NBD 1st real gravel bike
06-25-20, 12:08 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
NBD 1st real gravel bike
So I picked up my new Salsa Journeyman Claris 650b in matte gray today. OMG. What a comfortable ride. I should have done this a long time ago. So after a few quick adjustments and a few trips up and down the street, I noticed a light clickity clickity sound from the chain. I put some lube on the chain and ran through the gears and it got a little better. I can't remember when I ever had a brand new bike before. So I'm wondering if I'm just paranoid or is it something that will break in? Claris group shifts smooth and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm so accustomed to riding 28mm tires on my Sirrus that the new wide 47mm tires feel amazing as they soak up the bumps instead of me. I'm going to ride it to work tomorrow instead of the Sirrus. If you have any thoughts on the chain noise I'm all ears. Thanks fellas.
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06-25-20, 03:17 AM
#2
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Is the drive side crank arm hitting the barb on the end of the front shift cable? That’s happened to me.
06-25-20, 06:51 AM
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Congrats, nice ride! Turn the crank slowly and listen closely at the front and rear and see if you can determine where the clicking is coming from. Gears could need indexing, I've learned to never assume that a bike has been adjusted properly and can usually index it a little better than what the shop does.
06-25-20, 07:06 AM
#4
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Nice looking bike. I like the wide and beefy tires. Sometimes I get a click when the chain rubs the front derailleur cage.
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06-25-20, 07:34 AM
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Clicky noise from the lower middle of your bike could be...
- the right crank arm hitting the front derailleur cable end. this is sometimes tough to determine since the cable pivots depending on which ring the chain is on so the click is there sometimes but not always.
- the FD cable end hitting the tire(though this sounds different from a click). this is more common with the long arm design of your Claris FD(and similar older style higher level FDs that had that long arm design).
- chain rubbing on the front derailleur. a quarter turn of a limit screw will often fix this. sometimes its due to the front derailleur not being in line and instead at a slight angle.
- a chainring not being fully bolted to the crank arm(most likely not an issue for you since the bike is new and a ring hasnt been recently replaced).
- a pedal not being fully tightened to the crank arm.
- bottom bracket play due to it being loose.
These are what seem to be the 5 most common.
Also- cool bike! Those tires are massive from the angle you shot the pic.
- the right crank arm hitting the front derailleur cable end. this is sometimes tough to determine since the cable pivots depending on which ring the chain is on so the click is there sometimes but not always.
- the FD cable end hitting the tire(though this sounds different from a click). this is more common with the long arm design of your Claris FD(and similar older style higher level FDs that had that long arm design).
- chain rubbing on the front derailleur. a quarter turn of a limit screw will often fix this. sometimes its due to the front derailleur not being in line and instead at a slight angle.
- a chainring not being fully bolted to the crank arm(most likely not an issue for you since the bike is new and a ring hasnt been recently replaced).
- a pedal not being fully tightened to the crank arm.
- bottom bracket play due to it being loose.
These are what seem to be the 5 most common.
Also- cool bike! Those tires are massive from the angle you shot the pic.
Last edited by mstateglfr; 06-25-20 at 07:38 AM.
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06-25-20, 07:59 AM
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Clicky noise from the lower middle of your bike could be...
- the right crank arm hitting the front derailleur cable end. this is sometimes tough to determine since the cable pivots depending on which ring the chain is on so the click is there sometimes but not always.
- the FD cable end hitting the tire(though this sounds different from a click). this is more common with the long arm design of your Claris FD(and similar older style higher level FDs that had that long arm design).
- chain rubbing on the front derailleur. a quarter turn of a limit screw will often fix this. sometimes its due to the front derailleur not being in line and instead at a slight angle.
- a chainring not being fully bolted to the crank arm(most likely not an issue for you since the bike is new and a ring hasnt been recently replaced).
- a pedal not being fully tightened to the crank arm.
- bottom bracket play due to it being loose.
These are what seem to be the 5 most common.
Also- cool bike! Those tires are massive from the angle you shot the pic.
- the right crank arm hitting the front derailleur cable end. this is sometimes tough to determine since the cable pivots depending on which ring the chain is on so the click is there sometimes but not always.
