Creaky frame - 08? bowery

My bowery has a deathcreak.
Swapped the bars and my test ride was a noisy affair.
It's original frame and fork.

When I put my weight on turf bars there is a creak crack noise, it seems to come from the top tube D:
I guess its the steerer making noise and being amped by the tt.
I stripped and greased everything to no avail.
Any ideas?
(other than binning it)

inspect for cracks.
if nothing can be found, keep riding until failure, then report back.

have you got any spacers on the fork?
i have 5 odd on mine and that's where my mystery creak was coming from.

take them off grease them all and the fork pop back on.

copper grease is meant to be the best.

I think graphite can be useful too. It's akin to putting chalk between creaking floorboards, apparently!

I had the very same creak of death on my '09 Bowery, and the steerer had cracked :/ Whip the forks off and have a peek. Replaced under warranty & I can't be the only one that it's happened to.

I've had the bike for 3 years nor doubt warranty will cover it :/
Literally greased everything including the steerer, doesn't look cracked anywhere.
Gonna throw on some other forks and see if its the frame.
Will double check the forks for failure.
Perfect excuse for a carbon upgrade though! (if the ministry of home affairs approves)

I have a 2010 bowery 72 and the same creak described is present.

Basically its the forks making the noise, they are made up of steel blades welded to an aluminium steerer. This is a very hard proscess to do properly and it would appear that there are flaws in some of the welds and that is what is causing the creak*

*semi-eductaed opinion

A friend of mine has a giant bowery. He tried greasing, checked everything then took it back to where he bought it. Replaced the forks with some aftermarket steel ones - creak gone. Another guy I know bought one a few months ago, this creak is present on this one too.

steel blades welded to an aluminium steerer

Steel can't be welded to aluminium. It can be bonded but not welded.

Steel can't be welded to aluminium. It can be bonded but not welded.

unless you count explosion welding.

Steel can't be welded to aluminium. It can be bonded but not welded.

hence the semi educated opinion, according to my lecturers at uni it couldnt be done, but somehow giant have managed as the forks are listed in the bike specifications as "CroMo fork, alloy steerer" and looking at the joint on the bike it is obviosly a welded interface.

Alloy isn't aluminium. Alloy means a mix of different materials. Like bronze being a mix of copper and tin.

Alloy isn't aluminium. Alloy means a mix of different materials. Like bronze being a mix of copper and tin.

I never get the people that use 'alloy' in place of 'aluminium'.

Even worse I've had customers say 'metal' instead of 'steel', do they think Ali isn't metal?

But I would say "meat" if I saw a bit of meat. To some metal is metal.

Explosion welding sounds fucking rad.

#constructiveinput

Originally Posted by oz.
Alloy isn't aluminium. Alloy means a mix of different materials. Like bronze being a mix of copper and tin.

i know this however is CroMo itself not an alloy of cromium and steel?
this being the case i assume that giant use the word alloy to infer aluminium. either way fork blades of one material and a steerer of another would be a pain to nweld together at best wouldn't they?*

also just checked the steerer, its not magnetic, i know that doesn't proove much but i just thought i would throw it out there

*genuinely asking

any steel is an alloy.

any steel is an alloy.

Bowerys creak like the rigging on the Black Pearl.

It is certainly something to do with the front forks. Changing head set does not change matters.

Thanks Charco, for switching my Jack Sparrow front forks, for something as smooth and silent as the SBS.

It will be a crack in the front fork steerer - known problem - happened to mine, replaced under warranty

It will be a crack in the front fork steerer - known problem - happened to mine, replaced under warranty

Thanks for the confirmation.

Oh, and once the change is done, remember that other road users will no longer have the banshee creaking to alert them you are approaching. Nearly clattered into two cyclists following the change as I overtook them, as they had no idea I was coming by.