I have a FSA Vero triple (52-39-30) and a long cage 105 5600 RD. The sound seems to come from the rear derailer, but when in the big ring there is a lot of noise while I turn the crank that goes away when I switch to the middle ring. The FD is not rubbing, plus I know what that sounds like.

What I have done to isolate the noise:
-new chain (old one was worn anyway)
-remove cassette and install a single speed cog
-remove derailer and use a single speed tensioner

The sound is now gone but I am stuck on a single speed. I am here with my derailer playing with the jockey wheels and there is a lot of noise coming from the upper wheel and little from the lower one. I took apart the cage and played around with the parts of wheels and the noise remains.

The only difference in the wheels is that the noisy one has these four evenly spaced groves cut into its inner race surface - if I may call it that.

I'm assuming my only solution is to replace the jockey wheels but I just want to know what those grooves are (no camera, sorry) and if this noise is at all common (I doubt it). Who else has experienced this? These are just the stock Shimano "Centeron G-Pulley" wheels. I'm annoyed that I will to have to pay money to fix something that shouldn't be a problem in the first place. Is it highly unlikely the LSB will have jockey wheels lying around to give me?

You should check your derailleur alignment and you can service the jockey wheels by removing them, cleaning them, and giving them a little fresh grease which will make them run smoother.

A misaligned rear d will throw off an indexed system and will also create a lot of noise... with the bike in the high ring and small cog sight along the jockey wheels and cage to see if it is tracing straight through as with a badly aligned hangar or bent cage the chain will rub against the cage.

I looked for all that when the derailer was on the bike, but the shifting was fine and the noise remained. I'll take them off again and apply grease, but I just think it is odd how much noise one of the jockey wheels makes on its own when I spin it with my finger. I work at a co-op and this is the only derailer I've seen with this issue



--- Done. I guess I will just have to see how long the grease lasts and keeps things quiet. I've never seen anyone grease jockey wheels so it didn't occur to me to do it