NASHWORTH
04-10-2008, 02:10 PM
Hey everyone from the Farkin.net community,
Lately theres been a lot of people creating threads to do with getting rid of and preventing noises coming from their drivetrain.
Now the drivetrain is my least favourite area of my bike. Seeing as I have had a lot of trouble with derailleur's, bottom brackets, cranks, chain guides etc, I've read up and studied all about them and you could say I know most of the basics about how to clean them take them apart etc. So I've decided to attempt to try and help others by explaining the methods of how to exterminate the annoying noises that can arise from the drivetrain (well my methods anyway).
Pedals:
Clicking and creaking noised can come from pedal threads/inserts if they aren't tightened well enough or aren't greased (as with any bolt or thread on your bike/s).
You can remove your pedals with a pedal wrench (or any wrench that is the same size) or with newer pedals you're able to remove them with an allen/hex key at the back of the pedal thread.
Once you have removed them wipe a bit of grease (Castrol marine grease is pretty good) on both the pedal thread and and the pedal insert thread and re-install the pedals pretty tight. Then wipe all the excess grease off with a rag, as grease attracts a lot of dirt.
Bottom Bracket:
Much the same as pedals, the bottom bracket will creak, moan and make grinding noises if it's not clean and greased.
You'll need a special tool to remove your bottom bracket depending on what type you have.
External bottom brackets: http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=95
ISIS/Octalink/Power spline bottom brackets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPID4-5r3iw
(remove the chain first)
Once you have removed the BB clean all the dirt and grease off with a wet rag and a bit of kero/petrol. Then re-grease all of the bearings and threads again and re-install. Once you've done it a few times you don't even have to refer to anything.
Chain ring/bolts & chain:
It's also important to make sure these are clean as well.
To remove the chain rings you will either need a T25 or T30 torque key, or a set of allen/hex keys. Just make sure the bolts are greased and tight.
To clean the chain ring itself you will need a brush (I use a toothbrush) and some kero/petrol to clean all the grease and dirt off. Do not grease the chain ring!
To clean the chain you can remove it with a chain breaker or if you have a connecting link (e.g SRAM power link) it will make it sooo much easier. Then soak it in a bucket of kero/petrol and then wipe it down with a rag so that it's completely clean.
The other and much easier way to clean a chain is with one of these > http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=T0054
Once you've cleaned it lube it with actual chain lube, not WD40!
It also doesn't hurt to clean your cassette. Pretty much the same as cleaning a chain, just use a small, thin brush with some kero as well as a cassette cleaning tool (http://www.probikekit.com/advsearch.php?AQUERY=cassette+cleaning+tool&INSTOCK=No).
Also, a chainstay guard (such as this (http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/T7CYCN7EL)) will protect your frame from chain slap, as well as reduce the noise created from chain slap.
Rear Derailleur:
Remove it from that frame and pull the jockey wheels out. They'll most likely have a build up of grease and dirt on them. This doesn't really cause much noise but they can squeek when the bearings aren't lubed. Just clean all the grease and dirt build up on the derailleur and lube the jockey wheels.
Now for the gear cable. Remove it from the derailleur and out of the cable housing. Then just lube it and re-install it and re-tune the derailleur. Full cable housing is the best as it protects the cable from a lot of dirt and other crap that you ride though. But not all frames accommodate full cable housing, in this case you can use a 4mm drill bit (correct me if I'm wrong, don't want anyone ruining the frames) to drill though the cable router.
Chain guides:
I haven't got too much to say about chain guide noise. They do get a lot of grease and dirt build up from the chain so you need to clean that off regularly as well as making sure the bearing (if you have rollers) are running smooth.
I'm running a Gamut P30 guide at the moment. I've had to file down the top guide to reduce the "moto noise" from the chain rubbing on it. Although it still rubs on it slightly, today I cut a bit off my dad's punctured road bike tube and wrapped/glued it onto the top guide. I haven't actually tested it properly but it has reduced a lot of the noise. It's pretty much just a ghetto version of what Sam hill does with his E-13 LG-1. I can get photo's later if you want. Make sure the rubber is fairly thin, as you don't want a big thick bit hitting your chain.
