Bicycle Mechanics - Just installed new wheel, cassette, chain, RD, somethings not quit right

Well I finally got around to restoring my Trek 830 last weekend, I installed Mavic X517 Rims, I installed a brand new SRAM PG-850 Cassette (11-30) I had the LBS install the new chain (SRAM PC-48) , the rear derailleur XT (rd-m739) and run the cables from my new shifters SRAM Attacks. I made sure that everything was Shimano compatible and is not SRAM specific.

No matter what chain ring I use up front (1-3) gear 6 in the back doesn't feel like it is meshing properly, 1-5 on the cog feel great and 7 and 8 are pretty good. I'm having a hard time describing what it's doing. It almost feels like it's skipping some but it's not, it's shift right on to the cog with no problem. I don't have calipers, so I made a paper feeler gauge and the gap between 5-7 feels the same distance to me.

I called the LBS to see if they would look at it, and they more or less told me it felt fine on the stand, and being a metal to metal drivetrain there will be feedback and noise :mad: I guess there taking me for an idiot, I been riding for most my life, I know how a properly setup drivetrian "should" feel.

Any ideas?

Heres a few pics I took well in 6th gear (click for larger image)
http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/8837/rearcassetteck8.th.jpg (http://img367.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rearcassetteck8.jpg)

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6604/xtderbr3.th.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xtderbr3.jpg)

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/69/dscn2051hm2ag3.th.jpg (http://img440.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn2051hm2ag3.jpg)

Maybe the cog is damaged?

Hard to tell from the pic but it looks like chain is rubbing inside of derailleur cage in the first pic. Maybe dropout or derailleur alignment?

Hard to tell from the pic but it looks like chain is rubbing inside of derailleur cage in the first pic. Maybe dropout or derailleur alignment?

I tired to get a little bit better picture

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/6519/rearder2qp2.th.jpg (http://img164.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rearder2qp2.jpg)

In your first pic it looks like you don't have the derailleur feathered right, it seems not to be aligned with the cog you've selected. You know that in a friction system correcting that is just a matter of small shift lever adjustments, but if you have an index shifter you might need to adjust the cable tension. If it shifts great on one end of the cogs, check for good cog/cage alignment, and compare that alignment with that on the small end of the cogs. It looks to me like the derailleur might not be tracking accurately across the width of the cassette.

If you are riding with the cage not aligned with the cog, there will be noise, as the chain just begins to work its way over to the next cog.

It could also be that the non-shimano chain doesn't work perfectly with the Shimano cogset, but that's really a stretch IMO. I'd think the PC48 should work.

Road Fan

It could also be that the non-shimano chain doesn't work perfectly with the Shimano cogset, but that's really a stretch IMO. I'd think the PC48 should work.

Road Fan

Thanks for the reply, the cassette is also SRAM (Shimano compatible), but not a Shimano part. The only thing Shimano back there is the LX HUB and the XT RD.

Also to update this thread, I just went back to the LBS, the same mechanic, threw the bike up on the stand and ripped threw the gears several times and played with the barrels. He told me there was stretch in the cable and causing some poor shifting.

I took it back out around the parking lot and it's shifting great again, but 6 still feels like it's grinding. The mechanic told me to just drive it around as is and let the new parts break in, but if I really want to I can leave it with him when he gets some free time he will try to think of something else, but really feels like there is nothing wrong since it's smooth on the stand.