So I got a new Trek 1500 a few months ago and have just started riding in on a regular basis. I probably have 150 miles or so on it at this point. I was over my freind's house and his sister has an older Trek 2200. I just rode it down the driveway and back. Well I was surprised to notice that the drivetrain was completely silent as I pedaled on it. On my 1500, I hear ticking noise from the rear and sometimes the front. What causes this? I know I am due for a tuneup as the cables and chain have surely stretched out and teh derailers may need alignment at this point. Do some drivetrains make noise and more expensive ones not? I want mine to be silent too!

A 'ticking' noise to me indicates that the rear derailleur isn't perfectly lined up with the cogs. If the pulleys hanging beneath the derailleur are a little off then the derailleur is forever "caught" in a position where it's trying to shift into the next cog but the cable tension won't allow it. If you're due a free tune-up, take it in and let them futz with it. If you feel like futzing with it yourself, there are articles on the www.parktool.com website that describe in detail how to adjust derailleurs.

Other possibilities include:
1) Well-lubed and clean chains run quieter then dirty ones
2) It can be impossible to adjust the front derailleur so that the chain runs cleanly through it with no rubbing in every gear combination. The chain rubbing on the front derailleur won't produce a "clicking" sound though

it should be silent...

your chain nice and clean and lubed?

need to get it on a repair stand and start spinning/listening...

could be wee bit of chain rub....

try to isolate it - does it happen in certain gears only?

could be something crazy like your pedal hitting a long FD cable end that sort of sticks out?

sorry, you said it comes from the front and sometimes the rear?

The noise is coming from the rear. It happens in every gear. I had it on my trainer and tried to figure out where it was coming from. Its so hard to tell (I am not a bike gear head). But it is very pronouced whenever pedaling. The chain is not dirty, the bike is basically brand new and I have been careful to keep it clean and havnt ridden it in any wet weather. As I said I will be bringing it in for a free tuneup soon, hopefully they can get it taken care of. I mostly wanted to figure out if it should be silent or not.

might be a simple cable tension adjustment and/or adjusting the L/H screws...

see this tutorial if you want to take a shot at it before it goes to the shop...

If the bike is basically brand new, then it is almost assuredly experiencing some natural cable stretch. Over the first couple of weeks, the cables stretch a bit, causing your derailer alignment to suffer. You might try just tightening the cables a few clicks with the barrel adjusters to see if the derailers get back in tune.

Most shops offer to retune a new bike after a few weeks precisely to combat cable stretch.

- Warren