Noise when turning the front wheel

[equus123]

Okay everybody, I would like your help. I've recently began hearing noises coming from my bike and I have no idea what it might be so put your detective gear on see if you guys can help figure it out because I sure can't. So here's what we know:

-the bike started making a noise every now and then when I'm out of the saddle riding - sounds like it's coming from the steerer tube/head tube/fork area. the noise is a clicking and creeking sound while riding; similar to that of when a pedal clicks or squeaks(?)

-recently swapped the stem (not sure if it's related but you never know); have carbon bars

-makes a creeking sound when I just pick the front of the bike up and turn the front wheel from side to side. it makes the noise during the end part of the movement but doesn't do it all the time when i try this.

Can you guys think of what this might be? I mean it could be anything from some screw being too tight to something needing to be lubed in that front area to something ready to break. I'm only concerned because I have only one bike - one to train on, climb on, beat on, and race on! :(

Thanks! :)

[Eden]

Loose headset? You can check by standing over your bike, feet on the floor, brakes on. Now try to move the the handlbars straight forward and backwards. If there is movement or clicking noises your headset might be loose. Be careful about adjusting/tighening with carbon. If you don't have a torque wrench take it to someone who does. (oh yeah - if the headset bearings are worn you can get noise, movement too - my husband found out he had worn headset bearings by riding no handed. The front end would start to shimmy whenever he let go - but it was an old style headset/quill stem so its easier to get wear)

[DebW]

The headset could be too tight or too loose or have worn bearings. What type of headset do you have? Assuming you have a threadless headset, changing the stem requires loosening and retightening the headset. The top cap allen fitting is used to adjust the headset tension while the stem attachment to the fork is loose. Tighten enough to remove all the play but not to cause binding. Then tighten the stem onto the steerer tube of the fork. See the parktool website for specific directions.

[equus123]

thank you guys for your help and input. i'll check it out when i get home but might just take it around the corner to my LBS to double check.

i think my headset is a Cane Creek? it's whatever comes standard on a Cannondale R5000 ('05). hopefully that's what you were asking. :)

[RoadRaven]

I wonder about the head set too - you seem to have covered the other things I can think of...

My partner's RR training bike, a Wheeler, has a noise too, and he has replaced, refitted and fiddled with everything he could. We are assuming it is the frame itself, and considering the 1000's of kms it has done, this is plausable. We are looking at getting him a new RR bike so his current one can become his training bike. We're just worried the frame may give out somewhere/time while he's riding.

[ridebikeme]

Assuming like everyone else that it might be the headset... let me give you some other things to think about. How old is your R5000?

It could also be noise coming from the stem/handlebar area...that area takes ona lot of stress from all sorts of things.... road shock, we pull on the handlebars quite a bit when riding hard, and simply a portion of our weight over them all the time. That is why I asked you how old you bike was.. someting else to rule out. You might also check your housing where it feeds into the frame... that can also make quite a bit of noise.

If you aren't able to isolate the problem,: I would definitely have your LBS take a look at it.

[equus123]

My R5000 is about 3 yrs old or there about. My stem is only a month old and I got new bars about 3 months ago...so I think that can be ruled out.

When I was at home last night I picked up my girlfriend's bike and turned the bars from side to side and it was fluid and easy. I picked mine up and it seems to be tighter turning from side to side and has just the slightest bit of resistance in the sense that it doesn't just move fluidly. Does this change anything you guys were thinking?

[KnottedYet]

That sounds like the way my bike behaved when it needed a new headset.
(mine didn't make noise, but it fought turning left and right, and almost acted like it was spring-loaded)

[velogirl]

definitely sounds like the head set is either too tight or needs to be serviced.

however, creaking (and resistance) can also be caused by cables rubbing on the head tube when you turn the front from side to side.

[equus123]

gotchya. thank you for your help! :)

[Eden]

Yeah sounds like when your stem was changed the headset may have been over tightened. It can be a tricky thing - it needs to be tight enough to not move back and forth(like I described when I thought the clicking might be looseness), but not so tight that it binds.

[equus123]

Yeah sounds like when your stem was changed the headset may have been over tightened. It can be a tricky thing - it needs to be tight enough to not move back and forth(like I described when I thought the clicking might be looseness), but not so tight that it binds.

that's a good way to put it. :)

[equus123]

i have an update.

i went to my LBS yesterday on my way home from work and the verdict is that we had to order new bearings. my buddy there who's the mechanic started general and got more specific. he wanted to take the fork off and clean everything down and while he was doing that we encountered our problem. i have an FSA headset and when he went to take the [forgive me, i don't know the lingo] bearings off of the top and bottom of the head tube, they came out in 2-3 pieces. there's the piece on top, the piece of rubber that the ball bearings sit in, and then the piece on the bottom. these were all coming out separately instead of one unit. my bike is ~3 yrs old so this also makes sense.

so he ended up cleaning everything off anyway, greased, and ordered new bearings. i have a stage race this weekend and because i only have one bike, this will be fine for the race. they will be replaced after that.

thank you for your suggestions guys, it helped! :)

[DebW]

I once took apart a headset on a fairly new bike I had because the headset kept jingling. This was before the days of sealed bearings. I should have found 25 individual 5/32" balls, but I found 24 balls and two halves. One bearing had split into two almost perfect halves.

[equus123]

oh geez. :eek: is that a manufacturing error or can somebody actually do that from riding?

[smilingcat]

Well atleast you found the problem with the clicking noise.

Funny many of us sort of forget about the headset. You really don't turn too much in either direction unlike BB where it goes round and round and round...

24 and 2 halves of bearing. That's pretty bad!!! Most likely a manufacturing defect in the split ball bearing. They shouldn't crack like that unless someone was riding in -40C weather or lower...

I guess headset don't get much attention unlike BB, hubs, rear derailure. Headsets do wear out. And wear out faster on a frames with shorter head tube.

smilingcat