noisy Shimano SS freewheel

fitzcaraldo

Some advice please.

I have a Kona Unit that I use on and off road. I use 34:16 off-road and 42:16 for commuting on road - replacing the knobblies with slicks.
I use a Shimano freewheel and it is NOISY - far noisier than the freewheel on my old geared bike. It's not really an issue off-road when the tyre noise drowns it out but on tarmac with the slicks it is very noticeable. I was expecting almost total silence from the drivetrain.

My lbs has been very helpful and replaced the freewheel with another Shimano but same problem. The noise only happens when it engages, not coasting or back-pedalling. I've tried all the obvious options like dousing it with oil but no luck.

Has anyone had experience with any other freewheels and especially the ENO? Are they quiet?

velo fellow

I can't help with your problem, but don't jump to the conclusion that all Shimano freewheels are noisy. They are not. I have them on a number of bikes, both Ultegra and Dura-Ace, and they make no noise whatsoever.

Is it possible that the noise is not in the freewheel? What does the LBS have to say about the fact they apparently didn't or can't fix it?

fitzcaraldo

Shimano cluster freewheels on my other bikes are silent too. Its just the single speed one(s) that is noisy. The LBS seemed to indicate that the Shimano SS freewheels do make a bit of noise and that it's normal.
They are pretty cheap and aimed at the BMX market. I was interested if a more upmarket one was any quieter.

DMax

My Shimano SS freewheel is very quiet.

What kind of hub are you using?

What chain?

fitzcaraldo

DMax,

The hub is the original Kona Single Speed Disc and the original KMCZ610HX chain was swapped out for a fatter BMX chain (unsure of make).
I have tried replacing the chain with a cheap SRAM PC48 but it made no difference. I not convinced the noise is not coming from the chain on the freewheel rather than the freewheel itself.

How many teeth are you running on your freewheel? I swapped the original 17T for a 16T and was wondering if the 17T is quieter.

DMax

I use a 16t.

I am not familiar with the Kona hub you are using.

John Knees

Usual causes are bad chain-line, bad rear-wheel alignment, tight chain, or distorted chainwheel, either alone or in combination.
1. Chain line. Get a mate to hold the bike, and from behind the back wheel, take a sight along the line of the chain. Chainwheel and sprocket should lie in the same plane, and the chain should run straight between them. The sprocket plane is easy to adjust (add or remove packing shims) but if the chain-ring is the culprit, you may need to change your bottom bracket axle.
2. Chain Tension. There should be 1/2" (12.7mm if you're French) up and down play, i.e. 1" (25.4mm) total.
3. Worn Chain/Distorted Chainwheel. Turn the bike upside down and spin the transmission. If chain tension varies first check that the chainwheel is flat. If it's distorted you can graunch small errors out with a big screwdriver - easier with steel chain-rings. If it's not that, the chain has worn unevenly, usually due to being an exact ratio of the chain ring (e.g. 48T chain-ring, 96 link chain).
Replace all worn components.
Have a beer,
John

Marx SS

Coud the rear cog be worn causing noise? You’ve metioned that you change gearing on everything (front chainwhel & chain supposedly) but do you change the rear cog too as you mentioned you stick with a 16t on the rear for both street & dirt?
New-ish chain on a wearing/worn chain might make a racket.

If the question of suspect SS hub is still there, wouldn’t a swap to a regular cluster freewheel utilising SS convert spacers be a viable option?

I’m just guessing really, shit my BB is clicking & clanking for weeks now & I still don’t know what’s causing that & it’s right there. Let alone a prob on a bike I’ve never seen/ridden……