Building a better — and quiet! — bottom bracket
Creaks be gone! How and why Ben Farver created the T47 bottom bracket standard.
Creaks be gone! How and why Ben Farver created the T47 bottom bracket standard.
A reader asks if tire sealant is ruining his tubulars, and another asks for a second opinion on a frame stiffness conundrum.
Lennard takes questions on rear-wheel spacing, removing a tubular without harming it and mystery noise from a Zipp wheel.
Even more solutions for cyclists plagued by mystery noises on their rides.
Lennard Zinn fields questions about the need for headset top caps and why shortened seatposts don't creak, and shares another long list of potential sources for bicycle mystery noises.
How can I fix my creaking cranks?
Why is my bottom bracket noisy?
Why does my new bike tick?
Should I wax my carbon seatpost?
What can I do about a noisy Mavic freehub?
The sourceDear readers,I received a boatload of great responses on creaking noises from the March7 column, and it is something so commonly plaguing all of us as cyclists that I’m running a whole list of the fixes for them that I did not mention.LennardIt's the headsetI also have a Basso Diamante that I occasionally have creaking issueswith. Like many creaking issues, it's hard to track down where the noiseis coming from. I suggest it isn't coming from the seat area with the riderwho sent you the question. I would check the front of the bike. First,make sure the quick release
TorqueDear Lennard,I recently purchased my first full carbon bike, absolutely love it. Yet, I'm scared of over-torquing the seatpost clamp. Is there a torque wrench you could recommend that works on Allen wrenches? What's the worst that happens, the seatpost clamp needs replacing or I have this fear of the actual seat tube deforming, I'm not doing the Samsonite luggage monkey torque on it, but "hand tighten" is just too open to quantify.ThomasDear Thomas,First of all, carbon frames generally have a separate band clamp to tighten the seatpost, and, yes, the worst that can happen,
Why does my Mavic freehub squeal?
Why are my Mavic wheels noisy?
How can I stop my Look pedals from creaking?
More solutions to mystery noises.
What can I do about a ticking noise?
Would a newer Dura-Ace bottom bracket stop creaking noises?