- the FD cable end hitting the tire(though this sounds different from a click). this is more common with the long arm design of your Claris FD(and similar older style higher level FDs that had that long arm design).
- chain rubbing on the front derailleur. a quarter turn of a limit screw will often fix this. sometimes its due to the front derailleur not being in line and instead at a slight angle.
- a chainring not being fully bolted to the crank arm(most likely not an issue for you since the bike is new and a ring hasnt been recently replaced).
- a pedal not being fully tightened to the crank arm.
- bottom bracket play due to it being loose.
These are what seem to be the 5 most common.
Also- cool bike! Those tires are massive from the angle you shot the pic.
OP - I would add something related to the chain/FD rub...depending on what chainring/cassette combo you are in, you may need to “trim” the front shift.
If you are not familiar, you might google the term, but essentially: on most front shifters, after shifting rings you can do a small, second up-shift which will move the derailer cage outward ever so slightly. This can be needed to help avoid chain rub, because as you run through the full range of the cassette, the chain is moving left/right as it leaves the front derailer cage, and it can be difficult to find one position that avoids chainrub on one side of the cage or the other.
I’m not sure MTB front shifters customarily use trim, so this may not be something you’ve seen on your Sirrus.
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06-25-20, 11:29 PM
#7
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So, I rode my new bike to work today, about 20 miles round trip. I noticed that the front brake cable end was rubbing against the disc. It was making a lovely light grinding sound all the way into work. I found it and bent the cable end away from the disc. Check. One noise gone. Still have some chain clatter but its lubed and just needs to be ridden. Cross chaining didn't help so I need to pay closer attention to that. I did notice a little slippage when starting from a stop and pushing real hard on the down stroke to get started. I hate that. I rode with about 40 pounds in the tires, I'm bumping that up for tomorrow. Overall I was about 2 minutes slower for the 10 miles. I guess I'll take it given the fact that I'm way more comfortable riding the bigger tires. (27.5 x 2.1). I have some new 650 x 40mm Terra Speeds to put on but I think I'll just run these stock Terravail Sparwoods for awhile. Anyway, so far I'm really digging this Salsa Journeyman. Thanks for your comments Gents. I love to get the input from you.
Last edited by Hackman61; 06-25-20 at 11:36 PM.
06-25-20, 11:34 PM
#8
Junior Member
Thread Starter
This is a good list.
OP - I would add something related to the chain/FD rub...depending on what chainring/cassette combo you are in, you may need to “trim” the front shift.
If you are not familiar, you might google the term, but essentially: on most front shifters, after shifting rings you can do a small, second up-shift which will move the derailer cage outward ever so slightly. This can be needed to help avoid chain rub, because as you run through the full range of the cassette, the chain is moving left/right as it leaves the front derailer cage, and it can be difficult to find one position that avoids chainrub on one side of the cage or the other.
I’m not sure MTB front shifters customarily use trim, so this may not be something you’ve seen on your Sirrus.
OP - I would add something related to the chain/FD rub...depending on what chainring/cassette combo you are in, you may need to “trim” the front shift.
If you are not familiar, you might google the term, but essentially: on most front shifters, after shifting rings you can do a small, second up-shift which will move the derailer cage outward ever so slightly. This can be needed to help avoid chain rub, because as you run through the full range of the cassette, the chain is moving left/right as it leaves the front derailer cage, and it can be difficult to find one position that avoids chainrub on one side of the cage or the other.
I’m not sure MTB front shifters customarily use trim, so this may not be something you’ve seen on your Sirrus.
Thanks Wheels... I try to trim out the FD as much as I can but can't seem to move it much after it has shifted. My old friction shifters I was able to trim it out really easily.
06-25-20, 11:38 PM
#9
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Congrats, nice ride! Turn the crank slowly and listen closely at the front and rear and see if you can determine where the clicking is coming from. Gears could need indexing, I've learned to never assume that a bike has been adjusted properly and can usually index it a little better than what the shop does.
06-26-20, 02:26 AM
#10
Senior Member
07-02-20, 09:23 AM
#11
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Thanks Tangerine. A little turn of the barrel adjuster and the rub has almost disappeared. It's still got a little rub but I think it's flexing when I push hard on the down stroke. I'll continue to fine tune it until it's smooth.
