Tyler Jane Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 There's a loud creaking noise coming from my front sprocket that I noticed while cleaning the chain today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUobqMqYEAc Do you hear that?? It sounds pretty bad. It's not a sound like something hitting something else; it's more like a creaking noise of something under stress. My first thought is that the chain is too tight. I had new tires put on by a shop a few weeks again and the chain does feel a lot tighter than I remember, but I tried to measure the slack and it seems to be within spec, but I'm not completely sure I'm doing it right. What would you do? Just leave it be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 think that might be the cleanest chain I've ever seen. Just for grins, dip a rag into some motor oil (90W or 120W gear oil would be better) and then wipe all of the rollers with it and see if the click goes away. O-rings only seal between the plates. The rollers still need to be lubed. Chains are much happier when lubed and dirty than spotlessly clean and dry. The chain should have around 2" of slack somewhere in the middle of the lower run. Pull down on the chain and measure from the upper edge of the chain to the plastic guard on the bottom of the swingarm. Too loose is always better than too tight - ALWAYS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yotaman02 Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 just the chain catching the tooth a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Jane Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 think that might be the cleanest chain I've ever seen. Just for grins, dip a rag into some motor oil (90W or 120W gear oil would be better) and then wipe all of the rollers with it and see if the click goes away. O-rings only seal between the plates. The rollers still need to be lubed. Chains are much happier when lubed and dirty than spotlessly clean and dry. The chain should have around 2" of slack somewhere in the middle of the lower run. Pull down on the chain and measure from the upper edge of the chain to the plastic guard on the bottom of the swingarm. Too loose is always better than too tight - ALWAYS. I'll give the oil thing a shot tonight, thanks. And yeah, I measured the slack how you describe and it appears to be within spec. It just feels a lot tighter than I remember it being before the shop changed my tires. Maybe it was just really loose before and they fixed it. just the chain catching the tooth a little bit. So it's normal? It just seemed alarming since I had never heard it before. Maybe my bike is just getting old... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yotaman02 Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 the rear tire may be just slightly out of alignment causing it to catch a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 think that might be the cleanest chain I've ever seen. Just for grins, dip a rag into some motor oil (90W or 120W gear oil would be better) and then wipe all of the rollers with it and see if the click goes away. O-rings only seal between the plates. The rollers still need to be lubed. Chains are much happier when lubed and dirty than spotlessly clean and dry. The chain should have around 2" of slack somewhere in the middle of the lower run. Pull down on the chain and measure from the upper edge of the chain to the plastic guard on the bottom of the swingarm. Too loose is always better than too tight - ALWAYS. I'll give the oil thing a shot tonight, thanks. And yeah, I measured the slack how you describe and it appears to be within spec. It just feels a lot tighter than I remember it being before the shop changed my tires. Maybe it was just really loose before and they fixed it. just the chain catching the tooth a little bit.So it's normal? It just seemed alarming since I had never heard it before. Maybe my bike is just getting old...I'd say that's not normal. Maybe the chain is getting old - How many miles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Jane Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 I'd say that's not normal. Maybe the chain is getting old - How many miles? Bike is a few weeks shy of one year old and has about 14,000 miles on it. the rear tire may be just slightly out of alignment causing it to catch a little. Actually I thought that might be the case. I was staring at the rear of the bike and I swear it seems like the wheel is slightly to the left side. I took some video of it too. I know this isn't a scientific measurement or anything, but here it is from the rear: http://i.imgur.com/4L6QF7J.png Can a wheel be incorrectly installed slightly to one side like that? I'm guessing this would just make the sprockets wear a little faster, and the tires wear a little unevenly? Is it worth making the shop take a second look at it or am I overreacting? I just hate hearing new noises on my bike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member phicurious86 Posted May 23, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted May 23, 2016 Actually I thought that might be the case. I was staring at the rear of the bike and I swear it seems like the wheel is slightly to the left side. I took some video of it too. I know this isn't a scientific measurement or anything, but here it is from the rear: http://i.imgur.com/4L6QF7J.png Can a wheel be incorrectly installed slightly to one side like that? I'm guessing this would just make the sprockets wear a little faster, and the tires wear a little unevenly? Is it worth making the shop take a second look at it or am I overreacting? I just hate hearing new noises on my bike Check the swing arm alignment marks at the axle on both sides. Should be the same number of lines visible on both. You can also use a measuring tape to measure the distance from the tail end of the swing arm to the axle. Should be the same distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Hard to move the back wheel sideways, but it can be misaligned and not pointing straight. The chain and sprockets will wear out faster if the sprockets are not parallel and in the same plane (no easy fix for this). If it's bad enough, the tire will also wear out faster. Take a close-up pict of the front sprocket straight from the side and have a look at it on a computer screen. Look particularly at the shape of the teeth. If they do not look symmetrical (leading vs. trailing sides), it's time for a new chain and at least that front sprocket. Rear sprockets will usually last twice as long. But put a new chain on a worn sprocket and it won't stay new for long. 14k miles might be premature for a decent chain (DID qualifies for decent and well better) on a bike this light. But it depends on how much rain it's seen and how dry it's been run. A broken chain can ruin your day - as well as do a lot of damage to the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Oh, keep in mind, the chain is normally pulled by that front sprocket. When you spin the back wheel forward, you are now pulling on the other face of the teeth. Does the noise go away when you spin the back wheel backward? It really should be quiet in both directions. If the noise goes away spinning the back wheel backwards, I'm gonna guess that sprocket is worn out. The pitch of a 525 chain is 15.875 mm (5/8"). Measure between 11 pins. A new chain will be 158.75 mm. If it's 2 or maybe 2.5% longer (159-160mm) it's time for new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Jane Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 Awesome, thanks for all the info @rick. I'll take a closer look when I get home. And thanks @phicurious86, I'll check the marks too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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