Answered Fork creak/crack

[Jamsxr]

After 3 months of abuse my 36 factory forks have developed the dreaded creak/crack noise. It only happens if and when they are compressed at speed, slamming the from brake or landing a big jump without being super smooth - roots and general downhill don’t seem to cause it.

My first port of call will be to get them replaced/sorted under warranty, but my LBS pointed out this is common and will likely happen with all forks at some point...

What’s the view on here, anything I can do to prevent the onset of fork creak or is it something that’s inevitable if you’re subjecting your bike to downhill, jumps and parks?

The 140mm Pikes on my Jeffsy are creak free after over 3 years of abuse..

 

[LawmanMtb]

try this, ride you bike sat down, then ride it stood up and if your creaking stops when you stand up then its your seat! you would be Amazed at how often its the seat and not the forks, HTH

 

[Jamsxr]

try this, ride you bike sat down, then ride it stood up and if your creaking stops when you stand up then its your seat! you would be Amazed at how often its the seat and not the forks, HTH

Thanks but it’s definitely the forks, I have my seat down a fair amount of the time, and I’m definitely not sitting down when landing jumps ? Easiest way to make it happen is to stand up on the bike and slam the front brake, it then tends to make a nice cracking sound as the bike comes to a stop. Pumping the forks aggressively has no effect though.

 

[khorn]

Thanks but it’s definitely the forks, I have my seat down a fair amount of the time, and I’m definitely not sitting down when landing jumps ? Easiest way to make it happen is to stand up on the bike and slam the front brake, it then tends to make a nice cracking sound as the bike comes to a stop. Pumping the forks aggressively has no effect though.

Well, no way an almost new fork suddenly should start making weird noises. It could in theory also being your upper- or lower headset that are making the noise, have you checked that they are well lubed and tightened to the right amount of torque?

I recall someone else had issues with a Fox 36 cracking where the upper part of the inner tube is connected to the steerer part.

Karsten

 

[Telemarker]

I also suggest the headseat bearings may need some more grease

 

[Matt b]

After 3 months of abuse my 36 factory forks have developed the dreaded creak/crack noise. It only happens if and when they are compressed at speed, slamming the from brake or landing a big jump without being super smooth - roots and general downhill don’t seem to cause it.

My first port of call will be to get them replaced/sorted under warranty, but my LBS pointed out this is common and will likely happen with all forks at some point...

What’s the view on here, anything I can do to prevent the onset of fork creak or is it something that’s inevitable if you’re subjecting your bike to downhill, jumps and parks?

The 140mm Pikes on my Jeffsy are creak free after over 3 years of abuse..

Got the same problem with my Revs, it may be the crown steering unit. Some use loctite to help fix it. Give it a Google.

 

[Jamsxr]

Thanks for the feedback/suggestions.

Doing some more research it looks like either a steerer/crown or stantion/crown problem - this is what my mechanic also said to be fair.

The general hack seems to be turning the forks upside down and dropping some lube in overnight. I’ll try that in the short term but ultimately they will need to go back to Fox.

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

I had the same problem with fox 36 too. Stand the bike on the back wheel and bounce it. It's a damn awful noise. The forks went away under warranty and it's been ok, but I think it's coming back. Had I heard about this I'd of got lyrics.

 

[Jamsxr]

Yep, definitely the forks, my mechanic tells me he sees it on loads of RockShox and Fox.

 

[cozzy]

I did have the same noise. Sounded like the steerer was about to drop out. Very noticable dropping it out an uplift trailer onto the back wheel. It was the headset in my case though. Worth a check & regrease.

 

[Jamsxr]

I did have the same noise. Sounded like the steerer was about to drop out. Very noticable dropping it out an uplift trailer onto the back wheel. It was the headset in my case though. Worth a check & regrease.

Did that last night to no avail ?

 

[Jamsxr]

It was the fork steerer/crown, confirmed by Silverfish (UK Fox Service Center). Only problem is they’re eBike specific forks and the parts will take 5 weeks, so it’s creaky forks for the time being ?

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

Yep same as mine. Really disappointing. Mine are non ebike specific.

 

[Jamsxr]

Yep same as mine. Really disappointing. Mine are non ebike specific.

This problem is rife across Fox and Rockshox, not good!

I have now noticed the old Pikes on my 140mm trail bike have it, but you don’t hear it riding or jumping, you have bump the front wheel to get a slight creak, but it’s not really a problem.

The noise on my eBike is like cracking glass and is not something I’m willing to put up with. I’m guessing the additional unsprung weight exacerbates the symptoms... Not something you would expect from from such an expensive/premium product.

They gave me the option of replacing with standard forks for a quicker turnaround time but I’ve opted to wait for the eBike parts, not that it will make much difference.... I will monitor and post here if the problem comes back once they have been fixed.

 

[rodomotion]

happened to me three times with RS revelation (the old one, 32mm) the original, the replacement, and the original with a new CSU. finally they sent me a dual position Pike. creak free. had it for 3 years and sold it.

 

[Matt b]

I'm going to send mine back in the winter, do you deal directly with rockshox or go via lbs where I bought from?

 

[rodomotion]

directly with LBS first, then when things started to get bad, I sent a mail to Sram directly, to hurry up the process.

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

I think the creak is back on mine especially as it costs £25 to return them as I didn't purchase from lbs and original supplier said they wouldn't warranty as non ebike forks.