New Vado 4.0 Cadence Creak

Phyz

Phyz

Active Member
If my Vado were old and this were a recurrence, I'd call it Cadence Creak Revival. [Hold for laughter.]

But on ... day three of my Vado's gentle break-in period (well, my break in period), I noticed a cadence-matched creaking coming from the ... motor? crankset? I don't know.

LBS (Specialized dealer who doesn't stock Vados) did a test drive, tightened a few things down, and that reduced the creak. But it didn't eliminate it. He didn't know exactly why the creak was there and asked me to return if it got louder again. Tomorrow is its weekiversary.

On a scale of "take another bong hit" to "shove that lemon over a 1000-ft cliff", where should I set my nervous-o-meter? Oh, and what's causing that creak? It only happens when I'm pedaling, and it is matched to the cadence. (2020 Vado 4.0 Dove Grey; sticker indicates it was made in late 2018.)
 
Phyz said:
If my Vado were old and this were a recurrence, I'd call it Cadence Creak Revival. [Hold for laughter.]

But on ... day three of my Vado's gentle break-in period (well, my break in period), I noticed a cadence-matched creaking coming from the ... motor? crankset? I don't know.

LBS (Specialized dealer who doesn't stock Vados) did a test drive, tightened a few things down, and that reduced the creak. But it didn't eliminate it. He didn't know exactly why the creak was there and asked me to return if it got louder again. Tomorrow is its weekiversary.

On a scale of "take another bong hit" to "shove that lemon over a 1000-ft cliff", where should I set my nervous-o-meter? Oh, and what's causing that creak? It only happens when I'm pedaling, and it is matched to the cadence. (2020 Vado 4.0 Dove Grey; sticker indicates it was made in late 2018.)
Click to expand...
My Vado developed what I called a 'cadence squeak' within weeks of picking it up. The LBS reported that it was a seal on one pedal that they lubed. No problem until nearly a year later when it returned with a vengeance, more like a 'creak' than a 'squeak', and loud. I changed out the original pedals and it stopped.

I found that one of the original pedal shafts was stiff. I disassembled it and found no ball bearings. What I did find was a pedal shaft in dry sleeve bearings. Greased these and no more stiff pedal, no more creak or squeak.

On my mech bike I had a creak that also matched my cadence. I tightened and torqued what I thought was everything. No help. I even applied anti seize moly paste to the handlebar stem clamp as the noise seemed related to pressing on one hand grip or the other. Nope.

I finally noticed the slighest bit of a forward rock when the front brake was applied, a sign of a loose stem bolt. Tightened it up and no more noise.

Bottom line, mysterious nosies are hard to tie down and can be caused by the least expected things,

OTOH, it could be the color...😎
 
Phyz, just to be sure. Is the front fender flap OK?

I have to ask about it. That's the single feature of my Vado that makes me unnerved. It happens the flap bends up and it's rubbing the front tyre; the flap is already partly damaged. If I hear any strange noise on the Vado, it is the mudflap.

As Tim says, it could be the pedal as well. I was lucky because I changed the pedals soon after the bike purchase; I'm a pedal fetishist 🤣

P.S. It is unrelated to the thread subject but it seems to be a good story anyhow. When I was getting onto rough terrain, I could hear front fender rattling in recent days. I asked my brother (who cannot sleep at night if anything rattles in a bike) for diagnosis. He said the fender got offset a little bit (in transport, he thought), and the little top stays that hold the fender rattled against the fork. He had the fender adjusted to be in the right position. After he was finished, he remarked: "I have never seen such high-tech of fender technology as I can see in the Vado. All these little screws allow the fender be adjusted with the utmost precision!" A big point for Specialized Turbo designers!
 
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One obscure reason for a cadence creak is the saddle and mounts. With your body moving from side to side a bit while pedaling, it can seem to be crank related. Just start by checking every fastener, especially under the saddle. Another option is take the pedals off, lube the threads with grease, and replace them.
 
LBS thought it might be the saddle. Verified it wasn’t. I heard the creak before swapping out stock seat post and saddle with Kinekt and an old Tailbones Serfas. Creak did not change.
 
