Derailleur pulley upgrade?
#26
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The D/A pulleys are a direct replacement for what you have now. Both the top and bottom pulleys have sealed bearings which means they should last far longer than other pulleys.
Make sure you install the pulleys correctly, there’s one for the top position and one for the bottom.
I'm assuming I screwed up installing my pulley wheels. It's in the shop right now for other things but anyone have any guesses as to what I did wrong? I'm pretty sure I shuffled the shiny silver bushing covers between the two, and even the bushing inside. I also didn't see any grease in the wheels so I didn't bother adding any.
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You should definitely should be able to snug up the pulley bolts without adding any spinning resistance, but you do have to have the right parts in the right place. I have definitely ran into the same issues by not putting the pulleys back correctly.
The guide pulley is the one that goes on top, and it is the one with the metal sleeve inside. The tension pulley goes on the bottom and does not have a metal sleeve. The tension pulley also has an arrow showing the direction of spin (I believe this should be oriented clockwise, but I'm writing this from memory). For the bushings themselves, there is one that will have a small slot on the end, and that bushing goes in the top guide pulley. The one without a slot goes in the bottom tension pulley. The silver covers don't matter which pulley they go to.
If you have the GS or long cage version, then the longer 12mm screw goes in the bottom tension pulley and the shorter 10mm screw goes in the top guide pulley. If you have the short cage version, then the screw lengths are the same and shouldn't matter. Again, if everything is in the right place, you should be able to tighten them down to 3nm and they should still spin freely.
The guide pulley is the one that goes on top, and it is the one with the metal sleeve inside. The tension pulley goes on the bottom and does not have a metal sleeve. The tension pulley also has an arrow showing the direction of spin (I believe this should be oriented clockwise, but I'm writing this from memory). For the bushings themselves, there is one that will have a small slot on the end, and that bushing goes in the top guide pulley. The one without a slot goes in the bottom tension pulley. The silver covers don't matter which pulley they go to.
If you have the GS or long cage version, then the longer 12mm screw goes in the bottom tension pulley and the shorter 10mm screw goes in the top guide pulley. If you have the short cage version, then the screw lengths are the same and shouldn't matter. Again, if everything is in the right place, you should be able to tighten them down to 3nm and they should still spin freely.
Last edited by RocThrower; 08-21-18 at 12:09 PM.
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You should definitely should be able to snug up the pulley bolts without adding any spinning resistance, but you do have to have the right parts in the right place. I have definitely ran into the same issues by not putting the pulleys back correctly.
The guide pulley is the one that goes on top, and it is the one with the metal sleeve inside. The tension pulley goes on the bottom and does not have a metal sleeve. The tension pulley also has an arrow showing the direction of spin (I believe this should be oriented clockwise, but I'm writing this from memory). For the bushings themselves, there is one that will have a small slot on the end, and that bushing goes in the top guide pulley. The one without a slot goes in the bottom tension pulley. The silver covers don't matter which pulley they go to.
If you have the GS or long cage version, then the longer 12mm screw goes in the bottom tension pulley and the shorter 10mm screw goes in the top guide pulley. If you have the short cage version, then the screw lengths are the same and shouldn't matter. Again, if everything is in the right place, you should be able to tighten them down to 3nm and they should still spin freely.
The guide pulley is the one that goes on top, and it is the one with the metal sleeve inside. The tension pulley goes on the bottom and does not have a metal sleeve. The tension pulley also has an arrow showing the direction of spin (I believe this should be oriented clockwise, but I'm writing this from memory). For the bushings themselves, there is one that will have a small slot on the end, and that bushing goes in the top guide pulley. The one without a slot goes in the bottom tension pulley. The silver covers don't matter which pulley they go to.
If you have the GS or long cage version, then the longer 12mm screw goes in the bottom tension pulley and the shorter 10mm screw goes in the top guide pulley. If you have the short cage version, then the screw lengths are the same and shouldn't matter. Again, if everything is in the right place, you should be able to tighten them down to 3nm and they should still spin freely.
#30
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All right I'll look out for that. Probably should have left that job for the daytime rather than 10PM on a sunday night. Also do you recommend grease on the bushing, teflon lube, oil or nothing at all?
#31
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I use a dab of heavy oil on both bushings.
