dennis336

Hi all, I've recently started hearing a noise - a clicking/rattling sound (not creaking) - that seems to be coming from the handlebar/headset area - at least that's my guess. It's a Carbon Fiber Trek Domane with 28mm tires. Here's the symptoms:
- I hear it when I'm going over rough surfaces ... road doesn't have to be real bad shape, just the normal cracks and bumps
- Doesn't seem to vary a real lot based on the condition of the road (although, as noted, there is no noise on a smooth surface)
- Doesn't seem to be related to the crank or pedaling. I'll hear it whether pedaling or not.
- Hear it whether I'm putting pressure on the handlebars or not, e.g. not necessarily when I'm grinding uphill
- I've tried standing in front of the bike, lifting it a bit and dropping. Don't hear the noise - no unusual rattling or other sound.
- I've held the brakes in closed position and tried to move the bike back and forth - no noise at all doing that

So, the thing is, I started hearing this after a ride where I got caught in a couple of downpours. Once for a good 20 minutes and again later in the ride for another 30 minutes. Thinking that's not a coincidence

The bike has about 11,600 miles on it and is half-way through my fourth season, so around 3 1/2 years old. Never had the hubs or headset re-greased.

I'm thinking of undoing the headset and putting grease in it if that sounds like a likely culprit. Does that sound like a likely cause of the problem? Any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

harshbarj

First thing I would suspect is the bearings in the headset. I'd open that up and check for signs of wear or looseness. Depending on the weather you ride in, it may be time to grease it anyway. I tend to grease mine twice a year, but I ride in all weather and often in heavy rain.

rayooo

I swore at one point that something in the front/stem/steerer was making noise. more like an occasional "snap" sound.
It turned out to be my seat clamp area.

These things are so annoying and often very hard to pin down.

Good luck sorting this out. I've also had slightly loose bottle cage(s)that caused a random noise dependent on the road roughness.

dennis336

Thanks for the replies. I did try checking for things like the bottle cage being loose, confirmed the saddle bag wasn't loose or things weren't bouncing around inside. Also checked cables, and the bike computer and they seem not to be causing any noise. I'm a newbie with bike maintenance but I'm thinking I'll try opening the headset and checking the bearings and adding grease when I get some time. Worst case, if that doesn't resolve it, I'll cry uncle and bring it into my LBS. Thanks again!

AndreyT

Does your headset have a traditional top cap and top bolt? If so, simply try to loosen (or even temporarily remove completely) the top cap and top bolt. Then test again to see whether the noise persists.

Granted, there's no way to diagnose it sight unseen, but the symptoms you describe are instantly recognizable symptoms of anchor nut making noise because of overtightened top bolt. I'm surprised something that immediately obvious has not been mentioned yet.

Redbullet

Stupid guess: maybe some cables (braking or shifting) vibrating and touching internally the frame? I have such noises from time to time, mostly on roads with constant rough surfaces. Something like touching the resonance frequency of the internal cables. I'm not sure of this explanation, but no further issue came out from that for a long time, so I simply ignore it when it comes.

dennis336

Thanks again for the replies. Fingers crossed, I may have fixed it. After checking all the easy things (loose saddle bag, cables, etc) and loosening and re-installing the cap nut, I decided to try re-greasing the headset. I'd never done it before and I'm a bike maintenance novice so I was a bit intimidated at dis-assembling the headset to re-grease (although I know for many, this is a very simple process). I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but after cleaning and greasing the headset this morning, I took the bike out for a brief spin and I didn't hear the clicking sound. I'm going to hold off declaring victory just yet and will see how the week goes with longer rides. But the initial ride and results were encouraging.

Thanks again!

Le Mechanic

Threadless cartridge bearing headsets need to be disassembled and cleaned now and again just due to the noises you describe initially. Sounds like you got the issue taken care of, but it's mainly due to the interface between the bearing cartridges and frame getting dirty. It's actually a pretty simple 5-minute process. I made this video several years ago on what the symptoms sound like and how to overhaul the headset on a carbon fiber frame, but it's essentially the same on an aluminum frame.