A creak and a rattle

[newts]

I got a 380+ last week and it has developed a creaking sound when pedaling. I have just under 100 miles now, I started noticing it a few days ago maybe around the 50 mile mark. I see this is common on various bikes for various reasons and I had a similar problem on an old Trek but not as loud (I never did fine the problem on the Trek, I even replaced the 25 year old BB but it was fine). I have seen comments here and elsewhere that it could be the Bosch motor mounting and a shim kit is needed. Or a defected bottom bracket. Or the Powertube mounting. Or the seatpost. I did notice the seat itself creaks but a slightly different noise. What seems most likely for the Gazelle?

Probably unrelated there is a rattle in back when I go over bumps. Everything is tight that I can see but I suspect the kick stand. It is attached tightly but it seems to have some play in the hinge when it is retracted. I will have to take it apart later and see. Anyone seen this before?

 

[fooferdoggie]

the problem is a creak can be anything and as simple as a seat not tight enough. best to check everything make sure it is tight. kickstands can rattle and they like to come loose.

 

[OleP]

It may be the battery cover that rubs against the bike frame. It is a known phenomenon for the Ultimate C380 (perhaps also other Ultimate subtypes) and it has been discussed several times before in a Gazelle FaceBook group. I have also had that creaking sound myself, and removed it by putting some thin self-adhesive felt pads in the bottom and edge of the battery holder. I also put a thin strip of duct tape along the edge all the way around.
It is also possible to temporarily stop or reduce the sound by spraying thin silicone oil along the edge of the plastic sheath that covers the battery itself.
In my opinion, it is a design flaw in the battery cover that Gazelle should correct.
I enclose two photos that I used in the FB debate earlier this year.

 

[OleP]

Probably unrelated there is a rattle in back when I go over bumps. Everything is tight that I can see but I suspect the kick stand. It is attached tightly but it seems to have some play in the hinge when it is retracted. I will have to take it apart later and see. Anyone seen this before?

Maybe this:
When driving over bumps or small bumps without pedaling, small clicking noises come from the engine. This is something with freewheel / motor clutch and is completely normal for the Bosch Performance Line motor.

 

[newts]

It may be the battery cover that rubs against the bike frame. It is a known phenomenon for the Ultimate C380 (perhaps also other Ultimate subtypes) and it has been discussed several times before in a Gazelle FaceBook group. I have also had that creaking sound myself, and removed it by putting some thin self-adhesive felt pads in the bottom and edge of the battery holder. I also put a thin strip of duct tape along the edge all the way around.
It is also possible to temporarily stop or reduce the sound by spraying thin silicone oil along the edge of the plastic sheath that covers the battery itself.
In my opinion, it is a design flaw in the battery cover that Gazelle should correct.
I enclose two photos that I used in the FB debate earlier this year.

Perfect! Looks simple enough. It feels like the major creaks are lower but it's hard to tell and the frame can transmit the sound and vibrations easily.

Also I found one of the rattles when I went out for lunch today. That was on me, the DVR is located between the rack and fender and secured with 3m Dual Lock but came loose.

 

[newts]

So I accidentally fixed the big creak by adjusting the saddle. I am still tweaking things and one of the adjusters was a bit loose when I was adjusting. Today no creak!

I will look into the battery issue. I don't have it yet but the mitigations are simple enough.

 

[PHXRDR]

I got a 380+ last week and it has developed a creaking sound when pedaling. I have just under 100 miles now, I started noticing it a few days ago maybe around the 50 mile mark. I see this is common on various bikes for various reasons and I had a similar problem on an old Trek but not as loud (I never did fine the problem on the Trek, I even replaced the 25 year old BB but it was fine). I have seen comments here and elsewhere that it could be the Bosch motor mounting and a shim kit is needed. Or a defected bottom bracket. Or the Powertube mounting. Or the seatpost. I did notice the seat itself creaks but a slightly different noise. What seems most likely for the Gazelle?

Probably unrelated there is a rattle in back when I go over bumps. Everything is tight that I can see but I suspect the kick stand. It is attached tightly but it seems to have some play in the hinge when it is retracted. I will have to take it apart later and see. Anyone seen this before?

Good day,
I suspect the large and hollow nature of the frame transmits such sounds making them hard to trace.
My Ultimate T10 (2022 with 11,500 mi) was no exception.
Padding the battery case - yes.
Ensuring that the stem adjustment bolt was torqued to spec - big difference.
I also removed the chain guard, which I would have done anyway for better maintenance - big difference.
From my experience the kickstand does not creak but will (acceptably) thump a little on bumps.
Today, this bike is dead silent even after all these miles.
Regards

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I got a 380+ last week and it has developed a creaking sound when pedaling. I have just under 100 miles now, I started noticing it a few days ago maybe around the 50 mile mark. I see this is common on various bikes for various reasons and I had a similar problem on an old Trek but not as loud (I never did fine the problem on the Trek, I even replaced the 25 year old BB but it was fine). I have seen comments here and elsewhere that it could be the Bosch motor mounting and a shim kit is needed. Or a defected bottom bracket. Or the Powertube mounting. Or the seatpost. I did notice the seat itself creaks but a slightly different noise. What seems most likely for the Gazelle?

Probably unrelated there is a rattle in back when I go over bumps. Everything is tight that I can see but I suspect the kick stand. It is attached tightly but it seems to have some play in the hinge when it is retracted. I will have to take it apart later and see. Anyone seen this before?

Mystery noises can be really annoying. Can't help with the creaking, but if you suspect the kickstand for the rear rattle, tape the stand tightly to the chainstay and see if the rattle goes away.

Good luck. Last year had a 6-month scraping sound that turned out to be the bottom bracket bearing cartridge. Drove me nuts. The observations and tests pointed to 3 different sources.