RShantz

I run etap and have about 25k miles on the chainrings. Have a red cassette with about 5k on it and it's not worn too bad. Just put on a new Dura Ace chain and now I'm getting a lot more noise. I've run Shimano chains and SRAM chains in the past (on this crank) and always had much less noise. It never was a quite as a full Shimano set up, but still much quieter than what I have now.

Any thoughts on the increased noise. Time for new chainrings? My hearing somehow got a bit better? The cassette???

Dan333SP

Have you lubed the new chain in the same way you lubed your old chains? If it's shifting fine, I wouldn't bother replacing anything just to further quiet what is most likely a pretty quiet drivetrain.

canklecat

Ditto, chain lube. Easiest way to cut down on chain noise as a factor in trying to identify other problems.

Usually I prefer waxed chains because it's cleaner -- my bikes live inside a small apartment and I have cats that rub against everything. But wax doesn't keep chains quiet for long -- maybe just the first two or three rides, then it begins to get noisy.

When I'm trying to identify other noises I'll switch to a wet lube just for a week or so to keep the chain quiet so I can listen for other issues. Always impresses me how much noise any chain can make, even a new one. Once it's quiet I can listen for any slight rubbing on the front derailleur, etc.

At the moment I have three wet lubes: Boeshield T-9 (not much of a lube, really), that needs to be reapplied every other ride; some sort of generic penetrating oil from the dollar store that works pretty well and lasts about a week between applications; Park CL-1, a proper all weather chain lube that resists rain -- it's the quietest and lasts longest, but leaves the chain mucky.

I did that the other day when trying to adjust the barrel adjuster on my front derailleur brifter to minimize chain rub noise in the gear combos I use most often. A squirt of cheap penetrating oil eliminated any noise from a fairly new chain, so it was easier to adjust the barrel adjuster on the fly during a test ride.

And with Biopace chainrings on one road bike, it's pretty common to hear more drivetrain noise in that bike. Not sure why but the slightly elliptical rings seem to emphasize noise when the chains are running a bit dry. The chainrings aren't even close to worn out but they sure contribute to a noisier drivetrain with my usual waxed chains.

RShantz

Yeah - same lube. I'm not a fanatic on cleaning, but I do clean things on a regular basis.

Clearly this isn't a major issue and, yes, the bike is pretty quiet as is. I posted mainly out of curiosity - if anyone else has experienced something similar.