# Chain noise - what is normal



## Riquez (Oct 19, 2017)

I am probably being pedantic & overly concerned, but I want to understand about some of the noises I hear.
Am I hearing the early signs of chain wear? Is there an adjustment I should check?

Mostly when pedaling the drivetrain is silent, I can hear nothing but the roll of the tyre on tarmac & this pleases me 

In higher gears (large sprockets) I hear a continuous "rub?" from the chain. Its not the slow click-click-click of bad indexing, its more of a quiet super fast clicking, basically the sound of a chain going around. But I wonder why I hear this in the high gears & not in the lower ones.
Its not a bad sound, but I notice it & I wonder why its different.

Ive done the best I can with indexing & there are no loud clicks from the chain links catching on teeth in any sprocket. I am able to induce that by moving the barrel adjuster either direction, so I know i'm within the right tension area.

I wonder if this is just normal with the m7000 cassette & I should upgrade if i want heavenly silence.

When changing gear about 50% of the time its very smooth & I can barely notice anything happened other than a slight tap you feel through your feet & a quiet clunk - Im certain this is the perfect change because its so clean & noise/vibration free, you are aware it dropped into gear but very cleanly.
Other times I get a more clunky gear change with a louder noise & can feel the chain drop in more forcefully. I can tell that this is not a clean gear change, but its not terrible. its just not as sublimely smooth & quiet as other times.
I am aware that technique is a factor & to get the smoothest change you should relax pedaling pressure, so I do practice that.


m7000 1x11 drive train, 5 months old, cassette & chain well cleaned & lubed.

In my quest for silence its very tempting to upgrade everything to m8000 XT. but as a 6 month noob should I really bother spending the $300+ & will it be that much different.


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## Sparkman999 (Dec 19, 2017)

Tarmac???? I think you are in the wrong forum . Find some nice rough trails and you won't hear the drivetrain... Kidding aside, because of the chainline on a 1x setup, it's not unusual to get a bit more noise on the extreme ends of the drivetrain. Nothing to worry about and no need to upgrade. You could always upgrade when things are truly worn out.


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## Riquez (Oct 19, 2017)

ha ha. I knew someone would pick on me for tarmac. 
My bike is my only transport, so I use it on roads & off.
Thanks for the reply & re-assurance. I live in a remote area, online is the only way I can ask other humans about stuff.


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## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

The other thing you can take a look at is if your chainline is where it needs to be. On the tarmac you are running a 130/135 rear end right? The chainline should be about 48.5mm, I think. You might be a touch wider than that (50mm).

If you can bump the ring in with a set of spacers it might help on some of the sound, and wear.


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Make sure you are checking chain wear though. If you ride a lot of miles 11 speed chains dont last like 8 speed used to. So check the wear, if its getting close to worn then getting time for a new chain.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## R_Pierce (May 31, 2017)

I also just noticed this on my newest bike build. It wasnt near as noisy on the last build (longer chain stays) The newest one has significantly shorter chain stays and the noise in the 50 tooth is three times as loud. Part of the deal with the 1x.


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## Riquez (Oct 19, 2017)

jochribs said:


> The other thing you can take a look at is if your chainline is where it needs to be. On the tarmac you are running a 130/135 rear end right? The chainline should be about 48.5mm, I think. You might be a touch wider than that (50mm).
> 
> If you can bump the ring in with a set of spacers it might help on some of the sound, and wear.


Not really sure what you are talking about. I have not come across the term "chain line" yet.
The rear hub is 142mm.
This is the bike Vitus Sentier VRS Hardtail Bike - SLX 1x11 2017 | Chain Reaction Cycles


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## Osco (Apr 4, 2013)

*Silence is fast*

I don't do chain noise, I like a silent bike.

A 1x11 with the middle of the cassette lined up with the Race Face narrow/wide chain ring that has never dropped the chain yet and shows no sign of wear after two years,
Chain ring bolts meticulously cleaned and all threads coated with a thin layer of blue loctite.

