aquateen

I recently replaced my stock 105 cassette (12-27) and chain with a Tiagra cassette (12-28) and KMC X10.93 chain and suddenly it is making a lot of noise. I readjusted the rear derailleur and it shifts perfectly, except that it is very noisy. If I turn the crankset backwards it is not very smooth though. I put the old cassette back on and the noise is still the same so I assume the problem is with the chain/derailleur. Any trouble shooting advice?

bikeman715

some chains go on one way and maybe you have your upside down . try flipping the chain and see if that help . Other than that try oiling the chain and see what happen then .

FBinNY 

Chain noise comes in a few varieties. There's the clatter of the chain touching the next larger sprocket. The buzzing of the chain coming off the side of teeth (usually loudest or most obvious on the inside of the cassette with the chain on the outside chainring), the purr or whirr of normal chain noise, which is louder if either the chain or sprocket are worn. A slightly different purr from chordal action, most noticeable on the small rear sprockets, and of course the chirping or squeaking of poor lubrication.

Sometimes different chains and/or cassettes make more noise than normal because of subtle changes in the shape of the plates or cut of the teeth.

If you can't spot a cause, try to compare the sound to other chain noises so we have a sense of what the problem might be.

OTOH, you can always ride it a while, because chains and cassettes often break in with each other and run fine later.

Wilfred Laurier

i changed a chain on my ultegra touring bike
and it was grinding like hell for a while

i learned to ignore it until one day
after struggling up the big hill on my way home
i took a close look at it because it was really bugging me

turns out i had routed the chain improperly through the derailleur
and it was dragging over a little tab
that it should have been passing neatly underneath without touching

the moral of the story is
make sure the chain is routed properly through the derailleur

FBinNY 

+1,

This is a common error. A quick and easy diagnostic is to back pedal and watch if the top loop sags. If it does, that means there's friction in the drive train, either a sticky freehub or, likely in your case, the chain dragging in the RD someplace.

aquateen

The chain is routed correctly (I've made the same error myself) and the noise isn't the usual suspects (rubbing cogs/derailleur plates). Since its shifting well I might try it out on the road see how loud it really is. Part of me thinks that since I purchased lower end parts they might not be as smooth and silent as what I had before

FBinNY 

If the basics check out, then riding to see if it breaks in and quiets down after a while makes the most sense. Be aware that some cassetts and/or chains a re inherently than others, and it's not always a matter of price. Some of Sram's top end cassettes are among the noisiest, as are some of Shimano's best.

Andrew R Stewart 

Also understand that the smaller the rear cog the more notchy each chain link/tooth mesh will be. 11 tooth cogs are really knocky sometimes. The greater the number of cogs the narrower the window of best index adjustment there is. Tolerances are reduces as the cog count goes up. Andy.

aquateen

something is either rubbing or not sitting well somewhere. i can feel it in the pedal stroke. i recorded a video that MAY allow you to hear what i'm talking about. apologies in advance for the shoddy camera work. i might be crazy, but this should feel smoother than it does

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JXXY...ature=youtu.be

Andrew R Stewart 

Is the chain not running onto the lower pulley smoothly? Does this noise happen in all gears? Has the hanger and cage (this being the more important issue) been checked for proper alignment? Andy.

aquateen

Noise happens in all the gears. I might bring it in to the lbs today for them to take a look at the alignment.