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Alright turns out I did indeed switch the bushings. Went ahead and added a dab of grease to each sliding surface and tightened both down to 3ish Nm and things are looking good. No heavy oil in the house for now. Big + big is still loud as heck tho. Sounds almost like a motorcycle.
I wish I could check out a pro level bike and see how much drive noise + resistance is considered "good". If I'm being honest, turning the pedals in a stand has a lot more resistance than the 5 or so watts that people talk about unless my arm dyno is totally off from my leg dyno.
My quest for the perfect bike continues. I'll post here if/when (most likely when) I get the dura ace pulleys.
I wish I could check out a pro level bike and see how much drive noise + resistance is considered "good". If I'm being honest, turning the pedals in a stand has a lot more resistance than the 5 or so watts that people talk about unless my arm dyno is totally off from my leg dyno.
My quest for the perfect bike continues. I'll post here if/when (most likely when) I get the dura ace pulleys.
#33
Licensed Bike Geek
Big/big is going to be noisy. It’s worst possible cross-chain you can do, lots of chain tension top and bottom, derailleur trying to keep the chain straight. The worst if all worlds. Don’t do it.
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Fair enough. I don't. But the noise is still present across the board. It's just the worst in big-big. Not like the drivetrain is dead quiet and then it suddenly starts wailing in big-big. I'd be completely fine with that.
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The D/A pulleys are a direct replacement for what you have now. Both the top and bottom pulleys have sealed bearings which means they should last far longer than other pulleys.
Make sure you install the pulleys correctly, there’s one for the top position and one for the bottom.
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There is another explanation that I don't think has been touched on and to explain it I will tell a little story. I will be a brief as possible. I had purchased a titanium frame to replace my beloved 1973 Raleigh Professional after I crashed it in a race. I also purchased a second hand 9 speed Campagnolo Chorus groupset for it. Everything was in fine condition, but it always ran noisy no matter how I tweaked, trimmed, or lubricated it. A year later, I bought myself a Look KG381 frameset as a retirement gift to myself. This frameset is an aluminum lugged carbon tube construction. I transferred my Chorus components to the new frame and voila! almost total silence from the drivetrain. The simple fact is that some frames transmit and amplify drivetrain noise. Yours may be one of them
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There is another explanation that I don't think has been touched on and to explain it I will tell a little story. I will be a brief as possible. I had purchased a titanium frame to replace my beloved 1973 Raleigh Professional after I crashed it in a race. I also purchased a second hand 9 speed Campagnolo Chorus groupset for it. Everything was in fine condition, but it always ran noisy no matter how I tweaked, trimmed, or lubricated it. A year later, I bought myself a Look KG381 frameset as a retirement gift to myself. This frameset is an aluminum lugged carbon tube construction. I transferred my Chorus components to the new frame and voila! almost total silence from the drivetrain. The simple fact is that some frames transmit and amplify drivetrain noise. Yours may be one of them
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I was just offering a possible explanation. May or may not be true for your bike.
A thought I had: Try strips of electrical tape applied longitudinally on the downtube, seatube, toptube and chainstays to see if that damps drivetrain noise. If that works, you will know that resonance in your frame is why you hear noise from your drivetrain
A thought I had: Try strips of electrical tape applied longitudinally on the downtube, seatube, toptube and chainstays to see if that damps drivetrain noise. If that works, you will know that resonance in your frame is why you hear noise from your drivetrain
Last edited by alcjphil; 08-22-18 at 04:41 PM.
#40
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Just not true. With enough miles (and particularly worn chains) they absolutely wear down and require replacement. Also the bushings/bearings can definitely become so contaminated/worn that they can't be cleaned and lubricated. I replace pulleys maybe once a week, which isn't a ton considering I work full time, but isn't super rare, either.
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I agree that pulleys definately wear out & need to be replaced from time to time, but isn't that a little excessive??
Oh, and to re-iterate a point made earlier that is the ultimate solution to everything: you need to use the correct chain lube! And the absolute best is a wax based transmission bar motor oil spirits. I think there's one called something like Dualbond-L Golden Rock Lightning 4D, or something like that..
Oh, and to re-iterate a point made earlier that is the ultimate solution to everything: you need to use the correct chain lube! And the absolute best is a wax based transmission bar motor oil spirits. I think there's one called something like Dualbond-L Golden Rock Lightning 4D, or something like that..
