Greetings!
I have ~200 miles on my Marin Gestalt 2 so far and recently took it to the shop for a free tune-up because I feel like the drivetrain is louder now than it was when I first got it, and it doesn't feel as smooth. I feel like there's a tiny bit of resistance as each link goes on the cassette. The shop tuned it up, gave it back to me, but the drivetrain is still just as loud as when I dropped it off.
I'm not expert when it comes to bike maintenance, but I've been teaching myself over the past year or so.
Here is what I've checked already:
1. Derailleur is not bent
2. Shifting is smooth, and messing around with cable tension does not affect the noise
3. Chain is not too long/short. There is no slack when in low/low, and it is not over-extended in high/high
4. Drivetrain is clean and lubed
5. Pulleys/jockey wheels do not make any noise when spinning without the chain on
6. Adjusting B-screw does not affect the noise
I feel like I'm going crazy at this point. Is there something else I should be checking?
I compared the noise to my Ripmo AF (Deore) and my Cannondale Trail 6 (Altus) and it's definitely louder than both.
Thanks in advance!
Is this amount of noise normal?
byu/watchmedrown34 inbikewrench
by watchmedrown34
16 Comments
Please let me know if I can provide other useful videos/pictures from different angles.
Sounds fine
No. The chain is likely not routed through the derailleurs correct.
The chain should be in front of the little bent metal plate in the derailleur cage, it looks like it’s behind now.
I would say this is normal amount of noise.
Lube and use, see how it goes. Seems fine tho 👍🏼
No, dogs typically make more noise than that.
It sounds like it’s slightly misaligned. Please show a picture of the rear of the bike/cassette from directly behind after selecting a middle gear and pedaling a few turns. You check to see if the pulley wheel is aligned in the center, to slightly inboard of the chain link
Mine sounds the same and it drives me crazy!
If it’s aligned correctly I would change chain for shimano one. KMC chains are more noisy
Mine did it as well and I spent over a year experimenting with various things to make it less noisy. I’m now ok with the noise level of mine. On the 4 middle cogs in the back all i hear now are tires, not the drivetrain. Here’s what I did:
– replaced pulley wheels to BBB Rollerboys (this reduced like 70% of the noise). I’d recommend starting with just that
– waxed chain (experimented with hot melt Absolute Black and Silca and the latter gave me much better results)
– changed chain from KMC to Connex which helped a bit, but was not worth it IMO
– turned off the clutch for good. The tension without the clutch on my GRX is enough for the roads I’m riding on
– experimented with the b-screw. It seems that the a bit larger distance from the casette than usual reduced the noise for me
All in all I have to say that despite perfect shifting I’m disappointed with the GRX because of the noise it makes. Riding a bike is a bit of a meditaion for me and the noise was ruining the joy I was having from it. You should do better Shimano!
If the chain was removed during the service, I’d try flipping the chain over (still with the shimano writing on the outside). I had a similar noise and realised the chain had been reinstalled with the older worn side , now on the outside, as opposed to the inside. In my case the tiniest mismatch of gear teeth and chain surface made the clicking noise.
The chain itself showed no sign of stretch when testing with a chain wear tool.
Have you routed your chain correctly? I did it wrong once in a rush, drove me nuts, Routed the chain the wring side f the tab under the top jockey
It can be more silent. Check hanger alignment, use a shimano original chain, correct lubrication. I’m assuming tension is ok, but I think you could be slightly off.
Sounds okay to me, some chains are louder than others.
On a somewhat related note, I have a fixed gear bike with a front disc brake that is completely silent to ride and come to a stop. It’s a beautiful thing to explore paved paths on, just the sound of wind in your ear and whatever else is around is very soothing and relaxing. You’d be surprised how much tires make noise too.
It is mostly normal chain noise.
The rear derailer is shifted between gears using a wire cable going to the shifter. That cable can stretch over time. Support the bike without the rear wheel on the ground. Place the shifter in each gear and look at the chain where it goes over the freewheel. (Cog assembly), the chain should be centered over each cog. If it is not you need to adjust the derailer. Try it in all the gears. If it is not centered on all of the cogs loosen the hold down nut locking the cable in place.
Since the cable has probably stretched hold the derailer in the correct alignment and pull the cable tight and retighten the lock down nut. Basic tuneup check.