Outside of perfect chainline, is 11-speed always a bit noisy

dilatory

I've just upgraded bikes significantly (from 8 speed to 11 speed). Is Ultegra 6800, shifts smooth as hell and when chainline is perfect it's quiet as a mouse, but as soon as I deviate it starts to get a little noisy. It's not rubbing on the front mech and there's enough trim to avoid it but I feel I can hear chain on cassette a little more than I am used to. It doesn't sound crunchy or rough, just rubbing...

gethinceri

I have Campagnolo Athena, utterly silent when not too cross-chained.

Bozman

I've got 6800 Ultegra and you get a little bit of noise in the forbidden zone but not a lot, it's no more or less than you get on 9 or 10 speed set ups.
If you're using a 12/25 cassette you don't use 50 to 25/23 or 34 to 12/13, look on that noise as an alarm to change gear.

Through the years I have noticed that some frames seem to have a better chain line than others, I've run the same set up on a couple of bikes and one would run silent on all 10 sprockets at the rear but the other would only manage 7.

Moonbiker

Im fussy about chain noise & thought my bike chain was abit noisy.

But I noticed on a recent group ride my old 8 speed clunker was the quietest bike compared to about the 7 other brand new 10/11 speed ones, are they harder to get the gears indexed right?

drlodge

My 11sp Campag setup is very quiet except once the lube starts to wear off. Even cross chaining its quiet.

I hired a bike with Ultegra Gruppo, it was more noisey but it was a nice mechanaical "purring". Might just be the way the chain interacts with the cassette sprockets, or different lubing.

mitchgixer6

I too have a new bike with 6800. It too is a little bit noisy from the chain line. Guessing it might be because the gap between the Sprockets is smaller and chain narrower so less room when not in a straight line.

dilatory

Thanks for replies all. It's not a cross-chaining noise, it is more a mechanical noise as such, doesn't sound like it's doing any damage just notice it the closer I get to a naughty chainline.