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I agree that pulleys definately wear out & need to be replaced from time to time, but isn't that a little excessive??
Oh, and to re-iterate a point made earlier that is the ultimate solution to everything: you need to use the correct chain lube! And the absolute best is a wax based transmission bar motor oil spirits. I think there's one called something like Dualbond-L Golden Rock Lightning 4D, or something like that..
Oh, and to re-iterate a point made earlier that is the ultimate solution to everything: you need to use the correct chain lube! And the absolute best is a wax based transmission bar motor oil spirits. I think there's one called something like Dualbond-L Golden Rock Lightning 4D, or something like that..
EDIT: just looked into it. That is a shedload of effort + time.
Last edited by smashndash; 08-23-18 at 02:51 PM.
#43
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I agree that pulleys definately wear out & need to be replaced from time to time, but isn't that a little excessive??
Oh, and to re-iterate a point made earlier that is the ultimate solution to everything: you need to use the correct chain lube! And the absolute best is a wax based transmission bar motor oil spirits. I think there's one called something like Dualbond-L Golden Rock Lightning 4D, or something like that..
Oh, and to re-iterate a point made earlier that is the ultimate solution to everything: you need to use the correct chain lube! And the absolute best is a wax based transmission bar motor oil spirits. I think there's one called something like Dualbond-L Golden Rock Lightning 4D, or something like that..
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I know you're joking but I'm a full-time professional mechanic. I've never once replaced pulleys on a personal bike. Most pulley replacements are from people who never check chain wear and end up with comically stretched chains, but I've also seen some very high mileage rides wear them out, usually after dozens of chains and multiple cassettes. I've also seen a few from running in very dirty conditions but in those cases the whole derailleur is often worn.
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Yes, at least initially. After each re-waxing it is dead silent, assuming everything else is well aligned. But after a few hours it's no quieter than any other properly cleaned & wet-lubed chain. And I'm a waxed chain disciple.
As for the "shedload of effort + time. ", that's a topic for another thread, but it really isn't over all. It's just a matter of how the time is distributed: either in infrequent, but slightly longer blocks (for wax), or in more frequent, but shorter (and messier ) blocks (for oil).
As for the "shedload of effort + time. ", that's a topic for another thread, but it really isn't over all. It's just a matter of how the time is distributed: either in infrequent, but slightly longer blocks (for wax), or in more frequent, but shorter (and messier ) blocks (for oil).
#46
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Yes, at least initially. After each re-waxing it is dead silent, assuming everything else is well aligned. But after a few hours it's no quieter than any other properly cleaned & wet-lubed chain. And I'm a waxed chain disciple.
As for the "shedload of effort + time. ", that's a topic for another thread, but it really isn't over all. It's just a matter of how the time is distributed: either in infrequent, but slightly longer blocks (for wax), or in more frequent, but shorter (and messier ) blocks (for oil).
As for the "shedload of effort + time. ", that's a topic for another thread, but it really isn't over all. It's just a matter of how the time is distributed: either in infrequent, but slightly longer blocks (for wax), or in more frequent, but shorter (and messier ) blocks (for oil).
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Well, some are marketed as reusable such as KMC's Missing Link with an 'r' suffix. I reuse them for the life of the chain they're on. I use KMC chains and they come with the reuseable links. I've had no issues on my chains that get removed & rewaxed about every 250 to 300 miles, and I get over 5000 miles per chain. I wouldn't use a quick link for more than one chain though, because they wear just like other chain links.
#48
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I'm looking to replace the pulleys on my RD-5700GS with something that doesn't require quite so much maintenance to keep them from squeaking. For reference, this is for my randonneuring bike. I started a 1200k last weekend with freshly cleaned and oiled pulleys. By the end of the ride they were squeaking so bad the other riders were asking what was wrong with my bike. Are the 7900 pulleys the right choice for that?
#49
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TACX makes pulleys for Shimano derailleurs that have sealed bearings. My wife uses those on her touring bike.
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I'm looking to replace the pulleys on my RD-5700GS with something that doesn't require quite so much maintenance to keep them from squeaking. For reference, this is for my randonneuring bike. I started a 1200k last weekend with freshly cleaned and oiled pulleys. By the end of the ride they were squeaking so bad the other riders were asking what was wrong with my bike. Are the 7900 pulleys the right choice for that?
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