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Chirping

Old 06-19-20, 05:14 PM
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Gummomarx
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Chirping

Within the last few weeks, replaced my chain/crankset, cassette and chain. On the last two rides, I've noticed a chirping noise at the back wheel area when pedalling only and more pronounced when changing gear. After checking to see if there were any birds trapped there, Google pointed the finger at the rear derailleur.

Any thoughts on whether replacing the pulleys would do the trick?

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Old 06-19-20, 05:16 PM
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2cam16
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Give it a thorough cleaning and lube first and go from there. Go as far as removing the jockey wheels.
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Old 06-19-20, 05:52 PM
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alcjphil
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That is a very sure sign that your derailleur pulleys require cleaning and lubrication
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Old 06-19-20, 05:59 PM
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What I'm seeing in the photo is an overly oily, gunky, gritty mess. Chirping or no chirping.
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Old 06-19-20, 06:07 PM
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Originally Posted by 2cam16
Give it a thorough cleaning and lube first and go from there. Go as far as removing the jockey wheels.
+1 Keep track of which one goes where and their orientation, they are usually different.
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Old 06-19-20, 07:19 PM
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Originally Posted by well biked
What I'm seeing in the photo is an overly oily, gunky, gritty mess. Chirping or no chirping.
I see oil and gunk at the outside of the pulleys. The inside bushings and the insides of the covers are what needs lube. For that the pulleys need to be dismantled and serviced
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Old 06-19-20, 07:47 PM
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Looks like you have a light wear mark on the bottom of each link. Chain is perhaps not seating fully on the pulleys and chirping on the cage.

Those pulley wheels are disgusting. And worn.
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Old 06-19-20, 07:53 PM
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I will say that I am not any kind of mechanical technician, but that photo of gunk and schmuttz looks much like my derailleur just before I get out the electric pressure sprayer. I try to keep the spray parallel to the spokes rather than parallel to the axle, but I know that water most likely gets into the works. I should take it apart, but instead I spray a generous dose of a foaming, lanolin based (no Petro solvents) industrial lubricant. I tried not wiping off the excess, but the excess winds up on the brake rotor. Better to wipe the chain clean, wipe the sprockets clean, anything else you can reach with a rag covered finger, wipe the excess grunge and lube off. Then relube the chain and do it again. And spray or squirt lube into the rotating cage hubs and wipe down afterwards. And don't wait so long to do it again next time. At least, that's what I tell myself.
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Old 06-19-20, 09:47 PM
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Originally Posted by alcjphil
I see oil and gunk at the outside of the pulleys. The inside bushings and the insides of the covers are what needs lube. For that the pulleys need to be dismantled and serviced
I had hoped I could make my point clearly, I guess I didn't. A chain, a derailler cage, derailleur pulleys, etc., don't look that that on a well-cared for bike. Chirping sound or not. It may just be a case of the common misconception that "more is better" when it comes to lubing a chain. I strongly suspect it is. There's a photo, and I reacted to it, that's all.
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Old 06-19-20, 10:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Gummomarx
Within the last few weeks, replaced my chain/crankset, cassette and chain. On the last two rides, I've noticed a chirping noise at the back wheel area when pedalling only and more pronounced when changing gear.
Back to the original question. I have experienced this myself when the pulley wheels have not been lubricated. The louder squeaking while changing gears is a symptom of dry bushings in the pulley wheels. Despite the oily chain, the bearing surfaces inside the pulleys are dry. This has happened to me several times in my 50 years as a cyclist. Despite the gunk, the pulley wheels in the OP's picture are not all that worn. If they were cleaned off, this would be obvious
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Old 06-19-20, 10:54 PM
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So 3 weeks ago you replaced your crankset, cassette, and chain.

Obviously you will need clean the rear derailleur and jockey wheels. Lube then jockey wheel inner bearing surfaces and re-assemble.

But now is a good time to make a decision if you want to continue with a wet chain lube or go to a dry chain lube. If you are not going to clean the drivetrain on a regular basis, a dry lube runs cleaner. You usually have to re-apply more often, but you avoid the buildup.

John
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Old 06-20-20, 07:19 AM
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Originally Posted by 2cam16
Give it a thorough cleaning and lube first and go from there. Go as far as removing the jockey wheels.
This. No need to replace or remove them. Drop of oil will do.
May not fix the noise but it will eliminate these as the issue.
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Old 06-20-20, 10:33 AM
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I don’t always dis-assemble, but I will periodically take the jockey wheels off and clean all the grit and gunk with citrus cleaner, then use tri-flow on the bearing surfaces and re-assemble. Been doing it for years.

John
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Old 06-22-20, 05:24 AM
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Originally Posted by well biked
What I'm seeing in the photo is an overly oily, gunky, gritty mess. Chirping or no chirping.
I know - the perils of being a nature-loving, landscape snapper - I can pick up that mess in one ride.
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Old 06-22-20, 05:27 AM
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I've disassembled the pulleys and noted the direction of each (using the text). The lower pulley is fine but I've found that the upper one (only after scraping and washing the dirt off) has an extra wee symbol on one side and two wee round indents on the other.

These differences don't appear to matter but I've a niggling thought that they might.

I've attached images of each side.

Any ideas?


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Old 06-23-20, 10:20 AM
  #16  
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I've taken the chance that the pulley is bi-directional and it has performed perfectly in a test ride. Thanks everyone for your time and knowledge.
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Old 06-24-20, 03:21 AM
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I don't want to start another chain lube war here, but try a wax based lube for the chain now that you have the pulleys clean. You won't ever see that kind of buildup again. The downside to wax is that you need to apply it more frequently, but the upside is the chain doesn't get nearly as dirty. I can run my chain through my hands with minimal marks, and then what does get on my hands washes right off.
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