Creak...Pop! What was that!?

Owning a carbon fiber bicycle was never really high on my to-do list.  However, when shopping to replace my injured steed I was overcome by the fact that I could, actually afford that super-light, shiny woven frame.  The first time I picked it up, I realized that is what I was going to shoot for.  I'm an emotional buyer...it's not always healthy.

So now I've been riding that uber-light bike for a few months and I still love it.  When I first started riding it I decided that I would not treat it like an origami creation.  I didn't want to change the way I rode.  I have ridden that bike over curbs and washboards, and have had little trouble.  I say "little" because there has been one little thing...

After a few weeks, the bike began to pop and crack when I hit bumps in the road.  I could not locate the source of the noise.  I'd hit a bump and I would analyze the sound.  It wasn't always consistent with bump type and size either.  This drove me batty.  How was I to describe it when/if I took it to the shop?  To replicate the sound...think of PVC pipe with a moderately tight fitting slid onto it...now twist that fitting.  Hear it snap and pop as it releases, slides, and stops again as friction rebuilds?  That's the snap-crackle-pop sound I have been hearing.  But where is it happening?

I think I have found it.  It was such a slow transition that it made little difference at first, but last week I finally realized that my legs are not quite getting to the almost-fully-extended point that I prefer.  I think the seatpost has been slipping down millimeter by millimeter as I hit bumps...popping and cracking as it slid.

Here's my newest fear.  I do not dare touch my new bike with tools.  Crap.