Slightly noisy drivetrain....
zak3737
Posts: 370
Guys, altho I'm reasonably handy with all things bike maintenance, I'm just wondering if I've inadvertently caused my drivetrain to be a little noisy.
I gave the bike a good clean earlier this week, and took off the chain via the powerlink, before degreasing it and the Cassette etc, and all was shiny and clean before I put the chain back on and relubed all etc.
But - if the chain went on a different way, Could that maybe be causing things to be a little more noisy than before it came off ??
I assume a Chain meshes with a Chainset over time, and if is put back on differently, isn't going to be as smooth ?
Much to learn.....
I gave the bike a good clean earlier this week, and took off the chain via the powerlink, before degreasing it and the Cassette etc, and all was shiny and clean before I put the chain back on and relubed all etc.
But - if the chain went on a different way, Could that maybe be causing things to be a little more noisy than before it came off ??
I assume a Chain meshes with a Chainset over time, and if is put back on differently, isn't going to be as smooth ?
Much to learn.....
0
Comments
-
Guys, altho I'm reasonably handy with all things bike maintenance, I'm just wondering if I've inadvertently caused my drivetrain to be a little noisy.
I gave the bike a good clean earlier this week, and took off the chain via the powerlink, before degreasing it and the Cassette etc, and all was shiny and clean before I put the chain back on and relubed all etc.
But - if the chain went on a different way, Could that maybe be causing things to be a little more noisy than before it came off ??
I assume a Chain meshes with a Chainset over time, and if is put back on differently, isn't going to as smooth ?
Much to learn.....
possible but most drive train noise is usually a result of chain rubbing against front mech or poor indexing. Or perhaps the gunky grease was dampening the sound all this time.0 -
But - if the chain went on a different way, Could that maybe be causing things to be a little more noisy than before it came off ??
Not really. What IS creating your noise is that your degreaser removed all of the lubricant from inside the chain rollers, and thus making it sound more "mechanical". One possible solution is to submerge the chain in hot wax for a LONG time (melted). Allow the wax to really permeate the chain. Then wipe it, then wipe it, then wipe it, then wipe it until your rag for wiping the chain clean does not produce anymore residue.
I would simply buy a new chain for the hours it takes to PROPERLY clean a chain. Many times, and yours as an example "super cleaning" a chain is far more detrimental than not cleaning it at all (other than a simple wipe down). Back in the day I knew people who would run their bearings dry...they "felt" faster in the fingers. Or even the un-greased BB spindle because in the stand the crank would spin and spin (as opposed to one with Phil Wood lube in it). Heck, way back when the only difference between a Dura Ace BB and an Ultegra BB was the seals in them (the DA had only one to the three in the Ultegra, the Ultregra was slower for a few years, the DA was faster till it rained).0 -
Wel, thx for the comments guys, but Record11Ti, although you sounded like you knew what you were talking about, its thankfully isnt half as bad as you intimated !!
I nipped 5mins down the road to a lbs, with a view to getting a new chain, but after quick chat, and a theory that perhaps it wasnt as clean as I imagined, and that I'd perhaps simply moved the grit and grime around a little, altho it looked clean, they suggested a quick spray down with Morgan Blue Chain Cleaner, backpedalling whilst chain still in place, and then a quick brushing down with small brush, again while backpedalling, before hosing off.
That done, and then dried off, a quick re-lubing with Morgan Blue Race Chain Oil, and all's running perfect & quiet again.
Now sure, it may have cost me £18, slightly more perhaps than a new Chain, but this stuff I now have on hand will last me for ages, and keep my chain nice & shiny & clean.
Happy days.0 -
keep my chain nice & shiny & clean.
Happy days.
There really is only one "proper way" to clean a chain (http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html)
That said, I have seen what you have going on only about a million times. Working in shops for years, as a tech for pro teams, certified by USCF, Shimano, Campagnolo, Mavic, Wheelsmith, Barnett's and on and on and on - chain cleaning really is something that is so easy to do right and very easy to do wrong. As was said by your LBS, the b*tch is that the results are often clean side plates at the cost of dirt and grime worked into the pins and rollers of the chain. A quiet chain does not make a "clean" chain, nor an optimally efficient chain.
The typical lube that you apply to the exterior of a chain is simply put on, and then with luck wiped away (really doing nothing). Waxing the chain with one of the many products out there (such as: http://moltenspeedwax.com/ ) is a much better option. Remember something here, we are talking ROAD chains not MTN chains that have no where near the lifespan as the torques and side flex tends to be far less than what is typically seen on a MTN bike.
The way that people such as Calvin Jones (now of Park Tool) would have you lube a chain is to use a straw tip and place a drop of lube on each roller, not on outside of the side plates at all. Then, wipe, wipe, wipe - only leaving the lube on the rollers (interior) and the pins (pivot points). Once you force grit into the rollers it will simply stay there and cause friction (no matter how quiet the chain is).
The way I typically look at anything pertaining to maintaining my personal bikes. If the cleaning process takes more time / per hour of my wage than the cost of a new chain, I buy a new chain. Happenstance I ride Campagnolo Record chains, and it is still not worth my time to clean it as to replace it (but, I also dont coat them with un-needed lubes that only attract dirt).0
