Chain Noise

[jwroubaix]

I've got a new bike that's a mix of Ultra and Dura Ace components. I've put around 100 miles on the bike and felt like it wasn't shifting as well and I was getting a lot of chain noise. I had a friend come over and do a tune up. When the bike is in the stand i can still hear the chain noise a little bit, but I took it out this weekend and really heard a lot of noise. It sounds like cross chaining but i'm getting it almost all the gears. After the ride I put in the stand and don't hear it that much. Why would it be worse on the bike?

 

[ABNPFDR]

It's worse on the bike because with your added weight, the chain, and the drivetrain in general is under considerably more tension/stress so chain noise is amplified. Most common reason for chain noise is an improperly adjusted rear dérailleur.

Not for nothing, but if your friend tuned up the bike and it's not performing well, then maybe you should find someone more qualified.

If you bought a new bike and it's making noise, you should bring it back to the shop to have them adjust it. If you didn't buy it from a shop... Well...

 

[Froze]

Chain noise is not normal unless the chain is worn out which in your case it shouldn't be after just 100 miles. So the bike is new so the best thing to do is to take it back to the shop and tell them what your hearing and let them adjust it and not some friend who may be qualified but he doesn't work for the bike shop where you got the bike. By the way, DON'T mention that your friend, or you, tried to adjust it, just forget about your friend and act stupid. More than likely the rear derailleur is not adjusted correctly as ABNPFDR said, Dura Ace is more finicky about being properly adjusted than Ultegra or especially 105 so that's probably the problem; the only other problem it could be is incorrect chain line but this is sort of remote but possible.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Ignoring the fact that new drivetrains do bed in and quiet down a bit...

The rear cable is either too loose or too tight if the noise is caused by the rear not being adjusted properly. Put it on the stand and observe the jockey pulley position in relation to the cassette gear above it. Is it centered in the cage and directly centered below the gear? Cables may stretch a bit and the probability is that some slack needs taken out of the cable.

If the noise can not be easily tuned away check your derailleur hanger. If you lack a gage, have your shop check it to make sure it did not get bent in transit or during assembly.

You don't state 'where' the noise is coming from. Is it from the front derailleur cage rubbing? The chain running over the chainring teeth?

Put the rear broke on and pull the chain tight. Check the front derailleur cage for adequate clearance in all the usable gears. Refer to shimaNO's tech doc page for setup instructions. It's on their website.

 

[dhk2]

Without hearing the noise it's kindof hard to guess. But if everything is tuned right, could it be the sticky grease on new chains? When I put on a new Shimano or SRAM chain, it seems to take a couple of applications of Prolink light oil anda few miles before it quiets down completely.

Oh, if you take the bike back to the LBS, do admit that you and a friend fiddled with it. It might save the mechanic a lot of time, and your honesty will be appreciated. I know because I've been on the receiving end of customers "acting stupid", and trust me, you won't be fooling anybody.

 

[alfeng]

I've got a new bike that's a mix of Ultra and Dura Ace components. I've put around 100 miles on the bike and felt like it wasn't shifting as well and I was getting a lot of chain noise. I had a friend come over and do a tune up. When the bike is in the stand i can still hear the chain noise a little bit, but I took it out this weekend and really heard a lot of noise. It sounds like cross chaining but i'm getting it almost all the gears. After the ride I put in the stand and don't hear it that much. Why would it be worse on the bike?

FWIW. Well, I can't speak to whether-or-not the more recent Dura Ace derailleurs are more finicky to set up, but in the past, they were not ...

I can say that you may indeed need to consider bringing the bike to the shop to resolve the problem ...

However, if you are certain that the persistent noise is being caused by the chain ...

YOU need to better isolate whether it is coming from the front or the rear.

The chain rubbing on the front should be EASY to see ...

Since all other solutions seem to have failed, IF the noise is coming from the rear of the bike, then check to see how the chain passes between the two pulley wheels ...

Because it is possible to snake the chain incorrectly between the two pulley wheels whereby the chain is riding on one of the rear derailleur cage's control tabs ....

And, THAT will certainly result in an unwanted sound!.

BTW. You can do yourself a favor with regard to expediting troubleshooting if you take the time to look at the Parktool.com website or borrow-or-buy either one of Zinn's books or the Bicycling maintenace book AND also to become as familiar as you can with either one of your older bikes or newer bikes so that you can better isolate the problems as you are encountering them ...

By stripping-and-rebuilding (one of) your old bike(s) you will be able to more quickly isolate & fix problems you may encounter rather than needing to rely on your bike shop or shot-in-the-dark replies from members of this(-or-other) Forum(s).

 

[jwroubaix]

I'm slow with this kind of stuff. I don't understand why being on the bike would make the chain noise louder? Can you explain that.

 

[gavinfree]

I'm slow with this kind of stuff. I don't understand why being on the bike would make the chain noise louder? Can you explain that.

More weight and pressure on the bike/chain compared to having everything on a stand. I'd agree with everyone that's recommended an adjustment for the chain and other parts of the bike. If that doesn't work, then you're going to have to replace the chain by getting a new one or using any warranty or return policy you've got.

 

[dhk2]

Another cause of chain noise under load could be indication of a worn chain, cassette or chainrings. You never mentioned where you bought your new bike. If you didn't get the bike from an LBS, this opens up the possibility that either the chain, cassette or chainrings are used.

If that's a possibility, and you don't have recourse to warranty service, you can do some simple checks at home to determine what needs to be replaced.

 

[oldbobcat]

Bent derailleur hanger? Even new bikes can have bent hangers. The derailleur mounting bolt must be absolutely parallel to the axle of the rear hub. If you don't have the alignment tool, have a shop check it out.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Quote by OBC:
"Bent derailleur hanger? Even new bikes can have bent hangers. The derailleur mounting bolt must be absolutely parallel to the axle of the rear hub. If you don't have the alignment tool, have a shop check it out."

Heh...is there an echo in here?

My earlier wording is almost identical:
"If the noise can not be easily tuned away check your derailleur hanger. If you lack a gage, have your shop check it to make sure it did not get bent in transit or during assembly."

I agree that new bikes can have bent hangers. I've seen it on the shop floor and straightened a couple of bikes' hangers that had only a few miles on them.

Still, it's likely the friend did not get the rear D set correctly.

 

[oldbobcat]

Campybob said:

Heh...is there an echo in here?



Great minds think alike.

Lazy me, I only skimmed the thread before posting, and I missed your wisdom.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

My 'wisdom' is easy to miss! There's so little of it left these days.

Your shop experience and my years of wrenching arrived at the same observation and possible diagnosis: Flimsy aluminum hangers are easily bent with very little pressure or impact force on a derailleur. That's what they are designed to do...save the frame from damage by yielding.

How many time have we been in a pace line or riding behind someone and spotted a derailleur cage hanging at a 5+ degree angle?

 

[NJAgent020]

By any chance is the bike a Specialized? On both the Hybrid Cirrus and the Allez I test rode, I heard chain rub (Cirrus) and had clunky shifting (Allez). I went to two different Specialized retailers and had similar issue.