Clicking handlebars - very annoying

[ashleydwsmith]

As per title, clicking all the time. Checked today on stem bolts all ok.
Would it b possible that I’ve over tightened the top cap resulting in a click?

 

[VWsurfbum]

or headset bearings?? Fork crown also (fox forks)
Usually though its the stem to bar interface.

 

[RustyMTB]

Rattles can be deceiving. In my experience, it could sound like it comes from somewhere & actually be something else. Golden spots to concentrate on will be your seatpost/saddle rails, bottom bracket & shock bolts. otherwise disassemble & regrease everything until you nail the bastard.

 

[Stihldog]

I’d echo everything @RustyMTB said and pay special attention to the stem bolt torque procedure and headset bearings. Assembly grease may help also if you have carbon components (seat post clamp area etc). Good luck in the search …a clicking noise would drive me .

 

[RustyMTB]

Incidentally, I did have an intractable click that I just couldn't find. Like the dog says above, it drives you crazy. Turned out to be two loose bolts holding the motor on to the frame.

 

[SquireRides]

Oh I love chasing creaks around the bike. They rarely come from where you think they are.

So I'll just add two more things to consider:

There's a known problem with some Fox forks where the crown meets the stantions. Google it. Turn it over and let a tiny bit of light oil soak in to the crown. Might help.

When I thought I had a creaky cockpit it turned out to be the brake pads. Seriously. SRAM G2. Needed more tension on the pads so I had to spread the spring spacer thing slightly. Fixed.

 

[Stihldog]

Here. Could be used for other things too.

 

[RickBullotta]

If you tightened your top cap without loosening the stem bolts, it didn't do anything to properly tension the headset. You need to loosen the stem bolts, *then* adjust the top cap bolt.

Also, a great way to isolate headset movement vs brake pad movement is to turn your front wheel 90 degrees, grab front brake, then push the bike forward and backwards (in the direction the frame is pointing, not the wheel). Any movement there is coming from your headset (or in some cases your fork bushings). If you have play in the headset, go through the above procedure.

 

[towzer]

I had a clicking levo, redid all stem, clam etc, redid top cap as per manual torque figures and it has disappeared.

 

[Mikerb]

People interpet noises differently..........if however the noise is a "click" and it is coming from the bars, that is usually due to very small movements on a metal to metal interface. As above it is most likely the interface between the stem and the bars or ( less likely) the stem and steerer tube. Firstly the contact area between the two components needs to be clean. Note also that there are 2 main designs of stem clamp . One type requires each bolt to be progressively tightened to torque........ie tighten each bolt a little in turn, usually going across the diagonal rather than just fully tightening each one to torque straight away. The other type of clamp requires one face ( between the stem and clamp) to be closed............stems with this design usually have that instruction printed on them.
The stem to steerer clamping also requires the bolts to be progressively and equally tightened until both are at the correct torque.

 

[Turbo Mike]

I have retorqued my head set bearing and eliminated the click … but one time I found the inner wiring under the display was the issue. Very near the headset!! Dastardly!!

 

[Manc44]

Mine's clicking. It's once per crank revolution that narrows it down, but since it comes and goes I just ignore it.