Get the Creak Out

So, yesterday I met up with my buds Kevin and Sam for a ride in the Falmouth area.  There are oodles of trails down there and I've never really seen any of them so it was my chance to finally sample so choice singletrack just outside of Portland.  I was amazed by what he had right out his back door.  We rode for 2.5 solid hours and apparently only did maybe half of what he has right there.  Damn.  Unfortunately, instead of truly enjoying the trails, I instead was dealing with a few bike issues that took my head out of the game.  First, I broke my saddle (more on that tomorrow) at the Pinnacle and had snagged a WTB test ride saddle from the shop on the way down to use for the time being.  I was late for the ride so I essentially threw the saddle on and we headed out.  It was immediately clear that I had positioned it incorrectly with the tip pointing slightly up so I felt like I was sliding off the back.  At our first stop I proceeded to quickly fix it and ended up with this:

ummmm, no.

One more stop and fiddling with the thompson elite posts two stupid bolt adjustment system later and I was good to go.  Now I would only be annoyed with my rear brakes and some mysterious creak that has recently developed.  Every chance I got I stopped and fiddled with this and that trying to find the creak and to tweak my rear brake.  I got the brake somewhat better but never found the creak.  By the time the ride was over I was convinced that I had a cracked frame.

It's hard to enjoy this when you have creaking on the brain and a saddle nose lodged up yer ass.

All was not lost on the ride.  On the way down as I passed through a $1 toll booth the toll guy waved me through because the dude ahead of me (in the kia thing on the right) had paid my toll.  I tried to catch him to flash him a nipple as my way of saying thanks but we entered a construction zone before I could.  So sad.

This morning I got to work (while waiting for B to wake up) cleaning the bike and going over it to find the cause of the creak.  A quick wash down showed no obvious cracks and my totally fool proof method of grabbing the brakes and reaming on the bike this way and that led me to the rear end.  What to do first?  It could be any multiple things but I figured the first and easiest thing to try would be to grease the quick release.  That didn't work but switching it out to a new qr seemed to.  In my totally fool proof testing method everything now seems fine but the proof will be in the pudding of tomorrow's ride.  Fingers crossed.

naughty, naughty hope qr.  but your color matches my salsa frame soooo well.