Refurbished bike... woeful chain/derailleur clicking.

galwayguy85

Got my new ROSE Aluminum AL (Shimano 105, 2023) earlier in the year to replace my old bike, a XEON TEAM GF-4400 (SRAM Force 22, 2017). It was showing its age badly.

Have just been offered a new job, which'll mean commuting to a nearby train station, parking the bike alongside others, maybe even picking up (another) dent or two. To keep the new bike as 'mint' as possible, I've decided to start using my old bike again for the commute (the new bike could be kept safely on its own in an nearly empty underground car park, beneath the office block, so no need to worry).

Anyway, putting the old bike back together (with almost zero help from the LBS, my choice as I want to up-skill) has had its ups and downs! Over-tensioned and torn cables, stabbing myself from the fibres that tear off, incorrect parts being ordered (why cannot there be an EU standard for mech hangers etc) and losing important screws and washers has me worn to a frazzle. The LBS had to bail me out with the Continental bike tires, that was all.

Nearly over the line right now.

Changed out the drive chain, but an annoying clicking sound remains. Various YouTube vids about adjustment screws etc has got me nowhere.

Have I made a mistake in mixing parts?

BEFORE the refurbishment (some parts still OEM, some were installed/replaced by the LBS).

Chain: Shimano 11 speed

Shifters: SRAM Force 22 (OEM)

Rear derailleur: Cannot say for certain, have long throw it away, but I suspect it was from a manufacturer of dirt-cheap bike parts. 11 speed

Front derailleur: Shimano (105?), 11 speed

Front crank: SRAM Force 22 (OEM)

Rear Cassette: Shimano 11/32

Rear Wheel: Mavic (for tubeless, very quiet free-hub)

AFTER

Chain: SRAM 11 speed

Shifters: still SRAM Force 22 (OEM)

Rear derailleur: Shimano 105, 11 speed

Front derailleur: Also Shimano 105, 11 speed.

Front crank: SRAM Force 22 (OEM)

Rear Cassette: Shimano 11/32, 11 speed

Rear Wheel: Shimano WH-RS100, clincher (loud AF!, do not buy)

Could the different model of chain be making the difference here? Goodness knows why I picked up something that differed from nearly everything else in the drive chain.

Are Shimano and SRAM parts not as compatible as they claims to be? Do I need to fling away nearly 40 euros on a Shimano 11-speed chain to make almost everything match?

Thanks for any tips.

EDIT: The RD was SRAM on both old and new setups.

galwayguy85

The original mech hanger… a tiny bit bent. The replacement is perfectly staight (clicking remains).

devonp

is your new 105 rear derailleur a short/medium cage (SS?) ? which i think technically should only be used with a 11-28t max cassette (i know people can make it work with a 30-32t ?), you might need a 105 11s long cage derailleur (GS?)…maybe your old rear derailleur was long cage?

galwayguy85

Hey, thanks. I will double-check my online order later, but I think I was sure pretty avoid short or medium cages. Will grab a photo if I cannot verify things online.

Stuck to the original specs (or Shimano equivalents) when making the orders.

galwayguy85

The old guy…

Completely certain the now one has the same length of cage. Yes, all nice and filthy 😀

dahat

Are they Sram shifters causing the problem?

Sram chain & Shimano cassette is 100% not the problem.

galwayguy85

Whoops, my bad.

Both the rear derailleur and chain are in fact SRAM. It's just the cassette that is Shimano.

A recent photo.

The '105' can be seen on the cassette

Maybe I was too mean to pay such extreme prices for the SRAM cassette. Although, I will trust what you all say about cross-compatibility.

galwayguy85

The relevant number of gears and teeth were things I made sure matched.

biketard

Is it clicking in all gears, or some in particular?

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122400977#Comment_122400977

Chain is too long for a start, also, stop calling a 2017 bike old, it is not.

magicbastarder

Did you reuse the cassette? If so, do you have the old chain still to see how worn it was?

galwayguy85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122401150#Comment_122401150

The chain is the exact same length as the previous one (which never had such a problem). Put the two side by side, 'cut' it with the requisite tool and joined the two ends with a master link. I've verified too that the chain is direction is correct.

Well, it's 'old' in the context of what I have bough more recently. Hence, I am restoring it to have similar functionally to a bike purchased in 2024. The date of actual manufacture will remain the same.

galwayguy85

Thanks for asking, no everything in the drive chain (except for the front crank) is otherwise new. Have never been mounted on another bike or trainer.

galwayguy85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122401102#Comment_122401102

More pronounced on the larger rear cogs. Towards the smallest gear the clicking becomes a little less noticeable, but clicks nonetheless.

