My gravel bike (Canyon Grizl) has been making mysterious creaks for a while, only while sitting in the saddle. I tightened seatpost binder bolts, and the saddle rail clamp bolts, and it kept creaking. Recently I think I finally discovered that the saddle itself is the culprit. The top is not sufficiently securely attached to the rails and can be wiggled a bit. This is a Specialized Power saddle (I think the “Comp” version, the lowest priced of the group), which doesn’t have all that many miles on it. This is particularly annoying because even the Comp isn’t cheap, I liked how the saddle fit, and I feel I should be able to expect more from a brand like Specialized.
So, my questions are:
if the saddle itself isn’t holding together properly, is there anything that can be done to try to fix it, or is replacement the only option?
if I were to replace it, are there any saddles from other brands with similar shape to Specialized Power?
It’s probably not the saddle. Try taking out the seatpost from the frame and regreasing it with carbon paste or grease and see if that takes care of the creaking.
The first thing I check with a seated creak is the saddle to post interface. Often a little grease on the rails fixes that. After that, I move onto the seat post clamp interface. Some manufactures have very specific instructions about where to grease and where to put carbon paste.
Finally, the most annoying culprit can be the “bottom” of the seat post. Some bikes have a pretty tight seat clamp tube; the bottom of a seat post with the slightest bit of flex will “knock” the inside of the seat tube and cause a clicking sound. This was an issue with my Crux (and I believe it also came up on Geek Warning). In that case, the solution is shortening the seat post (making sure there is still plenty of post in the seat tube to meet manufacturer requirements).
Of course the easiest way to eliminate a defective saddle is to swap back to the original and see if it makes noise.
I can actually confirm I’ve had the same exact issue with the Power Comp saddle. The shop I purchased my bike from did replace it with a Power Expert and all has been good since.
A little drop of Triflow where the rails insert into the shell of the saddle often helps. Keep the bike upside down for a minute or so or try manipulate the saddle a bit to let the lube make its way into it.
I recently had a similar creak on my Grizl. The Ergon leaf spring post has two parts which flex and rub against each other. Separating the two, I found the contact surfaces dry and caked with debris. I cleaned it up and applied a little grease, per the mfg instructions. Cleaned the seat tube in the frame and added carbon paste. That appears to have resolved my creak, something to consider trying.
+1 - My Power Comp saddle also creaks. I’ve tried adding some lube to the rails and it goes away for a while and then comes back. Its annoying.
Edit: it’s definitely coming from the rails inside the plastic saddle body and seems to be worse after giving the bike a good wash, suggesting a small amount of water and dirt is the culprit.