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Sleuthing the Pakit creak

Pakit creak eradication strategy. (This blog post began as a Google document, shared with Will at Bike Friday) Use a penetrating lubricant like Boeshield. Apply a few drops as directed. If the noise goes away, you can either use the lube each time it recurs or you can dismantle, grease and reassemble the offending parts and hope for a more enduring response. Any parts of the bike that aren't welded together can make noise--they need only rub against each other a tiny bit to make enough noise to drive you crazy. Usually a thin layer of grease can kill the noise for a variable interval, though a good penetrating oil can work without having to grab tools. ** Creaks when pedaling in or out of the saddle. Usually the first suspect is the hinge around which the rear end of the bike swings down, forward and back up to bring the bike into it's folded configuration. Lube the hinge above the bottom bracket--no need to loosen the nut and bolt; apply a few drops of Boeshield. Ride
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I have a Bike Friday Pakit bicycle. It folds in under 30 seconds to easily fit in my car trunk. The ability to do that comes with a caveat: it requires a few more parts, and they can do things like creak or loosen enough to make the bike wobbly. The drive train and back of the bike pivots down and forward around a hinge just above the bottom bracket. Several dozen miles into owning it, I heard a creaking noise with each turn of the cranks. Most times a few drops of WD-40 indicated the hinge as the source and I'd take the hinge apart and smother the parts with grease and put it back together again. Once the creaking arose from the seat mast or seat post--I'm not sure which--I greased both parts at the same time. Creaking hinge chapter 813. I removed the steel washer and replaced it with a nylon washer. I added a nylon washer to the other side. A few miles into a test ride, the bike felt wobbly--tightening the nut compressed the washer on the nut side. Creaking returned as did
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Tour of Westport>Bruceport>Aberdeen

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Sept 29, 2017.  Following my own advice to riders on the Pacific Coast Highway, I took a bus from Aberdeen to the Westport  Park'n'Ride and  biked to Bruceport County Park and Campground. Much of the road after the cranberry farms (Mile 10 below) to Raymond had fresh chipseal (rough!).  From Dexter by the Sea to Raymond, the shoulder mostly disappeared.  I explored Tokeland--that road was also flat and rustic.  I rode down 105 in the smoother right car track, keeping an eye on my mirror and moving to the edge of the road when cars began to overtake me--overtaking cars moved left to avoid a close call.  This route is really flat and is perfect for going to Raymond if you  overloaded your bike  beyond reason and  want/need to avoid riding up the hills on the shortest path between Aberdeen and Raymond. My bike  with fenders, front & rear racks, a pump and a Brooks B17 leather saddle   is 31 lb and my camping kit is 20.5 lb (I found 1-3 lb more to drop after I critically a
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Willapa Hills Trail ride

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Willapa Hills Trail bike ride.   A 56 mile trail of which 5-6 miles have been paved. Preparation:  1992 vintage Cannondale mountain bike with front shock and Performance seatpost rack 740 gm (1.63 lb.), an old Kirtland rack top trunk 227gm (8 oz.), a light (?) handlebar bag 212 (7.5 oz), Brooks Flyer Saddle (sprung!!), one bottle cage in the triangle.  Another bottle cage would fit on the seat tube, but wouldn't fit a 24 oz bottle.  I resolved to make a frame bag that would take both bottles, bikepacker style.  I took two full 24 oz bottles of water with NUNN tablets, ten Clif bars, water purification drops, camera, a keyed cable lock, deLorme Explorer, minimal tool kit, a spare tube, more NUUN tablets.  With no clothing on the bike, the bike and listed gear weighed 38 lb.  Worn: an Osprey Synchro 15 backpack which I'd stuff with clothing shed as the earth warmed. Itinerary:  Bus from Aberdeen to Elma, another to Centralia and another to Chehalis arriving by
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