Creaking saddle

[lulubel]

The saddle on my MTB has started creaking. It's a 2-year old saddle that was on my old road bike during a crash, and was slightly scuffed down one side, but had covered about 3,000km on my new road bike since the crash with no problems.

The seat post clamp on the MTB is a 2-bolt type and really awkward to use, and I have to tape the saddle rails and then secure the clamp quite tightly to stop the saddle moving. This morning, when I loosened the bolts and re-tightened them, something creaked as I turned the bolts.

Is this a sign of imminent failure?

And how do I know if the creaking is coming from the saddle rails or the seat post clamp?

 

[smokeysmoo]

I'd strip, clean and grease wherever you think the creaking is coming from.

Failing that THIS site has loads of ideas for locating annoying noises.

 

[Mushroomgodmat]

Had this problem with my roadbike...

After changing the saddle, changing the seatpost, even changing the bottom bracket to fix my squeeky saddle....it turned out it was none of these, in the end it was a single loose crank bolt.

At the start of my problems I would have bet every penny I had that it was my saddle that was the issue. It seems that creaks can literally vibrate up the frame masking its true origin,

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

And how do I know if the creaking is coming from the saddle rails or the seat post clamp?

Surely you have more than one saddle to put on said seatpost?

Haven't you also got another bike - you can then put said saddle on that bike?

 

[MrJamie]

Happened to me when i moved the saddle in the rails, I guess my weight goes on one side of the bolt like a see saw effect and makes stuff creak, i greased it up and it didnt seem to help and then it just went away again after a while so I forgot about it.

On mine if i sat on it leaning against a wall, i could make it creak without touching pedals/bottom bracket/cranks/drivetrain etc

 

[lulubel]

Surely you have more than one saddle to put on said seatpost?

Haven't you also got another bike - you can then put said saddle on that bike?

Yes, I suppose I could move saddles around. I was hoping to get away with not doing that because it usually takes me several uncomfortable rides before I get the tilt and the fore-aft position just right.

Happened to me when i moved the saddle in the rails, I guess my weight goes on one side of the bolt like a see saw effect and makes stuff creak, i greased it up and it didnt seem to help and then it just went away again after a while so I forgot about it.

It sounds like it's probably not a huge problem, then. It does seem to get quieter once I've been riding for a while, which is weird. It's almost as if it takes a while to "warm up" - rather like the person sitting on it!

 

[smokeysmoo]

it usually takes me several uncomfortable rides before I get the tilt and the fore-aft position just right.

You can always stand the bikes up straight, lay a spirit level across the saddles, and photograph them before you remove them so you've got a reference point for re-fitting

 

[MattHB]

For me it's almost always been the seat post clamp, grease the area of the post where it gets clamped and make sure it's tight.

I've had the same problem with sliding saddles. The rail clamp seems to be always coated in some stupid slippery coating. I got my dremel out and ground the surface down to the bare aluminium and it fixed it.


To make sure you get positions consistent. Measure the distance from the underside of the nose to the post clamp, and the distance from nose to headstock bolt centre and write them down. It takes all the guess work out.

 

[lulubel]

For me it's almost always been the seat post clamp, grease the area of the post where it gets clamped and make sure it's tight.

I've had the same problem with sliding saddles. The rail clamp seems to be always coated in some stupid slippery coating. I got my dremel out and ground the surface down to the bare aluminium and it fixed it.


To make sure you get positions consistent. Measure the distance from the underside of the nose to the post clamp, and the distance from nose to headstock bolt centre and write them down. It takes all the guess work out.

Thanks, Matt.

You may be onto something there with the seat post clamp. I raised the saddle a bit a couple of weeks ago, and I think it may have started about that time. I didn't relate the two because the noise sounds like it's coming from the saddle itself, although I know noises can be very deceptive.

I never had the sliding saddle problem before I got this seatpost, which came with the new bike, and I'd had the saddle on 3 different bikes before. It's put me off 2-bolt seatposts for life!

I'll definitely make a note of the measurements. That sounds a lot more reliable and a lot easier than anything I've tried in the past. I've even resorted to putting marks on the wall and floor to note the bike's position, and a piece of tape on the spirit level to mark the angle of the saddle, and it still wasn't right when I put it back on!

 

[ricky1980]

have you tried to tighten the bolts? I have a KCNC post that does the same thing when on of the bolt is even slightly loose.

I did the greasing part myself, and after a few miles of hard pedalling it started again...and for 1 week it creaked and annoying the hell of out me. Then when i inspected what was going on, the saddle was slightly wobbly and i realised the bolts weren't tightened properly.

now zero issues

 

[lulubel]

have you tried to tighten the bolts? I have a KCNC post that does the same thing when on of the bolt is even slightly loose.

I was more concerned that I'd been over-tightening them, in my efforts to stop the saddle slipping.

 

[ricky1980]

if its not a carbon rail then you shouldnt be too concerned about it.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

I always blame it on a creaky saddle too!


.... but seriously, it may just be the saddle. I had a Charge Spoon on my MTB and it creaked like a rusty gate. The only cure was a different saddle......but I tried everything else 1st.

 

[lulubel]

Thanks for all the suggestions. It turns out MattHB was right, and it was the seat post clamp.

I took the seat post out, took the clamp completely apart, then cleaned the mixture of grit and sand off the whole area, greased and reassembled, and my ride this morning was blissfully quiet.

I like a cheap solution!