Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - steamroller drivetrain noise on back pressure

i've been noticing a sort of soft grinding / vibrating noise when i put back pressure on my pedals. it's not a harsh noise, but there's definitely an audible difference from when im not putting back pressure. and there's also a faint click but i haven't picked up the patterns of when i hear that one yet. i don't hear anything in traffic, but i usually do on side streets with no one around. not sure if the noise is there if im cranking hard down the street cuz i'm usually only cranking it if i'm trying to keep up with cars which means i can't hear my bike.

been trying to look it up.. i think i've ruled out a BB problem. also i have about 1/2" slack at the tightest point in my chain, so i don't think that's the problem either. chain is clean but it might be able to use some lube, although i lube it everytime after it rains, and its been raining alot lately. i use pedro's biodegradable lube.

it looks like it could be one or more of a couple things:

i've read that steamrollers don't have a perfectly straight chainline? does this contribute to noise?

also i hear surly cogs are noisy?

i'm running the stock SRAM pc-48 (came with the bike) which some reviews say is a noisy chain?
this is 3/32" chain, right? i'm using a surly 3/32" cog.

i feel like there might have been something else but just can't remember at the moment.. basically, im just wondering if this is common and not something to worry about, or if it's something i should get checked out at my LBS. thanks guys!

i got the steamroller complete build back in may

It's not a problem, dude, I think most fixed-gear bikes make a little bit of noise when pedaling/back-pedaling. When I don't lube my chain for a while it sounds like a chainsaw. I think its just the chain coming into contact with the cog and there's more pressure or something when you backpedal.

1) take out your bb and grease the hell out of the threads and put it back (to the PROPER torque) this solved a noise problem for me a while ago, I didn't have the cups tightened enough.
2) while your cranks are off, take off the chainring bolts, grease all the threads and all the contact points where the chainring makes contact with the crank. tighten the chainring bolts to the PROPER torque, also solved a problem for me.
3) Clean your chain and chainring and cog thoroughly, i mean get all the crud and grease off your chain using a good biodegradable degreaser.
4) lube your chain with a good quality chainlube, this will quiet everything. lube it twice for good measure
5) if this does not quiet everything down, it may be time for a new chain, cog and chainring (yes, you should replace them all at the same time, at least the chain and cog)

all fg bikes will make some noise, but it shouldn't be excessive grinding if everything is tensioned and lubricated correctly

I dunno. It could actually be the Surly cog that's bad. I had one some time back that was machined incorrectly such that the tooth pitch was off, and the chain made all kinds of grinding sounds and I could feel roughness / grinding vibration in the pedals. I repaced it with a Dura Ace cog and problem completely went away. Since you said you bought it just last May, I'm assuming your chain has not worn out (stretched), which could also cause those symptoms.

i know exactly what you're talking about OP and I've had that feeling before on my own FG bikes. Surly cog could def. be it b/c i had one of those for a while, too, and something about Surly's cog design just sucks. I don't think it's anything to worrya bout, though.