This is something I really hate and I can say with some authority that if I ever get the slightest noise from any of my bikes I’m off the saddle and investigating. I can only remember two instances; the first was a rattle from the rear brake cable on the top tube which I stopped with a rubber spiral wrap, the second was the creaking of my Raleigh 708 as its tubes gently fractured beneath me.
Over the years I have spent a lot of time investigating noises on customers bikes so I am pretty adept at identifying what parts, materials or movements create what sounds.
On club rides last year I was amazed and a bit (scuse the pun) rattled to hear how many people were happily riding creaky bikes as if it were normal and acceptable. When a steep hill was encountered and they got out of the saddle the din was dreadful!
I will let you guess from my previous comments on this forum what their bike frames were made of.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.