Q45 wierd noise

[dule0911]

Got this wierd noise while riding my Q45 on longer rides. I've recorded it, it's in the attachment. The longer the ride, the frequency is getting higher and it's louder. Up to like 20km rides it's barelly noticable, after that it keeps geting worse the more I ride.
I can't tell from where it comes. It gets quieter once I stop pedalling, and louder on the uphills. Not sure, but I don't think its drivetrain related (Q45 with stock componentes).

I thought it was from the back of the seat (the scewers that secure the adjustable bracket). I put some grease on them, tightened them - still the same. I moved the rear rack, again tightened all the bolts. Nothing has changed, the noise is still there, maybe a bit quieter, but also I didn't ride that long to really compare (it gets really anoying on 100km + rides).
It seems to me that it's something related to the seat, but not sure what. If anybody has any suggestions, please share them. I didn't want to put grease everywhere on the bike and ruin myself every time I touch it, but that could be the solution if I don't find it some other way.

 

[benphyr]

Wow! That must be majorly annoying if it starts at 20km and increases and you made it to 100km. Captain Obvious says that is 80km of sound torture!

I would have checked the things you checked first also. It sounds like a metal-moving-in-tension kind of sound. Here are some other places you could check that I can think of though there are probably a gazzillion possibilities.
-Bolts that hold the seat back to the bracket - if they are loose they may allow the seat back to wiggle.
-Does it have a 2 part seat like the older Q models? Then the attachment points where the seat pan meets the seat back has two bolts with rubber or plastic grommets between the parts. While you are looking there check the seat back for cracks especially just above the bolts - due to my metalurgical incompetence my seat back is weakening there and beginning to crack at the edges.
-The pivot bolt, shock absorber pivot bolts could make noises - remove, clean, grease the bearing surfaces (and blue locktite on threads).
-What about the shock absorber itself. The stock one is a coil spring inside a double set of sleeves (to keep out debris?) and these sleeves corroded on mine and the adjustment was seized. Something within the general realm was definitely making noise that bothered me - I never did find out what it was - but was miraculously solved when I replaced the unit with the Kind Air shock on my Qx100. (If you do that, search the forums for which one is suitable for your model because they changed the size of the shock between my Qx100 and the current Q45.
-Out of adjustment spokes can make creaking sounds.
-A loose screw in my pedal made creaking sounds that I thought were coming from everywhere else but...
There are many possibilities - I wish you great luck eliminating it. Based on your recording I think it must be significantly loud and near what you recorded with at the time.
I sure hope you find it. And let us know what it was.

 

[Rampa]

That sounds like the seat pan/back attachment bolts to me. Speed is about right for pedaling. First one side, then the other.

 

[billyk]

The attachment doesn't seem to work on my phone, so this is based on nothing, but one thing I've learned about bicycles is "always check the spokes".

Spoke noise can seem to come from anywhere. It can be a click, or almost any noise of metal working on metal.

The good thing is that it's easy to check. Just give every pair a squeeze. Maybe it's something else, but I've torn my hair over weird noises until I remembered my rule.

 

[Emeljay]

"always check the spokes"

Yup, spokes for me have to be checked frequently as I carry loaded panniers. And the worst spoke sound for me is a metallic "twang" when a spoke breaks. That's why on my next bike tour in pulling a trailer.

But early last year I had odd barely audible spoke like sounds that I could not track down but the spokes/wheels were fine. And in the last couple of weeks in doing an overhaul of my Q, I noticed that the rubber pad on the bottom of the kick stand was worn not on the bottom of the pad but on the side towards the spokes. You guessed it, my kick stand was taking harp lessons every time I rode, only basically not too many keys! So I tightened up the bolt on the kickstand and now I dont hear the harp when I ride

 

[3bs]

that is not spokes. my guess would be seat at the connection point or spring or bushing in suspension.

the frankentrike makes that noise under pedal power where the angle brace meets the seat bracket.

 

[dule0911]

Yeah, I don't thing it's spokes, there are all fairly tight on both wheels. I only hear spokes once I load it up and hit a bump or something like that, but that is a rare and rather extreme scenario, it's not a constant noise like this.

@benphyr
I rode it on a 300km brevet, with around 250k of it with that noise or even worse then in the recording. It started lightly after 20-30km, got really noticable after 50-60, after that the only option I had is to get used to it. Would like to fix it before the next brevet, I had a 160km ride last week and it was still there, still in the same fashion (after the adjustment of the rack, greasing up the upper seat sqewers etc).
Regarding your list:
- I will check those bolts for the bracket, good point, didn't check them.
- It is a two piece seat, I removed the coushin recently but didn't notice any cracks, will check again.
- I didn't grease the upper skewer of the shock, just tightened it as much as I could.
- the shock on the Q45 is in some sort of rubber sleeve which I also tried greasing up (the contact between the rubber and the spring), but in that I didn't acomplish anything besides ruining the rubber on the bottom side But it seems the shock is working fine
I don't think it's a pedal noise, it would be wierd if it came up so loud near me if it was transfered through the frame from the front (from the pedals).

@Rampa
I didn't check the seat pan skewers or bolts but it could be that the issue is with them, will check.

@billyk
Sorry about the attachment, it's an .aac which should work on all devices but the forum restrictrions for extensions made me .zip it.