Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Fixed drive chain noise 1/8"

I have a new full 1/8" driveline: sugino-75 48t chainring, izumi eco chain, surly cogs (15/17t). It has a perfect chainline and the tension is even (and set correctly) through full rotation.

However it is quite noisy - especially at higher cadences on the road. Noisy enough that others I've ridden with have commented.

I am surprised, given that my previous full 3/32" set up with cheap (mildly eccentric) sugino chainring, SRAM PC-58 chain, soma cogs was much quieter on the same bike.

I've heard that 1/8" may be a bit noisier and that a new driveline may quiet down after use. Mainly I wonder if any of the above 1/8" driveline components or combination of them are known to be noisy.

Al

Lube the chain?

New drivetrain components need time to "mate" properly. Even doing something as simple as taking your wheel off to change a tube or rotating your chainring/cog can make your chain noisier than usual. On the other hand, it might just be that your chain is too tight.

I had a similar problem with a 100% new bike with Sugino Zen Chainring, EAI cog, and Izumi ESH chain, all 1/8". It was loud and rough, despite good chain tension, good chainline, and meticulous chain maintenence. It never got any better no matter how much I messed with it, and thankfully the cursed Izumi chain wore out after 420 miles. I tried it with a Surly cog as well and it was so loud and rough that it was basically unrideable. NJS my ass! Never again! I put a cheapass KMC chain on and it has been absolutely silent ever since.

Edit: heres the thread I started about it. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=249091

aerop- chain is well lubed

mcatano- i flip wheel often and noise is same on each side, chain is not too tight. have tried snug to loose and each is noisy

mihlbach - interesting about the chain experience - i feel some roughness too, when pushing hard on pedals can feel the 'vibration' from teeth engaging in sprockets.

Al

mihlbach - interesting about the chain experience - i feel some roughness too, when pushing hard on pedals can feel the 'vibration' from teeth engaging in sprockets.

Al

Thats exactly what I experienced with the Izumi chain and EAI cog. The problem went away immediately with a KMC 510H chain. I keep track of my mileage and I'm getting more miles out the the KMC 510H than I ever got out of the Izumi. I'm going to try a KMC 510HX next. Its "stretchproof" according to KMC. I doubt that that is entirely true, but maybe its more resistant to wear.

Most noisy drivetrain issues I've had have been rooted in either chainline, which was then adjusted, or just new components learning to get along with one another. Once everything is well-lubed and broken, in, though, it's all been butter. What sort of chain lube are you using? My drivetrain was noisier back when I used White Lightning. Much quieter as soon as I switched to T9.

i developed that problem with my izumi eco, but only after i'd been riding it for about 10 months. replaced it with a sram pc-1, and it is silent. those eco's aren't known for being stretchproof, ya know?

My 3/32 setup is dead silent, my 1/8 is noisy. Chainline, tension, lube are right on, the thing is just noisy. Dunno why but there it is.

Maybe the chain is just a little bit gritty?

New drivetrain components need time to "mate" properly. Even doing something as simple as taking your wheel off to change a tube or rotating your chainring/cog can make your chain noisier than usual. On the other hand, it might just be that your chain is too tight.


yup. right after maintenance, when you'd expect everything to be nice and quiet, the drivetrain sounds gritty. it needs a little while to "bed," and then it's fine

My 3/32 setup is dead silent, my 1/8 is noisy. Chainline, tension, lube are right on, the thing is just noisy. Dunno why but there it is.

+1

To diagnoise the "grinding" feeling, flip your bike and pedal very slowly. If you hear the grinding and feel it in the hand that's turning the pedal, look closely at the chainring and cog to see if the chain slips forward as it mates with the cog and goes around. My drivetrain did this when new (slipped about 1mm) but has since quieted down.

I had a 3/32 chainring and cog and 1/8 chain. The only time it was loud I just lubed it and it was golden.

yeah they sound like coffee grinders

Still makes a good deal of noise - not the gritty dirty kind, but more of a ryhthmic grinding. Its lessend a bit. I've cleaned it a few times.

My main concerns is not the noise, but that the chain keeps 'stretching', now at 700mi and it hasn't yet stabilized.

Al

I've noticed this with my bike as well... it's loud enough that I've had other bikers or pedestrians quickly shoot me concerned looks as I pass. And yes it does sound like a coffee grinder.. good description.

Chain is lubed. Chainline is fine. Chain isn't grimy. Chain is abolutely not too tight.. just the right amount of sag. Surly 19T rear cog. Sugino 48T front. No clue what chain, now that I think of it. We need a quiet-chain list..

I had the same problem. This weekend I switched out my 16t superbe pro cog for a 19t Surly cog. With the 16t cog, the drivetrain was silent. But with the 19t cog, I could hear that rhythmic grinding sound. I took the bike over to my lbs because I was afraid the chain might be too tight. To accomodate the larger cog I had to move the hub all the way to the front of the dropouts, and there seemed to be a lot of tension on the chain. I figured that was what was causing the noise.

