robtown

I recently replaced a set of RD pulleys with some Suntour labeled ones after I dropped the RD and broke the originals. On the bike the bottom pulley seems to rub the chain and makes a lot of noise. The pulleys look like they line up properly. They do seem to be smaller than the space allowed within the derailleur. Could a larger pulley be needed?

I've done a couple searches but haven't been successful identifying a larger size pulley vendor. Unfortunately I don't have the broken one to measure. Any suggestions on vendors or how to proceed are welcome.

constant mesh

What kind of cassette are you running? For 7 or 8 speed there are 10T pulleys and 9+ uses 11T pulleys.

robtown

It's on an old Peugeot Competition (circa 85) with 6 cog freewheel. I believe the RD is a Huret, a very solid piece of metal - that might have been an upgrade since it looks much more modern.

Ranman

See if the chain is rubbing the inside of the derailleur cage. My guess is that you don't need larger pulleys, you need wider ones. Never worked with Huret pulleys or derailluers but the old Bullseye and Carmicheal replacement pulleys were narrow (narrower than the Suntour pulleys) and came with washers for widening out the derailleur cage to prevent chain rub. If the chain isn't rubbing the cage can you post pictures - one from the back and one from the side?

TimeTravel_0

I have never heard of this before.
can anyone else confirm?

fietsbob

Yup its true , 10 , 11 tooth pulleys, a little larger pulley , by 10%

and larger on some of the rear derailleurs , recently.

sun tour had a cage with 3 pulleys in it at one time an attempt at a shorter cage that took up chain wrap, like it was longer perhaps ..

I have a noisy pair of Carmichael pulleys the metal makes more noise than plastic
as the chain rolls thru it..

robtown

Thanks all!
I tried a set of pulleys from a newer 105 RD with no improvement. I then tried to align the RD since it seemed the chain was riding on the inside of the cage. After some persuasion a bolt snapped and the RD was toast. I installed a Suntour VT RD and adjusted it and the hanger for better alignment. The rear gears would not shift properly (jumping over or missing cogs). I removed the indexed DT shifters and tried to install new VeloOrange retro friction DT shifters. The bolts were too short and they wouldn't clamp tight. I ended up converting the retro shifters to bar end pods. I stil had to file down the DA cable guides so they could clamp onto the DT braze-ons. The bike is now quiet and shifts smoothly.
This bike is complete but ranks in my top 3 frustrating projects. I'll have to return the new metal pulleys I bought but did not use.