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Smoothness of drivetrain?

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Old 10-28-09 | 07:56 AM
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Smoothness of drivetrain?

Hey guys... I had a question about my Medici's drive train. Not sure why I just noticed it, but for some reason I was cleaning my bike and realized that the drivetrain isn't as smooth as my Peugeot. I'm not sure if this is even a concern or not.

I don't notice any stiffness when riding, but when I slowly turn the cranks or give it a spin with my hands it just isn't as smooth. Everything has been taken apart and cleaned/lubed. The chain is brand new and now stiff links. The crank and derailleurs were lined up correctly.

C-Record Cranks and Rear Derailleur
IRD freewheel
Sram chain

What do you guys think it might be? Or am I just making something out of nothing? Maybe I need to be a bit more thorough and try different gear combos as well as I only tried the big chainring and 3rd gear.
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Old 10-28-09 | 10:08 AM
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Is the freewheel also relatively new? A worn freewheel sprocket will be noisy with a new chain just as a worn chain will make noise with a new freewheel sprocket. Mismatches in wear between chain and crank chainrings is less noticeable.
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Old 10-28-09 | 10:35 AM
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hows the BB and rear hub Bearings?
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Old 10-28-09 | 11:00 AM
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Some drivetrain setups seem super smooth and others, not so much, even when all the individual parts check out. It mystifies me. Check the derailleur pulleys; I've ID'd them as contributors on occasion.
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Old 10-28-09 | 12:45 PM
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Yea it really bugs me out. I don't think it's causing any impact on functionality though...

Here's a bit more detail on the components:

C-Record Cranks and Rear Derailleur (used, but not very much wear from what I can tell. Pulleys look good)
IRD freewheel - New
Sram chain - New

I broke everything down and had it regreased and put back together. BB is super smooth. Is it possible that my RD be bent or something and I'm not noticing it? A few things I do notice...

- Freewheel wobbles. I noticed it's not too bad and read it's a normal occurence. Although my Peugeot shows no sign of wobble.

- Not sure if this is normal, but my RD moves back and forth a little when I put the bike on a stand, pedal a few rotations and just watch it freewheel.

-Rear wheel hub is quite smooth.
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Old 10-28-09 | 01:05 PM
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pedals?
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