The mechanic at the shop said that the tension and alignment were all spot on. And that actually, 1/8 pitch components can just be noisy. He said it was the sweet sound of success, but that yes, some combinations are quieter than others. He also recounted how the track can get really really loud, and that's it's a very common misconception that track bikes are silent machines.

usually different chain helps wiht the noise IME

I had the same problem. This weekend I switched out my 16t superbe pro cog for a 19t Surly cog....

frikkin Surly..

Chain is abolutely not too tight.. just the right amount of sag.
Okay, can someone chime in here? What is the right amount of sag? I recently tightened my chain, and yes it's significantly louder. Is the noise just an annoyance? If I loosen it just a little, the heightened noise disappears, but would safety be compromised?

For what it's worth, my drivetrain was extremely loud when I had an 18t 1/8" Surly cog. I've got a Godspeed on now (same number of teeth) and it's silent, in addition to having more even chain tension. The chain is an Izumi Eco.

Mine is kinda noisy too.
Sugino 75 ring, DuraAce cog, KMC chain.
I had an NJS hkk chain..that was even worse. I now have the KMC and its better and i tossed the NJS chain out in the rain to punish it. :)

I've got some noise on my new setup. 3 days of use so far. Sug75 ring, EAI cog, KMC "Z" chain. It was worse when the chainline was off by 3 or 4mm (not for very long), but since reinstalling the cranks and having them all the way tapped into the spindle as opposed to the initial installation (woops...) things have quieted down now that the line is dead on, but there's a little noise every half rotation (not completely consistant). I'm hoping it's either because the parts haven't 'mated' completely yet, or a lack of grease issue... I haven't heard anything good at all about those Izumi chains by the way, NJS or Eco.

What sort of chain lube are you using? My drivetrain was noisier back when I used White Lightning.

I had the same experience. Even my geared bike has been a lot quieter since I switched from White Lightning to Rock N Roll lube.

Just an update... This Izumi ECO chain I bought new now has 702mi* on it and using the method to measure 12 full links I measure just a hair over 12 1/8" - (vs. 12.0" new) Acccording to sheldonbrown.com (http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html#wear)this is considered well beyond 'stretched' (12 1/16" is generally where one should replace the chain.)

Either this chain is junk or I got a dud.

*I reported earlier it had 700mi, this was how many miles the new bike had on it, not the chain. I got a new driveline after the new bike had 191mi on it. When i said 700mi before it really had about 500.

I run a super-fancy $12 1/8" BMX chain on mine, and I find that (for some reason) the BMX chains are a bit louder. It did quiet down after a time, since the parts in contact with one another have worn in a little.
As long as it works, hey.

My problem was with a wipperman 152 chain and a soma cog. Sounded horrible. Switched to an EAI cog and its nearly silent. Swap wheels with a buddy who has a different brand of cog and see if the noise goes away.

izumi V chain is what u need.

I have the EXACT same drivetrain on my bike (except it's 48/18). I just got the chain a couple of months ago and it was super noisy for the first month of riding. Everything else (chainring, cog) is about six months old but still in great shape. I cleaned the chain obsessively for the first month -- like twice a week, removing it, degreasing, lube, the whole bit -- and it didn't help the noise at all. Then one day, after about a month (and 300 miles or so), I cleaned it again after riding in the rain and suddenly the noise was gone. It's been silent every since. So, I think that sometimes it just takes time to break that particular chain in so that it is in sync with the existing chainring and cog.
On the other hand, whenever I've used a cheap $9 KMC chain it was silent from the get-go.

Oh... just saw your post above Noisebeam. Went outside to check my chain for wear (I have a chain wear checker tool) and it didn't show any stretch. It has about 600 miles on it now, so yeah, maybe you did get a dud?
I am 6'4" and weigh 225, so I am pretty hard on chains and replace them every four months or so (riding about 300 miles a month). But just for the noise factor, I'm never buying this chain again.

soma cogs are very noisy so are fsa chain rings and on top of it all I use kmc z chains at 6bucks I can afford to get a new one every six months or so

Oh... just saw your post above Noisebeam. Went outside to check my chain for wear (I have a chain wear checker tool) and it didn't show any stretch. It has about 600 miles on it now, so yeah, maybe you did get a dud?
I am 6'4" and weigh 225, so I am pretty hard on chains and replace them every four months or so (riding about 300 miles a month). But just for the noise factor, I'm never buying this chain again.
I am bout your same size and I love me a good kmc bmx chain 6bucks of colorful replacable no pouting goodness

6bucks vs 70bucks and they both last the same amount of time under my maninal self

I am bout your same size and I love me a good kmc bmx chain 6bucks of colorful replacable no pouting goodness

6bucks vs 70bucks and they both last the same amount of time under my maninal self

i'm with you. from now on, no more wasting money on expensive, noisy chains.

What the hell... nosiebeam, my chain has 250 miles on it so far, izumi V with sugino 75 bb/crank/ring, philwood cog, I just measured it at 12.024"
That means that like, 1000 more miles and it's all over?? $75 chain and it'll be done by may...

