Levo Gen 3 Creaking coming from somewhere around the motor.

[DirkWisely]

My Levo has started creaking pretty badly. It seems to happen worse the steeper the climb. Has anyone experienced this sound and resolved it?

 

[salko]

Have you checked all the bolts, especially motor mounting bolts?

 

[DirkWisely]

How should I check them? They don't feel loose or anything. Should I try re-torqueing them?

 

[#lazy]

Yes retorque then , also check the shock/pivot bolts , they will creak if loose , also crank:/chainring , basically check everything

 

[Andy__C]

I'd also have a go at re-seating/greasing your dropper/seatpost.

if your frame is carbon then make sure its carbon assembly grease. Creaks are buggers to track down and so often travel along the frame and originate way off elsewhere!

 

[#lazy]

I'd also have a go at re-seating/greasing your dropper/seatpost.

if your frame is carbon then make sure its carbon assembly grease. Creaks are buggers to track down and so often travel along the frame and originate way off elsewhere!

Don’t forget seat rails if it creaks when you’re seated but not when standing its the seat post or seat rails got grit in there !

 

[RebornRider]

Agree with (and have experienced) all of the above. I traced yet another creak to the chain stay pivot bearings, one of which barely rotated.

 

[Mart-e]

You could also check on to see wether to pinch up chain ring bolts....

 

[Samoaj]

Quick note here would be to check the mounts on the motor. I had a creak around my motor and have just got it looked at. Turns out that some of the motors (mine is the EP8) are undersized slightly to allow for frame tolerance and they use a sort of bolt bushing that is supposed to move out to meet the frame when the motor is fitted. Sometimes during fitting this doesn’t happen and the frame gets distorted slightly and pulls in to take up the slack. This is where a creak can come from. I got it all explained to me a bike mechanic that I used recently to service my Megawatt. Might be worth looking into.

 

[PNWmtnBKR]

Mine was creaking, but it just needed to be washed. The dry summer dust/dirt was enough to cause it. A gentle washing took care of it.

 

[ari]

If its the rattle noise ? it sounds more like a worn cog or something not meshing in the motor, hard to tell .

 

[RustyIron]

How should I check them? They don't feel loose or anything. Should I try re-torqueing them?

No. If they're tight, they're tight.

Mountain bikes and all their components flex a minute amount. That's what causes creaking. Imagine a strike-slip fault on the Earth's crust. A little bit of flexing and movement cause's creaking and shaking at the Earth's surface. If you suspect a fastener, remove it, clean it, put some grease along the length, and maybe some anti-seize on the threads. Reinstall and torque accordingly.

You mentioned the motor. The noise could indeed be the motor mount bolts. Or it could be the crank arms. Or the pedals. As others have mentioned, the seatpost could be the cause. Headsets are renowned source of noise. As you see, the noise could be coming from a lot of places. Use your brain to try and figure it out, and then check each component as you eliminate possibilities.

 

[DirkWisely]

I removed, cleaned and reinstalled all my linkage bolts, and the creak is fixed.

 

[Churchill]

My Kenevo was creaking horribly, and I was certain it was coming from the motor/crank area. Later I determined that the creaking was coming from the steering head. Re-greasing the bearings fixed the problem for almost a year, but it is slowing returning. At least I know how to resolve it.