fronesis

Apologies for posting a new thread, but now that I have fixed my RD cage, I'm trying to figure out if my cassette/chain noise is actually problematic, or if I'm just looking for silence where it's not to be found.

This is a new build bike with 700 miles on it; chorus 11s chain and cassette; shifts perfectly and everything seems good, but it's noisier than I would expect. I spent hours trying to dial out the noise entirely, but with no luck.

As you can see in the video, it is less noisy on the smallest cog, and the noise increases as I shift up to the next smallest; the bottom 5 cogs are all this noisy. If I tinker with the cable tension I can alter the frequency of the noise, but not eliminate it. From close visual examination, I cannot see the chain rubbing on the adjacent cogs, but it's also the case that there is very little extra room on an 11s cassette.

My next step is to check the RD hanger alignment and correct if needed, but before I removed the RD (thus having to readjust everything, I wanted to get some opinions on whether this counts as noisy or normal:
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FBinNY 

I sounds pretty normal. Modern chains and cassettes are noisier than they used to be. The shift gates make noise analogous to that of a train passing over a switch, and the gates are more aggressive than they used to be to aid shift response under load.

That said, your choice of chain lube can make a big difference. (sameless plug coming, stop reading if it bothers you). Chain-L (my stuff) and some other heavy oil type lubes dampen the small impacts of the chain and sprocket teeth making chains quieter. If the noise bothers you consider a change. OTOH- if you're fine with it, and just wanted to be sure leave well enough alone unless you have another reason to try different chain lubes.

techsensei

A pet peeve of mine is when mechanics spray/drip lube to the chain at the cassette/freewheel cogs. Especially when done in front of customers to demonstrate how much "better" it is when any noise gets quieter. May as well put lube on the cogs and chainwheels too if one is going to do that.

FBinNY 

Oiling a chain is like changing the oil on a car. You don't pour motor oil over the outside, you have to pour it into the fill port so it goes inside where it's needed.

Unfortunately chains don' have fill ports so the only way to get oil into the chain where it works is to apply it to the outside and allow it to wick in. Then, since interior oil lubes the workings and exterior oil only attracts dirt, you have to wipe off any excess before riding, and likely wipe anew after the first rides causes some to weep out.

When I speak of different oils muffling the noise, I'm talking about what happens within the chain, where the oil dampens the movement of the roller on it's bearing, and the pin within the plate. Chordal action and the shift gates create the characteristic whirring noise of chain drive. Oil dampens those tiny shocks and make a chain quieter even when there's none left on the outside.

To be absolutely fair, readers should consider that I have a bias since I'm describing a claimed benefit of a product I sell. So they have to consider the possibilities.

1- I'm just lying
2- I'm adjusting my claims to suit the product and make it seem better.
3- I developed the product to meet certain goals, so the product reflects what I feel is important, not the other way around.

Chain oil is debated forever here and elsewhere, so everyone should rad reviews, and experiment if looking for something different than what they have.

techsensei

Oh I know. I was only commenting on what I consider a bad habit/technique for lubing and "quieting" a drivetrain.

fronesis

No, I don't mind the plug one bit, especially since A) you've already helped me out in multiple other threads (without mentioning your product) and B) I'm asking a question that directly relates to your product.

I suspect that what I'm hearing that bothers me may be a product of 4 things:
1) My other bike is a 10s setup, and I used white lightening lube on it; it was very quiet.
2) This bike is 11s, and I'm using prolube.
3) This bike was far more expensive and I've spent far more time working on it and ajusting things, so I want it to be perfect (even though I know, rationally, that there's really no such thing).
4) I only put about 300 miles on that first bike, so it was still basically new; I've now ridden this one almost 800 in just a month or so.

I think the 10s was quieter, and the wax-based lube quieted it down more. So I'm probably just worrying about nothing.

That said, I think I will at least check to verify a straight RD hanger. I've found so many things wrong with the initial build of my bike, so it would be peace of mind to check it.

And I'll probably also try some chain L. I haven't been as impressed with the prolube as I hoped to be: I'm having a hard time with it picking up lots of grit and grime. But I don't think I want to go to wax based lube for many reasons.