hand. An incredible racket. Lovely. Regreased left side, tightened down to torque spec. A lot of the racket went away, but there is still a loud single TICK, TICK, TICK when I spin the crank arms by hand.

Any thoughts here?

There is a thing you can use, to show you how to remove the drive side arm... it's called, uh...webbernet.

Totally searched the webbernet. Couldn't find. Did find a 60 second video of a dude holding his FSA crank in front of a camera though. That was terrific.

I did also find an official FSA video too, but that just showed the whole process from soup to nuts BB and all. According to that bad boy, everything just slid together and out.

Is there a locking mechanism once I remove left crank arm? Another screw or technique? Or do I just have to bang on the scalloped/splined spindle some to jar the drive side loos?

I'll look some more though.

ian ellis said:

@Marc

Yes - you need to tap the end of NDS spindle. Use a rubber mallet of put a block of wood over the end and use a normal metal hammer.

Thanks!

Update...thanks again for all your comments.

So with only a regular hammer and "Doug & Melissa" wooden puzzle (family man yo!) that I'm pretty sure my son has outgrown, I banged that bad boy out, wiped down, "rolled" the bearings a bit to feel that they were smooth, slathered with Phil Wood green grease everywhere, consulted numerous fuzzy schematics trying to figure out where the "extra" washers were supposed to go (seems, that the ridgy ones, are mandatory, as is the wavy drive left crank one, but the two others that flopped on the ground are provided to deal with differences in frame tolerances and are not necessarily mandatory) I tightened that bad boy up. Double checked with Jules and Mattie about the "spinning free" effect and well, it's not creak/popping when I turn it by hand anymore!

We'll see when I put some torque on it this weekend though.

Marc

Did I ever tell you guys the story about using a tourniquet to get a kid's head unstuck from a metal crib?

(Nevermind, allow me...)

Out in the hamptons , the local bike shop told me , that they stopped selling grease. ,because there customers "might use it wrong" I thought maybe a creaking pedal means time for a new bike They reluctantly gave me a dollop in a zip lock bag

Mark Taylor said:

Out in the hamptons , the local bike shop told me , that they stopped selling grease. ,because there customers "might use it wrong" I thought maybe a creaking pedal means time for a new bike They reluctantly gave me a dollop in a zip lock bag

*speechless*

There's a stretch of main st in Southampton where u are prohibited from riding your bicycle in the summer. Cars are ok though...I navigate this each summer when I ride to montauk.

twoyacks said:

There's a stretch of main st in Southampton where u are prohibited from riding your bicycle in the summer. Cars are ok though...I navigate this each summer when I ride to montauk.

Stop it, now you guys are just making shit up.

At the Jersey shore last weekend and riding casually around with my hosts . . . we came to a col de sac that led to the (rebuilt) boardwalk. We thought we would walk our bike over to the next col de sac. But NO. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO WALK YOUR BIKE ON THE BOARDWALK. You have to carry it.
wtf?
(I might normally be inclined to flaunt such a law, but the entrance was guarded by a very aggressive townie)

"Unreasonable rules enforced by unreasonable people."  That's going to be the title of KCC's hardcore band's first single.

@stokes @ Yaks
My dad has a Jack Taylor racing trike. It's a ridiculous item and impossible to corner on, HOWEVER I am sorely tempted to have it shipped over and then visit these townships with their anti-bike (but not anti-trike) rules.

Ian, beware!  The ordinance likely defines bicycle by the lack of an engine and not the number of wheels.  But hey it's worth a try.  I bet the ticket is under $200.

I thought the strange part was mark taylor in the Hamptons. Talk about fish out of water.

You think I belong on the Jersey shore?!
We need to talk.

eragot said:

I thought the strange part was mark taylor in the Hamptons. Talk about fish out of water.

I think i will take that as a compliment !

Marc Bertucco said:

twoyacks said:

There's a stretch of main st in Southampton where u are prohibited from riding your bicycle in the summer. Cars are ok though...I navigate this each summer when I ride to montauk.

Stop it, now you guys are just making shit up.

I've been on this stretch a few times.  First time, after one of Myles' cross races, I thought the cop was making it up.  The second time, was several years later, and I came from a different direction and I was hoping no cop was there.  But Johnny Law was, and he told me to get off and walk.