It probably changes nothing, but when I back pedal (on the spot) there seems to be more 'resistance', relative to the new bike.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122401917#Comment_122401917

Is it constant when pedalling, only once every rotation or so, intermittent? The chain is too long but that may not be the issue, certainly not the only one, without more detail it is hard to say (also did you measure by length or number of links? Does it click in a stand as you are changing gears or only when riding? Best guess with the info given is alignment, which explains why it is a bit worse when slightly cross chaining.

galwayguy85

Constant when pedalling, a minor enough thing in the grand scheme of things. I can live with it.

I'm aware that chains can stretch over time. Put the old and the new along side each other on a clean surface. Made sure that there was no 'divergence' between the two with respect to each others' individuals links along the way, made the cut and joined the ends of the new chain. Made sure that too that no 'off by one' mistakes when the masterlinks where taken off and on.

You could be right, but I'll try to get a second opinion from some acquaintances in the bike club I once trained with. Averse to giving the LBS custom. Thieves. 😀

Mundo7976

Is the wire too long maybe catching the chain? Try bending it outwards. Also have you tried adjusting the B tension so the top jockey wheel is closer to the cassette

07Lapierre

I had a similar issue. Bought a new 105 rear derailleur, new 105 chain and new 105 cassette. When installed I had a clicking noise. Turned out the jockey wheel cage on the rear derailleur was slightly twisted and the lower jockey wheel was slightly angled in towards the spokes, whereas the upper jockey wheel was not. Using a pliers it twisted the lower jockey wheel slightly away from the spokes and isstwas sorted.

galwayguy85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122402519#Comment_122402519

That is perhaps the case for me. I'll take another look at how well vertically aligned the cage/jockey wheels are with the gears directly above them. Post some photos, if needs be. It'll have to wait 'til tomorrow. Brutal hot where I am right now. 31 degrees. :-)

galwayguy85

The wire in this case had already escaped from the pinch bolt and the derailleur is completely slack... boy, do SRAM make it difficult to thread cable through it! The screw will only go back when it is perfectly aligned with whatever sits above it.

This time around I got correct. A snug fit. The clicking is still there (despite a brand new mech hanger), so I guess it might be down to the chain rubbing at a slightly off angle to cage and/or jockey wheels (or possibly it the case that is might be a link or two too long, as CramCycle as hinted at).

Will fiddle with the b adjuster screw a little more before I wipe out the pliers. I have a bad habit of doing lasting harm to things. 😀

Plastik

A video would be a lot more helpful.

secman

Preferably of the drivechain of said bike🤣

monkeyslayer

Is the rear wheel straight? ie is the rear cassette perfectly engaged with the chain? Sometimes the rear dropout fitting needs to tweaked a bit so the wheel sits flush and straight both with frame and drive train, frame itself isnt always perfect. Especially if bike has been crashed or squashed in transit or even just stretched over time.

Fighting Tao

Certainly check the b screw. It makes sense that the clicking would be more pronounced on the bigger cogs if the top derailleur jockey wheel is too close.

It may also be an indexing issue. Incorrect tension meaning the chain is almost shifting down or up.

Also check that the chain is routed correctly through the rear derraileur.

A video would be a great help.

galwayguy85

Thanks for the tips everyone. The wheel in question is pretty much new. The last wheel (Mavic, tubeless) was pretty knackered/‘untrue’ and replaced with a cheaper, albeit true Shimano wheel.

Will upload a vid tmrw.

biketard

A photo from straight behind the cassette/derailleur with the chain in the middle gear would be helpful too.

galwayguy85

Hey folks, sorry for the long delay getting back to you all. Was on holliers! Thanks for helping out.

Have done a little more testing. When turning the pedals backwards, I notice a clear 'click' when the pedal (on the right) is at the very bottom of the stroke - it must be the same when pedalling forwards, just easier to notice. Bottom bracket problems? Manifesting itself elsewhere on the drive train? The part (and the front crank) are OEM, so about 7 years old. Also, when a bike mechanic had a look at the bike, last year, he pointed out a small bit of lateral movement on the crank. Didn't manifest itself as problematic though back then. I've taken the front crank off once or twice to clean it etc during the project. Didn't touch the BB though. Maybe I reattached the front crank without enough torque?

Down the rabbit hole again in terms of money invested in putting an old bike back on the road? Buy both a new BB and front crank? Just let the guys in the LBS do the job for me or is it within the reach of a distinct 'amateur'? Thanks for any tips.

galwayguy85

I think I may have found the root of the problem… when backpedaling the masterlink (SRAM) seems to cause a click in the chain.

Seems I didn't route the chain through the derailleur correctly and it wound up on the wrong side of the 'tab', hence the clicking.

Not a massive hardship, have the required tool and a spare masterlink. Never went any significant distance so I don't think that there is any significant wear and tear to the chain and derailleur. Will look after it this weekend.

Can proudly say I put a knackered bike back on the road with no help from the LBS (aside from a boorish Continental Gatorshin tyre).