Rule #65 - having issues with silence..

dhobiwallah
dhobiwallah Posts: 272
edited January 2013 in Workshop
Rule #65 // Maintain and respect your machine.
Bicycles must adhere to the Principle of Silence and as such must be meticulously maintained. It must be cherished, and when leaning it against a wall, must be leaned carefully such that only the bars, saddle, or tires come in contact with the wall or post. This is true even when dismounting prior to collapsing after the World Championship Time Trial. No squeaks, creaks, or chain noise allowed. Only the soothing hum of your tires upon the tarmac and the rhythm of your breathing may be audible when riding. When riding the Pave, the sound of chain slap is acceptable. The Principle of Silence can be extended to say that if you are suffering such that your breathing begins to adversely effect the enjoyment of the other riders in the bunch, you are to summarily sit up and allow yourself to be dropped.10

I have a compact double on my cyclocross bike - FSA cranks and 105 gears. I'm using it on the road but cannot get rid of the chain noise. I cannot find any obvious rubbing with the front derailleur etc and have adjusted the indexing all the way till it skips up and down a gear without a silent spot. It is my first 10 speed cassette (all my MTBs are 9 speed).

i am assuming it is perfectly possible to 'rig for silent running' - any hints on where to start troubleshooting?

Comments

  • I it's noisy in all gears if you've got horizontal dropouts could the wheel be slightly out of line ? Try a new chain ?
  • crankycrank
    crankycrank Posts: 1,830
    Some possibilities; B-Tension screw on derailleur needs adjusting. cassette loose, gear cable fraying or does not move freely, make sure cable is routed correctly in the guides, derailleur hanger bent, incorrect spacing of the chainrings, chainring bolts are loose, chain too short/long, wheel not clamped straight in frame, chain not lubed properly. Provided your frame is aligned and the derailleur and shifter are all functioning properly and there is the possibility that the chain is just noisy such as some Mavic chains that were sold awhile back I can't think of anything else at the moment. What bike, chain, how many miles on current drivetrain, has it always done this since new, has it taken a spill?
  • Are you sure it's the chain and not the BB? This summer I spent a couple of weeks fiddling with gears before I realised that it was a noisy BB.
  • Thanks for the suggestions guys.

    Bike is second hand so wear unknown; will try and eliminate a few of those variables when I can escape from the in-laws and Xmas prep to the garage! :)
  • Thanks to those with suggestions.....

    Despite sounding exactly like mis-indexed gears cleaning and re-greasing the rear hub (and it needed it!) seems to have solved the problem after trying everything else!
  • As it's a 10 speed cassette, maybe worth checking that it has the spacer in place behind the cassette - which would have been put onto the freehub before installing the cassette. Without this it would be impossible to tighten the cassette onto the freehub and the sprockets will be a little loose and rattle like a fecker and most likely cause shifting issues as a consequence.

    I did this once, until I realised my error :oops:
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    Also check the chain is routed through the rear mech correctly.

    There is a guide/lug between the two jockey wheels and the chain needs to sit the correct side of this.

    If it is on the wrong side its rattle city.
    Yellow is the new Black.