MAPC said:
I hear that Crimson creaks too but the sound is drowned out by the loud color. :)
Click to expand...
I think it's more the sound of the air rushing past when you ride a bike with the fasterest color!

BTW - Crimson is so last year. Apparently the new fasterest color is, wait for it, R O C K E T R E D. YES!

#RocketRedRules...😎
 
Phyz said:
If my Vado were old and this were a recurrence, I'd call it Cadence Creak Revival. [Hold for laughter.]

But on ... day three of my Vado's gentle break-in period (well, my break in period), I noticed a cadence-matched creaking coming from the ... motor? crankset? I don't know.

LBS (Specialized dealer who doesn't stock Vados) did a test drive, tightened a few things down, and that reduced the creak. But it didn't eliminate it. He didn't know exactly why the creak was there and asked me to return if it got louder again. Tomorrow is its weekiversary.

On a scale of "take another bong hit" to "shove that lemon over a 1000-ft cliff", where should I set my nervous-o-meter? Oh, and what's causing that creak? It only happens when I'm pedaling, and it is matched to the cadence. (2020 Vado 4.0 Dove Grey; sticker indicates it was made in late 2018.)
Click to expand...
Mine was making more of a "click" than a "creak" that also started a few days after delivery. Does yours stop the instant you stop pedaling, or do you usually get one more click out of it? Does it start making the noise as soon as you start pedaling again, or is it a minute or two before it starts again?

My LBS chased after this for a while and we're now waiting for a replacement motor/gearbox assembly from Specialized.
 
The creak syncs with the stroke, one creak per cycle. Stop pedaling, no creak. Almost like a frog when you’re pedaling along.

BTW on the flats, I can understand why folks yearn for a bigger chain ring. I try to upshift, and I’m all out of gears!
 
Previously, LBS "tightened some things" and left me with a reduced creak. But still a creak.

Yesterday I went back to have them give it another try. The creak occurs when applying a good torque (stepping down) on the right pedal. Best heard when on an uphill incline, where torque is called for. No creak when the torques is low (gently cruising on flats or downhill).

LBS spent an hour on it and gave it back, saying they lubed some of the chain ring bolts. The creak was, if anything, more pronounced. I feel like maybe they didn't understand why I brought it in? I asked them to check the frame for a fracture. They assured me that was only a problem on previous generations. Not on this 2020 ... built in 2018.

So frogging away I shall go, I suppose. It's amazing how quiet the American River Parkway is when your the only one around and your bike is creaking.

Where's Jacek when you need him, eh @Stefan Mikes ?
 
Have you tried changing pedals yet? Just sayin'...😎
 
My Como 4.0 creaking seems to be coming from the seat. Started last week after only 1,200 miles when someone was test riding to buy it. Which he will if the creaking stops. Waiting for a warranty replacement seat now from LBS. Hopefully the seat arrives at the same time as the Vado SL 4.0 which I want to test ride.
 
Sierratim said:
Have you tried changing pedals yet? Just sayin'...😎
Click to expand...
I have not. I am so new to the enterprise that I’m hoping for some level of expertise from the LBS. Their skill in running my CC was flawless. I’m beginning to worry it was not representative.
 
Turns out my cadence creak for my Como 4.0 was not coming from my seat(my diagnosis). My LBS looked at everything and finally found it was one of the motor mounts needed more torque. The sound was getting louder every day but Now problem solved.
 
David C said:
Turns out my cadence creak for my Como 4.0 was not coming from my seat(my diagnosis). My LBS looked at everything and finally found it was one of the motor mounts needed more torque. The sound was getting louder every day but Now problem solved.
Click to expand...

Keep an eye on the motor mounts and any creaking noises... some owners have experienced issues like a cracked frame in this area.

electricbikereview.com

Loose Motor on Como 2.0 UPDATE: Cracked Frame (Vados too)

I've been experiencing some noisy creaks from my crank area for the past couple of months. It's been varied in terms of the noises. At one point, I went to my LBD and had him ride it. He said it needed new bottom bracket bearings but it wasn't a big deal. So, I figured, I'll keep riding until...
electricbikereview.com electricbikereview.com
 
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