I recently built my first fixie and have some problems with noise coming from the drivetrain. The bike has a Dura-Ace 1/8" cog, Wipperman 1/8" chain and a Campagnolo 3/32" chainring without shifting ramps. Chainline is about 1mm off (can't get it any better with my set-up) and my chain is'n too tight. The sound is a contiuous metal-on-metal clicking. All parts are brand new. Perhaps I just need to let the drivetrain "break-in"?

The off chainline doesn't help and neither does the 1/8 on 3/32 combo up front. Lube on the chain will quieten things down while keeping the chain at a good tension will also help.

What you can do is flip the bike or put it on the stand and listen to where the click comes from when you rotate the drivetrain - it may be coming from the chain when it goes over a certain link just to eliminate a kink somewhere.

Otherwise, that's just the nature. The lube should help.

And those Wippperman chains are notoriously loud. I love 'em, though.

check the chain for kinks, make sure it's tight but not _too tight_, and then lube it up with Pedro's Road Rage. it's a very wet lube and will make a mess of your pants/leg if they touch the chain, but it'll make your drivetrain quiet.

use a 3/32" chain if you want quiet.

Does anybody have a super quiet drivetrain without going lube crazy?
if so, what is your set up?

Sugino 75 cranks/49T ring(1/8") + Shadow Conspiracy chain(1/8") + EAI 18T cog (1/8") = super quiet. I keep the chain moderately lubed but not so that it's dripping wet or anything. The key to the silence of this setup is the half-link chain.

Not if he's running a 1/8 cog in back.

If you do want to make the switch to a 3/32 chain, get a matching 3/32 cog - you can try that International Cog Exchange thread since a bunch of folks have 3/32's they want to swap.

right, of course the cog must match the chain!

oh come there isn't a place to grab these on the west coast, every freakin' website is on the east coast, at least so it seems.....

The noise is coming from the cog area, not from the front. The chain isn't kinked or anything. Also, I'm already using the Pedro's roadrage lube. So I guess there's nothing I can do.. Time to go for a ride!

Here's what I did to resolve a 3-month long battle with noise on one of my bikes:

Clean the chain and cog and chainring.
Put on a light coat of tri-flow.
Put on a coat of pedro's.
Wipe off excess.
Let sit overnight.

Letting the lube set up was key. I think absntr recently advised this.

Also, aluminum frames tend to amplify chain noise.

151bcd 1/8" campy ring with an 18t 1/8" EAI cog and a cheap KMC bmx chain, sprayed not nearly as often as it should be with triflow, cleaned... never.