D.I.Y. Brooks "surgery"

[KnottedYet]

Called Bill at Wallingford this morning, and told him the creaking/twanging/snapping in my B67 wasn't getting better. He told me to take the seat off the bike and which parts to wiggle to see if I could isolate the noise.

After I found the offending bit, I called him back. He told me where to put oil or grease (grease would be better). I dripped some T-9 in there (I have no grease). I also backed off on some of the tension. (since increasing the tension wasn't helping)

Preliminary results are that the minor "surgery" was successful! If I wiggled the shackle and bolt, no noise. Put the saddle back on the bike and sat on it. No noise. Rocked on it, no noise. Put my hands on each side and torqued over the springs, NO NOISE.

I'll try riding it tonight after work.

Bill is very cool.

[mimitabby]

Good news about the Brooks! I am sure enjoying the one on my Bianchi!
One of the nice things about it, when i want to push myself farther back (like when I have to stop suddenly) there is some seat back there for me to do it on.
And it's so nice to not always have my backside being the first thing that hurts! To be able to Forget about my seat and focus on the important stuff is so nice.

[DebW]

That's very good news, Knotted. I'm sure you didn't want to start breaking in another new Brooks.

[KnottedYet]

Rode for the first time since I worked on the B67 with Bill's help.

Whoooopeeeeeee! No noise at all! NONE!!! Not even a mere-est hint of a sqeak, let alone the creaks and groans and twanging.

Bill is my hero. Gonna start my own "Bill and Diane Fan Club"

Cheers to Wallingford Bicycle Parts!

[nuthatch]

I was just going to post a question about this very thing! My saddle creaks like the barn door all the time. So what parts were you told to lube up? The places that metal contacts the leather?

I'm wondering if the creaking could be a combination of the leather saddle and the thudbuster seatpost. Any advice would be most welcome!

[KnottedYet]

Here's what Bill told me to do:

1. Take the saddle off the bike.
2. Turn it upside down.
3. See the threaded bolt thingy? (in the nose) Wiggle it. The end of that bolt is round, and sits in a cup at the very front of the shackle in the nose. It's meant to move freely within the cup.
4. Did you hear your noise? (it'll be quieter than on the bike, but I heard some of my noise just FINE)
5. If that made noise, drip oil or smear grease into the edges of the cup/bolt at the very front of the nose. (I used T-9, which is Boeing's version of White Lightning.) It will work its way in.

Next:

6. See the funny silver folded thing just aft of the cup and adjustment nut? See how it folds around the end of the bent rod that is the rails and frame?
7. Wiggle whatever you can there. (I wiggled the rail).
8. Did you hear more of your noise? (I didn't.)
9. Whether you did or not, drip some oil in there anyway. Can't hurt.

Finally:

Put the seat back on the bike. Do some of the stuff that you know made the seat creak before. Is it better? Good. Repeat the above as necessary to make you happy.

Still noisy? Call Bill. Some seats are just noisy, for whatever reason. He will try to help you more specifically over the phone, or replace it.

I was just CERTAIN that the noise was coming from under my butt, not from the nose. But it really was coming from the nose, I just felt it under my butt. After riding a few times I can now hear just the faintest little snap again when I'm rocking in the saddle (climbing the Evil Hill of Doom on my commute, bad form I know). Bill said grease was best. I didn't have grease, so I'll just keep applying T-9 until I built up enough wax in the cup to get rid of all the noise.

[nuthatch]

Thanks! I've been worrying about the creak for a while. I thought bottom bracket at first but now I'm sure it's the saddle/seatpost (although after thousands of commuter miles, the bottom bracket deserves to be replaced).

I'll start with your routine and work my way down to the seatpost if necessary - though I don't have any idea what to do for the thudbuster if that's also a source of creaking. Poor old girl needs a total makeover (except for the Brooks, which is a thing of beauty!)

[KnottedYet]

A little lube in the shackle really took care of it for my Brooks. Such a relief! Let me know how yours works out.