I just got a Schwinn Madison as my first fixed gear. I am having a hard time with the drivetrain.
If I leave my chain with less tension, there is a slack that makes the stroke annoying. If I tension it, the drivetrain start making a "rolling" noise that I don't know where it comes from. I also feel some vibration on my left foot down stoke. The picture shows the tension with the noise.
This weekend I tried my best to clean the chair. I soaked on a degreaser multiple times, wiped it, and lubed it. So the noise could be the chain, but I would think I cleaned it well enough.
Is this something I can troubleshoot at home or do I have to go to a mechanic?
by _melquiades
3 Comments
id start with checking your chainline for excessive crosschaining, then relieving tension and trying to tilt your crankshaft to check for play (also side to side) and taking the chain off, turning just the crank and feeling for any vibrations, especially with pressure like you described when feeling vibrations. maybe take off your crankset altogehter and check your bottom bracket if youre not sure (if you havent checked it before you should probably do it. check for cracks on the inner surfaces and turn it with your finger to feel for vibrations or funny sounds). if you dont find anything then its probably just the tension deforming the bottom bracket a little bit or excessive friction between the chain and the flanks of the teeth and you have to find a middle ground, maybe by putting screws of varying szies into the inner part of your dropouts as a stopper, if you struggle to make fine enough increments
and make sure the chain is properly lubed beforehand, that could also be the source of funny noises
On a fixie, a rolling binding noise is usually your chain tension…. If you have a tough time getting it right, I suggest getting chain tensioners, they pull the chain back and can be used to easily dial in tension and align the rear wheel. It could be chain lube too, but that’s really dependent on the condition of the chain, personally I like to wax chains these days instead of using grease.
Chain tension should be just enough slack that when you squeeze the chain, you get a total of 1/2″ of movement.. I tend to error towers tight.
I agree that you should at least measure the chainline, just to see. If it’s a couple mm off it won’t make a big difference, but it’s often the culprit. And sometimes a clean chain makes more noise than a dirty one, as the rollers move more freely. I agree with the chain tensioner suggestion; a Surly Tugg Nut makes it so easy to dial in the tension perfectly.