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 some more compression of the washer. I tightened the nut again. After a 12 mile ride today: neither creaking or wobbliness (indicating washer compression). Really need to stop playing with this and call Bike Friday to see what they've come up with, if anything.
Bike Friday called back--they weren't sure about the source of the noise. I began to approach this as a challenge rather than as an exercise in frustration. Sure, a non-folding bike didn't have these kind of problems and most don't cost as much. A healthy attitude is everything.
I rode again, noting the creak more when pedaling in the saddle. Every two or three miles I'd stop to add a few drops to places on the bike that could have produced the creak. The creak mostly stopped after dropping oil between the body and the seat stay tabs. I applied grease to the seat mast and the seatpost again. Then I dabbed grease on the fold joint behind the seat tube. I squeezed the saddle--one of the rivets creaked--I lubed all the rivets on that part of the saddle.
I rode the bike for twenty minutes. No creaking.
Bike Friday sent me a nut and bolt to replace the original. It didn't fit. I installed a 1/4" bolt I'd bought from Ace hardware-when I rode the bike it went wobbly immediately. The 3/8" bolt rules.
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 some more compression of the washer. I tightened the nut again. After a 12 mile ride today: neither creaking or wobbliness (indicating washer compression). Really need to stop playing with this and call Bike Friday to see what they've come up with, if anything.
Bike Friday called back--they weren't sure about the source of the noise. I began to approach this as a challenge rather than as an exercise in frustration. Sure, a non-folding bike didn't have these kind of problems and most don't cost as much. A healthy attitude is everything.
I rode again, noting the creak more when pedaling in the saddle. Every two or three miles I'd stop to add a few drops to places on the bike that could have produced the creak. The creak mostly stopped after dropping oil between the body and the seat stay tabs. I applied grease to the seat mast and the seatpost again. Then I dabbed grease on the fold joint behind the seat tube. I squeezed the saddle--one of the rivets creaked--I lubed all the rivets on that part of the saddle.
I rode the bike for twenty minutes. No creaking.
Bike Friday sent me a nut and bolt to replace the original. It didn't fit. I installed a 1/4" bolt I'd bought from Ace hardware-when I rode the bike it went wobbly immediately. The 3/8" bolt rules.
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