M8000 Derailleur with a properly lubed (with friction grease) clutch,
Lizard skin on the chain stay,
Shimano chain with a baked on teflon coating, yep its very quiet and so so smooth shifting,
These coated chains require far less lube and that means they attract less crud and that means they last far longer as does my cassette


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## Osco (Apr 4, 2013)

Adjust that thingy that wraps the chain around the cassette and check for a bent derailleur hanger.
File down the jockey wheels teeth's edges, round them off a bit,,,,,,


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## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

Riquez said:


> Not really sure what you are talking about. I have not come across the term "chain line" yet.
> The rear hub is 142mm.
> This is the bike Vitus Sentier VRS Hardtail Bike - SLX 1x11 2017 | Chain Reaction Cycles


When you said tarmac, I thought you were referring to the road bikes (Specialized Tarmac).

So if your rear end is 142, I think your chainline should be 50. Chainline is the measurement from the center of the bottom bracket/seattube to the middle of the thickness of the chain ring. A millimeter in the wrong direction can have an effect. Things will still work, but the interfacing of the chain and teeth at extremes won't be optimal and neither will the wear on the chain and teeth.

Not saying that this is your problem, but it is something to look check.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

jochribs said:


> So if your rear end is 142, I think your chainline should be 50.


142 is the same as 135mm spacing, chainline is usually ~48mm but 46mm is closer to center of the cassette.



Riquez said:


> Not really sure what you are talking about. I have not come across the term "chain line" yet.


Chainline is basically how your chainring lines up with the cassette, ideally if the chain is in the middle of the cassette it should be coming straight off the chainring (not deflecting one way or the other) when eyeing it from behind the bike.



Osco said:


> File down the jockey wheels teeth's edges, round them off a bit,,,,,,


don't do this^


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

IME a little extra chain noise is normal in the big cassette cogs on 1x drivetrains, clutch derailleurs seem to exacerbate the situation some. Nothing to really worry about.


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## Riquez (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks guys!


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## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

J.B. Weld said:


> 142 is the same as 135mm spacing, chainline is usually ~48mm but 46mm is closer to center of the cassette.


I'm disagreeing on that one J.B. For his 1x11 SLX, the chain line is supposed to be around 50. I'm figuring that is based on Boost. But with his 142 rear end, it's more like ~49~.

I might be wrong above saying that it should be at 50, but 46 doesn't sound right either.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

jochribs said:


> I'm disagreeing on that one J.B. For his 1x11 SLX, the chain line is supposed to be around 50. I'm figuring that is based on Boost. But with his 142 rear end, it's more like ~49~.
> 
> I might be wrong above saying that it should be at 50, but 46 doesn't sound right either.


I know that 142 spacing is the same as 135mm, I don't know for sure about 11-speed but ~46mm is dead center on 142mm bikes with 10-speed cassettes.

Most narrow wide chainrings are designed with about a 49mm chainline which is a few mm's outside of center but it insures that they will clear the chainstays on pretty much every bike. One up says they bias their chainlines outboard (49mm) because it helps with chain retention in the smaller cogs. Garbaruk chainrings come with varying chainlines, ~47mm for their smaller rings and up to 53mm for 40t, the bigger rings have to have a wider chainline due to clearance issues but optimal chainline is compromised.

My 142 spaced bike with ~48mm chainline (34t) comes frighteningly close to my chainstay but still isn't quite centered on the cassette.

Apologies for the chainline geekiness.


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## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

J.B. Weld said:


> I know that 142 spacing is the same as 135mm, I don't know for sure about 11-speed but ~46mm is dead center on 142mm bikes with 10-speed cassettes.
> 
> Most narrow wide chainrings are designed with about a 49mm chainline which is a few mm's outside of center but it insures that they will clear the chainstays on pretty much every bike. One up says they bias their chainlines outboard (49mm) because it helps with chain retention in the smaller cogs. Garbaruk chainrings come with varying chainlines, ~47mm for their smaller rings and up to 53mm for 40t, the bigger rings have to have a wider chainline due to clearance issues but optimal chainline is compromised.
> 
> ...


Ha! No apology necessary. You're just laying down your knowledge on the subject!


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