full suspension creak

So as some of you may remember my full sus marin was a little creaky at Mayhem when pedalling. After several attempts to fix the problem I can't diagnose where it's coming from.

I've had new pivot bushes/bearings, brand new bottom bracket, checked and tightened the chainring bolts, checked the seatpost clamp (not that as it does it when off the saddle as well). Only thing I can think of is possibly the rear shock bushings. If you lock the brakes on and suddenly push the pedal down there is a tiny click noise.

I have also looked for cracks but can't find any so hoping it's not that. It sounds like it's coming from the crankset area but I'm guessing I should check the headset as well in case it is the sound travelling. Other than that I have no idea.

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oh and to add I can bounce the bike hard and not a single noise, pedalling slow as a snail the creak appears as if at a certain point of the pedal revolution.

90% of the time a creak around the crank area is a loose bb, only needs to be loose a fraction. That would be the first place i checked especially on full sus frames. More so if i only happens on a specific pedal stroke. I would also check the pedals and crank/bb contact area for wear and dirt.

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ok under further investigation it's actually coming from the rear freehub/chain area thanks to having an extra pair of hands so not sure if only the chain or freehub but will start with the chain as putting pressure on pedals results in creak but not all the way around the chain making me think/hope it's not freehub)

Pedals, surprisingly, have been the source of many of my creaks in the past. Do you have a pair you can swap out - just to be sure?

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yep swapped the pedals for a set I know are good. not that. It's definitely the rear wheel. When off the bike if I stand next to the rear wheel and someone pushes on the pedals there's a click and creak from the freehub. While riding it almost sounds as if the gears are misaligned and the chain is skipping around but the gears are aligned fine. Could a chain be the cause of it?

Although when I took the wheel off the bike there was a bit of lateral play in the freehub. I'm going to try swapping the chain just to rule that out but I've got a feeling it is the freehub (possibly cracked). If I can find an adapter to change from 142x12 to standard quick release I can try the wheel from my other bike and see if the noise disappears.

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Like you I tried just about everything including the usual suspects. The solution came from STW and after greasing the inside of the swingarm where the wheel touches.....silence. I now have the quitest Orange outside of Halifax. It seems that the swing arm was acting as a sounding board and was a 5 minute fix.

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ooh will have to try that but there's definitely a noise from the freehub. whether or not that's the whole problem who knows but I really don't fancy doing 24 hours next week with that creaking :shock:

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MarinMartin":3uhzg91k said:

Could a chain be the cause of it?

Click to expand...

Possibly. I have found a worn quick link to cause a click in the past when putting the pressure on.

It could be as simple as tensioning the rear QR a bit more (assuming it's not bolt through).