Ask me how much I love ten-dollah BMX chains.

Go on.

My usual chain favourite has been Czech made "Velo" 1/8" granny chain - cheap as dirt and stretches like bubblegum for the first week but cheap and cheerful to replace and very good for the money (around 8 euros or so). Oh, and it´s dead quiet, too ;)

What the hell... nosiebeam, my chain has 250 miles on it so far, izumi V with sugino 75 bb/crank/ring, philwood cog, I just measured it at 12.024"
That means that like, 1000 more miles and it's all over?? $75 chain and it'll be done by may...
Mine was an Izumi ECO.

The replacement chain hasn't needed the daily adjustment like the ECO did. In fact I haven't need to adjusted it in 400mi. Amazing the difference.

Al

Related question. Someone earlier in this thread mentioned needing to replace the chain after a little over 400 miles. That seems extreme to me. How often do you find yourself needing to replace the chain? I just now replaced the KMC Z chain with another, but I only got the bike last December, and I think I've only got around 400 miles on the original chain.

I run a kmc z chain and ride hard and fast and I can stretch a chain in about a month I usually relace em about every 3 months when they start making too much noise

What the hell... nosiebeam, my chain has 250 miles on it so far, izumi V with sugino 75 bb/crank/ring, philwood cog, I just measured it at 12.024"
That means that like, 1000 more miles and it's all over?? $75 chain and it'll be done by may...

I spent ~50$ on a fancy Izumi track chain...it was noisy as hell and lasted 400 miles, despite all new components (Sugino Zen ring and EAI cog), perfect chainline, and meticulous cleaning and lubing. My present chain is a $12 KMC 510HX and its quiter and smoother and I've gotten nearly a thousand miles out of it with no measureable stretch. I'll never bother with an expensive chain again.

Hmm.. I'm at 450 miles right now. 3 people so far replaced at pretty much 400 miles?

Did the chain actually fall apart or did you guys just decide to get a new one?

Hmm.. I'm at 450 miles right now. 3 people so far replaced at pretty much 400 miles?

Did the chain actually fall apart or did you guys just decide to get a new one?

My chain had stretched considerably and was creating a good deal of vibration. It was extremely noisy when pedaling hard. The new chain isn't whisper quiet, but it feels great.

What the hell... nosiebeam, my chain has 250 miles on it so far, izumi V with sugino 75 bb/crank/ring, philwood cog, I just measured it at 12.024"
That means that like, 1000 more miles and it's all over?? $75 chain and it'll be done by may...

What are you using to measure 12.024"? I assume a chain checker? My model V has about that many miles on it I just can't measure down to the .00's.
Anyway, I suspect that any new chain will give quite a bit initially considering the tension it's under. I wonder if when you're at 500 miles you'll be at exactly 12.048".
It's time you started centuries on that thing so we don't have to wait too long for the results.

(also, you got ripped I paid $55 for mine)

http://www.mitutoyo.com/pdf/ABS1813-293.jpg
Good to 0.0005"

(Also, I didn't get ripped, I paid something like 750 for a complete specialized langster comp with sugino 75 bb/crank/ring, dura ace cog, and izumi v chain, the parts alone are worth like 400 retail w/o the frame, carbon fork, bars, and whatnot)

What's it measure now that your at 450 mi?

6.0135 per 6 links since my mic's only 8".
So 12.027 per 12 links.

0.003" stretch for the last 250 miles...

If I were to extrapolate and say I replaced the thing at .01" wear, then I have like 6000 miles left on this thing.

Yeah, I measured using a mic.

Since this thread came up again, the replacement chain is doing great, hasn't needed any post ride adjusting like the one I was complaining about.

Al

6.0135 per 6 links since my mic's only 8".
So 12.027 per 12 links.

0.003" stretch for the last 250 miles...

If I were to extrapolate and say I replaced the thing at .01" wear, then I have like 6000 miles left on this thing.
ok, explain it to me like i'm a 4 year old.

your earlier post said it measured 12.024, 250 miles.
now you're at 12.027, 450 miles.

that's a stretch of .003" in 200 miles. first stretch was .024 in 250 miles. i'd actual say that it's settling in and not getting much bigger. .003" is a frikin pubic hair is it not?

Also, shouldn't you replace at 12.0625"?
(to quote sheldon "reformed chain smoker" brown: if the rivet is less than 1/16" past the mark, all is well).

p.s. don't mind me, math not my thing + too many beers...
(i'm sure it's all there in your post maybe i need to see an equation)



...wait.
12.0625 - 12.027 = .0335"
.0335" / .003 = 11.8
...i'm getting it...

anyway. this only works if you can confirm that now the chain only stretched .003-200mi.
either way a high maintenance chain, for sure...

On the other hand, whenever I've used a cheap $9 KMC chain it was silent from the get-go.

thats what I use: $10 KMC 1/8", Sug 46 and a EAI 18T. The chain is all the shop had at the time and I was too eager to ride.