Help me catch the Gremlins!

[Jono]

What you are describing sounds like a creaky csu. I had this issue earlier in the year. There is a simple test you can do involving pushing and pulling on the fork to test. Def get in touch with @droofrom Stoke Suspension, he'll talk you through the test and they have the equipment to sort it out. Their service is excellent.  

[love2fly]

4 hours ago, Wyatt Earp said:

Contrary to popular belief, removing seals, cleaning bearings and greasing them is hardly ever successful.

The balls pit as well as the race they run on.

Not if you do it regularly. A stitch in time saves 9 or more....ball bearings 

[Wyatt Earp]

5 hours ago, Long Wheel Base said:

Off topic, I know I have been scarce here this year, but when did you get back? Welcome back!!!

Thanks 🙏🏻 

Been since Monday.

[madmarc]

If there is no play in the headset while rocking the bike back and forth with the front brake on - then I would hazard it's a fork issue. Either where the steerer tube and stanchions press into the CSU or inside the fork itself.

Grab the seat tube and slightly lift the back wheel, if there is play or like a bump in the vertical movement, then its rear shock bushes.

Make sure the front caliper & rotor are tight.

Also check if the noise is not perhaps coming from your front wheel hub.

Also try establish the correct bearings for that SCOTT frame and check to ensure they are in fact correct - I got Cane Creak headset bearings from a LBS whore swore blind it was correct - ID/OD were correct but the thickness was not. TREK bottom headset bearings are thicker.

Don't believe what LBS tell you, half of them have no clue themselves - just go through each moving part and identify the noise through a process of elimination. Or you could just stop bunny hopping and lifting your front wheel - ride with headphones banging out some Meatloaf - that would also solve the problem.

 

[madmarc]

2 hours ago, love2fly said:

Not if you do it regularly. A stitch in time saves 9 or more....ball bearings 

Agree - I been doing it for years as long as they can spin at 20 000 rpm on your finger with an airgun driving it - they be good to go for another year.

[Eddy Gordo]

Crown cycles are scott dealers. 

[RobertWhitehead]

 

This may help, but play in the headset is not a great thing to have. Maybe consider another "qualified mechanic" to have a look if you still have play. 

[Peewee1]

Best of luck with your headset issue, seems like everyone has laid out all the problems it could be on here. 

 

This might help once you get going on the bearings:

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/scott-spark-workshop-manual/

 

 

[Barry]

10 hours ago, RobertWhitehead said:

 

This may help, but play in the headset is not a great thing to have. Maybe consider another "qualified mechanic" to have a look if you still have play. 

How common is this problem? So sending your fork back for warranty replacement does not solve the problem as it will just happen again🤣

Edited December 3, 2022 by Barry

[Barry]

Any reason why fork manufacturers don't use a threaded Stantion into a threaded csu with a little loctite?

[RobertWhitehead]

2 hours ago, Barry said:

How common is this problem? So sending your fork back for warranty replacement does not solve the problem as it will just happen again🤣

It happened back in the day and from what I understand this has been resolved by Fox. But I have had a fork that did that and the locktite route does work. It is just quite expensive and hard to come by

[440MTB]

Thanks for all the replies gents! Much appreciated.

Thankfully the pivot bushes and bearings weren't in a terrible state, I just gave them some love with a clean and some fresh grease all round, and now they're running like butter on frying pan left out on a hot summer's day. SMOOF and quiet! 🤣

Thankfully the issue only happens when I smash the front brake in an unnatural way, and then it clicks again when I pull back on the bars, once it's seated it doesn't do much, and it's not like I smash on the front brake like doing a stoppie all the time.

Anyhow, was at the LBS on Saturday for a good couple of hours, it's definitely the fork, either steerer tube, or stanchions in the crown as we've literally rebuilt the headset and replaced the crown race on the steerer tube, as well as the top spacer that fits between the top bearing and steerer tube.

I'll see if I can get the bike to Stoke ( @droo ) either Friday or Monday (weekend is my daughter's 3rd birthday, so day is booked).

Anyhow, I found the below vids as well, the sound is almost exactly like in the first video, but just amplified due to the fork being installed and tightened in the frame, etc:

https://youtu.be/LFvPNWAH6Kg?t=30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U5okPm9Sn8

Then I see there are chaps who do this sort of work locally, so hopefully refitting the Steerer Tube and stanchions with some loctite or "special glue" does the trick, but thankfully it's not a major issue.

Cheers!

Edited December 6, 2022 by MandM

[440MTB]

On 12/2/2022 at 11:48 PM, RobertWhitehead said:

 

This may help, but play in the headset is not a great thing to have. Maybe consider another "qualified mechanic" to have a look if you still have play. 

Spot on man... This seems to be the exact sound I get right at the below timestamped link:

https://youtu.be/_FsYV9Q03uc?t=225

Will see if I can have the stanchions and steerer tube pressed out and sorted with some loctite/similar.

[RobertWhitehead]

13 minutes ago, MandM said:

Spot on man... This seems to be the exact sound I get right at the below timestamped link:

https://youtu.be/_FsYV9Q03uc?t=225

Will see if I can have the stanchions and steerer tube pressed out and sorted with some loctite/similar.

No need to press them out, the locktite penetrates and only sets in the absence of oxygen

[440MTB]

11 minutes ago, RobertWhitehead said:

No need to press them out, the locktite penetrates and only sets in the absence of oxygen

Only saw that at the end of the video yeah. 😊

The ones I saw, and posted, they actually press out the stanchions and steerer tube. So now to hunt for that specific loctite, but definitely worth a giving it a bash!

Thanks again for the share sir! Very nice find indeed!

[RobertWhitehead]

11 minutes ago, MandM said:

Only saw that at the end of the video yeah. 😊

The ones I saw, and posted, they actually press out the stanchions and steerer tube. So now to hunt for that specific loctite, but definitely worth a giving it a bash!

Thanks again for the share sir! Very nice find indeed!

https://za.rs-online.com/web/p/retaining-compounds/0514537?cm_mmc=ZA-PLA-DS3A-_-google-_-PLA_ZA_EN_Adhesives_%26_Sealants_%26_Tapes_Whoop-_-(ZA:Whoop!)+Retaining+Compounds+(2)-_-514537&matchtype=&pla-310735282982&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7bucBhCeARIsAIOwr-_HXKi1zeq5wAVFPTW_WRSXJdtLTrwsGL1K3gAfjI7Z348-_p0b8MoaAtAtEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds - They're based in Midrand and deliver nationwide