Bike noise including creaking, clicking, squealing can be a difficult problem to solve since sound is often transmitted along the frame. We show you how to approach the noise problem. In this case, we what appeared to be handlebar creaking in that the sound occurred when pulling on the handlebars while climbing and less when easing up on the handlebars. It occurred both seated and when OUT OF THE SADDLE which eliminated the saddle and seatpost as the culprit. The most common cause of handlebar creaking is the handlebar clamp needing either cleaning, greasing or torquing the clamp bolts. But there are other causes including the front wheel and the front wheel quick release skewer. Worn front hub bearings or bike wheel can also produce noise. We decided to tackle the ease things first. Check our cleats and pedal for wear. They were in excellent condition. Next, the front end of the bike. Before working on the handlebar clamp or headset, we checked the qr for tightness. It was not tight. We removed the wheel skewer which when we pulled on the front skewer lever was not loose but far from tight. Remove the wheel skewer, grease the skewer with a very small amount of grease after cleaning, install making sure it's tight. It should leave an imprint on your hand when it's sufficiently tight (but not too tight you can't remove it to fix a flat out on the road). Make sure you have the right skewer position and skewer direction. This simple bike repair (fix) - tighten quick release skewer - solved our problem. We've also seen this problem with the rear skewer.
When tackling bicycle, listen closely, is it occurring when pedaling or coasting or both, does it occur while in the saddle and disappear when out of the saddle, is it more when pulling on the handlebars and less when you loosen up your grip. Be systematic and tackle the easy to fix items first.