[Vanu]

I get a creaking noice from the Swingarm when riding over bumps. Is there a simple way to take care of this at home? or is it necessary to take the bike to the shop?

thanks for your help.

 

[cdnbkrdude]

Check the seat post first.....

I have a Jekyll 1000 and love riding in dirty conditions. I have had the same thing you describe and the first time it happened, it drove me nuts. Long story short, after a few hours of cleaning and stripping parts etc., it turned out that it was the seat post. Dirt gets in around the post, and if it isn't clean and / or tight enough, it sounds like a creaking sound coming from the swing arm. You ride along, and it sounds like it is right there in the swing arm.....
Drove me crazy. Cleaned it up, tightened it and it stopped making the noise.
Don't know if you have tried this, but give it a shot before you try any more radical work.
Good Luck.

 

[Jdub]

I have a Jekyll 1000 and love riding in dirty conditions. I have had the same thing you describe and the first time it happened, it drove me nuts. Long story short, after a few hours of cleaning and stripping parts etc., it turned out that it was the seat post. Dirt gets in around the post, and if it isn't clean and / or tight enough, it sounds like a creaking sound coming from the swing arm. You ride along, and it sounds like it is right there in the swing arm.....
Drove me crazy. Cleaned it up, tightened it and it stopped making the noise.
Don't know if you have tried this, but give it a shot before you try any more radical work.
Good Luck.

Same problem for me. I have to clean and lube my seat tube every couple of months or the creaks come back. Also, I've found that my cables are the source of creaks from time to time.

 

[MendonCycleSmith]

Frequently, rear quick release tightness is an issue with these, I have been wrenching for dollars for almost 20 years,had the same issue with my bike a few years back, did everything I could think of, called Cannondale in desperation, and that was what they said. Get a good QR, like a Salsa, or Shimano (if you don't already have one) and tighten it very well, it worked for me! Other possibilities include the rear shock bolt being loose, or grit in the rear derr hanger (remove clean surfaces and grease before re-install). And yes, the seatpost and saddle rails are good possibilities too, clean and regrease them, yes, seat rails too, especially if they are Titanium. Good luck!

 

[Vanu]

Thanks for your advice. I'll give it a go and report the results. The forum is not only interesting to read and getting tech tips but useful in getting individual issues fixed.

 

[Vanu]

Well... I removed the seat post and saddle and greased all possible parts... Unfortunately, I still get a creaking noise which seems to come from the pivot on the swing arm when I bounce up and down. Any one else have a recommendation to fix this?
Many thanks for the advice...

 

[MendonCycleSmith]

Well... I removed the seat post and saddle and greased all possible parts... Unfortunately, I still get a creaking noise which seems to come from the pivot on the swing arm when I bounce up and down. Any one else have a recommendation to fix this?
Many thanks for the advice...

Well, other than the things I mentioned before, which you do not indicate whether you did or not, try a buddies silent seat and post, just swap in the driveway, and try it. I had a saddle opnce that was the source of alot of noise, this is an easy way to check that off the list.

 

[k1dude]

Had a similar problem.

Well... I removed the seat post and saddle and greased all possible parts... Unfortunately, I still get a creaking noise which seems to come from the pivot on the swing arm when I bounce up and down. Any one else have a recommendation to fix this?
Many thanks for the advice...

I had a new 2000 Jekyll 900SL that creaked for a full two years. I kept returning it to my LBS where I had bought it. They kept telling me it was normal and everything was fine. I knew that it wasn't right, especially since everyone else that I came across that had the same bike didn't have the problem.

One day when I had my bike in the LBS for an unrelated problem, and I ran into the Cannodale rep. I explained the problem and he asked if he could check it out. Of course I let him work on my bike. He asked me to come back the next day.

When I came back the next day, he had the problem fixed. No more squeeking or creaking. It was great. When I asked him how he fixed it when the LBS couldn't, he reluctantly admitted he discovered that when my bike left the factory, they had assembled the entire bike without using lube on anything. It was very obvious he was embarrassed over Cannondale's manufacturing oversight.

Overnight, he had disassembled my entire bike, pivots, BB, and everything, and found that there was no lube on any of it. He lubed everything and re-assembled it. He charged me nothing for fixing it. He warned me that the bike might have suffered permament damage resulting from no lube, and I should check and re-tighten certain components after a couple rides to make sure everything was OK. But he also let me know their warranty would not cover their manufacturing oversight if the bike had suffered irreversible damage as a result of not having any lube. I thought that sucked big time.

So you might have to strip down the bike to make sure everything got lubed correctly from the factory. Unlike my bike where they forgot to lube EVERYTHING, they might have forgotten to lube one or two things on yours. I suspect whoever assembled my bike may have been a new employee/trainee. Or maybe he/she was stoned out of their minds.