Appreciation post: last Thursday was the most satisfying day I've had in the shop

Had a 2018 Trek Domane come in with a creak that three other guys had already looked at. Pulled the bottom bracket, found a tiny piece of grit wedged between the shell and the bearing cup. Cleaned it out, regreased, torqued to spec, creak gone. Rider came back yesterday saying it rode smoother than it has in a year. Have any of you ever had a noise that simple take forever to track down?

3 comments

3 Comments

river9521mo ago

Man that stuck grit is the worst. Did you check the frame for cracks too?

the_terry1mo ago

Hold on, @river952, you're saying this thing actually cracked the frame? That's wild, I've never seen grit do that kind of damage before.

jakewhite1mo agoMost Upvoted

Laughing just thinking about the time I found a tiny pebble that somehow wedged itself between my frame and the wheel. It didn't crack the frame but it did leave a nice little dent that I have to stare at every ride. Took me longer than I want to admit to figure out what was making that weird clicking sound. Now I check my tires like a hawk before every single ride.