How much noise is too much noise...

jaibhavaya

Hey all

I'm a long time fixed gear cyclist who wanted to really dive into longer distance road cycling. I just purchased a Specialized Allez Elite, which based on my research, is a pretty decent bicycle.

So as I'm riding along, I'm noticing that my chain/gears/etc make some noise. I'm conscious of cross-chaining and it doesn't seem that is really the issue as there is a stable amount of noise even when riding in big-small gearing. So my question is essentially, on a bike like this... how much noise warrants some adjustment, and how much is just how a geared bike sounds? I'm coming from the world of silky smooth drivetrains where a little bit of noise meant something was wrong.

I'm just trying to not bug my bike shop with every little rattle I hear, though part of me is thinking that the reason I spent a decent amount on a bike (okay, okay, I'm not trying to say like this is an amazing bike... but it wasn't cheap by beginner standards..) was so that I would have a smooth geared experience.

So any guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks so much.

ben@31

Its possible to get a well maintained bike set up so it makes hardly any noticeable noise, maybe just a gentle ticking at the most.
Possible causes of excessive noise could be derailleurs out of index and need re-adjusting, bent hanger (especially if some gears are more affected than others), chain needs cleaning and oiling or the chain is worn and needs replacing (theres a way to measure a chain to see if its worn... https://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/art ... ned-46015/
)

laurentian

It may sound a bit obvious, but is the chain threaded through the derailleur cage correctly? It wouldn't be the first time this has not been done correctly when set up . . .