Creaking which is temporarily resolved by tightening rear quick release My commuter road bike (Pinnacle Arkose 3 - actually a disc-braked cross bike, fitted with mudguards) has an annoying and loud creak, associated with each turn of the pedals - there is a creak each time a pedal passes the 2-3 o'clock position, on either side.

It sounds like a bottom bracket creak, but I have replaced the bottom bracket and adequately tightened it, yet the creak continues.

If I unclip one foot and pedal one-legged the creak stops - this works for either foot. If I pedal very lightly at a very high cadence (e.g. 120 RPM), the creak stops.

If I pedal hard or sprint out of the saddle, the creak is louder.

If I stop and tighten the rear wheel quick release (traditional QR, rather than through-axle), the creak stops, but inevitably returns, often within a few miles.

So far I have tried/checked:


swapping in the QR skewer from my turbo trainer and this makes no
difference - the creak only goes away temporarily
checking the chain for wear - currently showing as 0.5% worn
checking the rear wheel is properly seated in the dropouts
tightening the bolts on the rear derailleur hanger, which
the QR skewer tightens to


What else can I try to resolve this annoying creak? It's driving me crazy! I'm also concerned it could be a sign something is under fatigue or close to breaking.
In my experience, when tightening the quick release only temporarily solves the problem, try putting a little grease between the rear derailleur hanger and the dropout. Often it is the seat post but ruled that out since you said it gets louder when sprinting out of the saddle.  Good luck!