In this world of high-end trick looking XC, enduro, trail and hardtail bikes, we all strive for perfection in one way or another. No matter how much you spend on your beloved steed, there can be one thing that will make your bike (no matter how much it cost) very annoying; noise! Here are ten tips on how to silence your bike and all its rattles, knocks, taps or whines!

How To Stop Chain Slap

Silence Your Bike Image 1
Chain slap has a few cheap and easy solutions.

When it comes to noise, one you cannot miss is chain slap, down every rough downhill section or off every drop your chain makes a right racket slapping up and down against your swingarm. Some bikes are fitted with chainstay protectors, but their main purpose is to protect the frame underneath, not necessarily keep noise at bay. A cheap and popular fix can be to cut up and wrap an inner tube around the chainstay or protection can be bought to silence that noisy chain.

How To Stop Cable Tap

Silence Your Bike Image 2
That annoying cable chattering is prevented by a bit of cable tie bodging!

All bikes run some kind of cables from the controls through to the brakes, dropper and shifters. You may think you have these routed perfectly, but often they run close to parts (especially carbon bars) and tap up and down once the bike is moving and being shaken around. This can be a quick fix, either re-route the cable so it doesn’t touch, or use cable ties to attach it to the part it’s hitting. If the hose needs to move use two cable ties, so the cable or hose can still slide through if it needs movement from suspension travel or handlebar movement. Insulation tape can be used to fix cables together if they are knocking. Be sure to turn the bars through their full range of steering to make sure all the cable still move freely.

How To Avoid Mech Rattles

Silence Your Bike Image 3
Check the condition of the clutch on the mech (if you have one).

Most modern day rear mechs come equipped with some kind of clutch mechanism, keeping a much firmer tension on the chain and stopping it from slapping around under vibration. These can wear out, making the benefits of the clutch null and void, some makes offer replaceable springs for your mech, or you may need to change it completely.

Getting Rid Of Cockpit Creaks

Silence Your Bike Image 4
A creaking cockpit requires a little tlc with grease.

How many times have you gone for a ride after making sure your stem and handlebar bolts are tight, only to be made aware of an annoying creak from that area under any kind of load. If you hear creaking from the stem area simply remove all the bolts, lightly grease the threads and re-apply at the right torque and nine times out of ten it will cure that annoying problem.

Avoid Tyre Rub

Silence Your Bike Image 5
Installing tires wider than the manufacturers guidelines can cause the tyre to buzz off the frame.

All bikes and forks are different when it comes to recommended tyre sizes, how many of you really know whether yours is designed for 2.35 or can fit large DH 2.5 width tyres in? This is something you can simply find out by asking where you purchased the bike from or online, so as to not replace the standard tyre with one too wide. You may have a sloppy rear triangle through lack of maintenance of your linkage bearings, this can be checked by a firm flex test by pushing the rear wheel sideways to and fro. If your tyre is coming way too close to the swingarm or even touching and you can see side-to-side movement on your bearings these may need replacing.

Bearing Check

Silence Your Bike Image 6
Bearings and bushings are often the cause of creaks and rattles.

Any part of the bike that meets another part and swivels will have some kind of a bush or bearing fitted, these too will need to be checked regularly, then replaced or cleaned and re-greased if possible, it’s amazing how much creaking you can get from any dried out or dirty part of the bike which is meant to rotate freely with lubrication. Check these by spinning the bearings of wheels or removing your shock and running the linkage through it’s full axis to feel and listen for bearing wear or notchiness. Again this is often a job for your local bike shop, unless you are a competent enough mechanic to fix the problem yourself; just remember here that some bike bearing warranties require the work to be carried out only at a certified dealer shop!

All Over Bolt Check

Silence Your Bike Image 7
Its worth giving your bike a complete bolt check every so often.

This too is a pretty obvious one really, but the noises you can get from loose bolts, not only your cockpit can be highly annoying as parts may develop a tiny bit of movement if not torqued up to the correct settings. Get in the habit of checking all your bolts after a ride and clean, it’s a very simple procedure if you get a regular routine going on, an extra five minutes max, if you get your routine dialed. Here you can go online and search for the ‘M check’ it’s a standard procedure for looking at all the parts on your bike in a kind of letter ‘M’ so that you have checked all necessary areas.

Lube The Chain

Silence Your Bike Image 8
A dry drivetrain is not only noisy but causes unnecessary wear.

Probably the simplest of all procedures, but a dry or rusty chain will not only sound terrible when running along your cassette and chainring, but can cause unnecessary drivetrain wear without any lubrication. We advise you choose the right lube for the time of year, a summer lube will soon get washed off during a muddy wet ride and thick, sticky wet winter lubes can cover your bike’s rear end in all sorts of messy goo if applied too heavily in dry conditions! Check out our How To on Chain Lubing.

Noisy Brakes

Silence Your Bike Image 9
Squeaking brakes are not only annoying but shows the signs that something is amiss.

Brake noise can be caused by a number of things, such as misaligned calipers, contaminated rotors or pads or pad choice. Firstly calipers which are not set up centrally over the rotor can rub, causing noise – sometimes all the time, other times just when a bit muddy. To solve this, undo the caliper bolts a little so the caliper can move, spin the wheel, hold the brake on and do up the bolts whilst still squeezing the lever to centralise the caliper. If new pads have been fitted, the pistons may still be extended which can cause rubbing, if you cannot push them carefully back in the system may need bleeding or just some fluid removing to stop the rubbing. Finally, pad choice can be an issue, as with different types and makes of pads out there, some will squeal and others may not.

Saddle Creaks

Silence Your Bike Image 10
A creaking saddle can be pretty unnerving!

Yet another aggravating little creak, usually apparent every time you slightly shift your weight when riding uphill or on the flat. Just tightening the clamp bolt or QR can sometimes fix this, but usually it is much more effective to remove the saddle and post, clean everything up really well, grease up any bolts or the QR and re-fit to the desired torque settings to eliminate those unwanted sounds.


Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.

Words: Photos: Jim Buchanan, Isac Paddock