[Dave99]

Fellas,

I need a little help here in the Santa Cruz forum. I've got a 2003 medium Heckler and it won't stop creaking at the bottom bracket!

Do a lot of you other Santa Cruz Heckler owners also suffer from BB creak? I've been suffering since my second ride. Have you successfully resolved this problem? What kind of BB and crankset worked for you and what did you do?

Here are some particulars:
-Truvativ GigaPipe Team SL BB
-Truvativ FireX SL cranks
-used TONNES of grease on threads, seating surfaces, ISIS interfaces, and spacer interfaces
-tried substituting plumber's Teflon tape over threads
-tightened drive side threads first and then non-drive side to best approximation of 30 lb-ft
-had bike shop face and chase bottom bracket
-replaced GigaPipe Team SL BB with another GigaPipe BB - this one was even worse - the BB is totally shot after two rides and the cranks are slopping from side to side - AND IT STILL CREAKS!!!

I'm seriously contemplating investing in a tougher crankset and BB. Before that, I'd like to confirm the problem is at the BB and / or ISIS interface rather than from a known issue with the bike frame or something funny like a misaligned rear wheel drop-out. Any insights would be much appreciated. Any recommendations on quality all-mountain cranksets and matching BBs would also be appreciated.

 

[dpdsurf]

Have you checked your pivot? Make sure the bolts are torked properly. Other than that, I would try a new BB too. I have the same BB as you with no probs. I do notice a slight clicking noise when I'm mashing, but I think that is frame flex. Also make sure it isn't the pedals making the noise.

 

[Anders]

Have you checked your quick releases, that's where mine creaked the first time.

 

[scruffy]

Creaks are v difficult to track down , iIf its DEFINITELY the BB try degreasing everything and installing with loctite.

But it might not be the BB so check your drop out. I replaced the female bolt part with shorter versions and put coppa slip all over the frame / drop out connection, its stopped my creak. Also clean your shock mount hardware and make sure its not too tight. And check your bearing clamp bolts are loctited in nice and snug, and the bearings are sitting correctly.

good luck.

 

[Dave99]

Dudes - thanks for the insight!

I played with my drop-out again. This time, I made sure I bottomed the dropout set screws against the frame while tightening the dropout bolts. I noticed the tension in the chain from the slackened derailleur generates enough torque to misalign the dropout if you're not careful.

On a side note, I also noticed a big divot where one of the drop-out set-screws touches the frame. It looks like there wasn't enough clamping friction to hold the dropout in place so the set screws dug into the frame! That's not good. I increased the torque to 90 lb-in to compensate. Hopefully that will keep the dropout from slipping (and probably creaking).

Adjusting the dropout and re-tightening has temporarily eliminated the creak!!! I noticed the creak weakly returned after climbing aggressively, popping wheelies, and throwing some wheelie drops for about 1/2 hour when I tightened the drop-out bolts to 80 lb-in. I re-adjusted the wheel alignment with the dropout set-screws and lock-tited the screws in place at 90 lb-in. Hopefully this will hold. At least the cause-effect relationship has been established!

Thanks guys! I hope this thread can help other Heckler owners as well. That creaking noise just sucked the joy out of my new bike feeling!

Dave.

 

[fasteddy001]

Creaking prob solved

SC should have a note about the rear replaceable dropout and how it will creak if not properly aligned. I finally figured my creak was from the dropout flexing- but like you because the creaking only happened when I torqued on the cranks, I though it was the bottom bracket. I spent several hours ripping apart bb, cranks, crank bolts, chainring bolts,etc before figuring out problem was the dropout.

 

[Dave99]

Yeah - I fully agree that SC should note the creaky consequence of a misaligned drop-out in their Heckler Tech Sheet. I brought this issue to Scott Turner's attention at SC but it was a surprise to him so maybe this symptom slipped under their radar. In any case, Scott's been excellent at fielding questions in a prompt and courteous manner so he should be able to correct future mis-diagnoses and save other SC owners some major grief (and money).

Last week, I re-aligned the dropout, tightened to 90 lb-in., and used blue medium Lock-tite on the drop-out bolts. No creaking whatsoever. I just returned from a two-day DH trip to Bromont in Quebec. What a hoot! That park is one sick playground with lots of extreme DH! No creaking despite all of the pounding and hucking and dropping I unleashed on my Heckler! The fix is holding so I think this issue has been successfully resolved.

Thanks very much for all your help.

Regards,

Dave.

 

[ReturnOfTheMTB]

SC should have a note about the rear replaceable dropout and how it will creak if not properly aligned. I finally figured my creak was from the dropout flexing- but like you because the creaking only happened when I torqued on the cranks, I though it was the bottom bracket. I spent several hours ripping apart bb, cranks, crank bolts, chainring bolts,etc before figuring out problem was the dropout.

Revive an old thread because this creak annoyed the hell out of me. Every time I put load to the pedals it would creak. I checked the pivots, the shock, the crank, the BB, the pedals. Turns out it was the damn rear hanger.