Anyway, I hoped that helped. If I've missed something, done something wrong let me know and I can add it fix it.
Oh yeah, and I do all of this after every main/wet ride. I hate noisy bikes!
Cheers,
Nathan
EDIT: Yes, I was bored :p
Lately theres been a lot of people creating threads to do with getting rid of and preventing noises coming from their drivetrain.
Now the drivetrain is my least favourite area of my bike. Seeing as I have had a lot of trouble with derailleur's, bottom brackets, cranks, chain guides etc, I've read up and studied all about them and you could say I know most of the basics about how to clean them take them apart etc. So I've decided to attempt to try and help others by explaining the methods of how to exterminate the annoying noises that can arise from the drivetrain (well my methods anyway).
Pedals:
Clicking and creaking noised can come from pedal threads/inserts if they aren't tightened well enough or aren't greased (as with any bolt or thread on your bike/s).
You can remove your pedals with a pedal wrench (or any wrench that is the same size) or with newer pedals you're able to remove them with an allen/hex key at the back of the pedal thread.
Once you have removed them wipe a bit of grease (Castrol marine grease is pretty good) on both the pedal thread and and the pedal insert thread and re-install the pedals pretty tight. Then wipe all the excess grease off with a rag, as grease attracts a lot of dirt.
Bottom Bracket:
Much the same as pedals, the bottom bracket will creak, moan and make grinding noises if it's not clean and greased.
You'll need a special tool to remove your bottom bracket depending on what type you have.
External bottom brackets: http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=95
ISIS/Octalink/Power spline bottom brackets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPID4-5r3iw
(remove the chain first)
Once you have removed the BB clean all the dirt and grease off with a wet rag and a bit of kero/petrol. Then re-grease all of the bearings and threads again and re-install. Once you've done it a few times you don't even have to refer to anything.
Chain ring/bolts & chain:
It's also important to make sure these are clean as well.
To remove the chain rings you will either need a T25 or T30 torque key, or a set of allen/hex keys. Just make sure the bolts are greased and tight.
To clean the chain ring itself you will need a brush (I use a toothbrush) and some kero/petrol to clean all the grease and dirt off. Do not grease the chain ring!
To clean the chain you can remove it with a chain breaker or if you have a connecting link (e.g SRAM power link) it will make it sooo much easier. Then soak it in a bucket of kero/petrol and then wipe it down with a rag so that it's completely clean.
The other and much easier way to clean a chain is with one of these > http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=T0054
Once you've cleaned it lube it with actual chain lube, not WD40!
It also doesn't hurt to clean your cassette. Pretty much the same as cleaning a chain, just use a small, thin brush with some kero as well as a cassette cleaning tool (http://www.probikekit.com/advsearch.php?AQUERY=cassette+cleaning+tool&INSTOCK=No).
Also, a chainstay guard (such as this (http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/T7CYCN7EL)) will protect your frame from chain slap, as well as reduce the noise created from chain slap.
Rear Derailleur:
Remove it from that frame and pull the jockey wheels out. They'll most likely have a build up of grease and dirt on them. This doesn't really cause much noise but they can squeek when the bearings aren't lubed. Just clean all the grease and dirt build up on the derailleur and lube the jockey wheels.
Now for the gear cable. Remove it from the derailleur and out of the cable housing. Then just lube it and re-install it and re-tune the derailleur. Full cable housing is the best as it protects the cable from a lot of dirt and other crap that you ride though. But not all frames accommodate full cable housing, in this case you can use a 4mm drill bit (correct me if I'm wrong, don't want anyone ruining the frames) to drill though the cable router.
Chain guides:
I haven't got too much to say about chain guide noise. They do get a lot of grease and dirt build up from the chain so you need to clean that off regularly as well as making sure the bearing (if you have rollers) are running smooth.
I'm running a Gamut P30 guide at the moment. I've had to file down the top guide to reduce the "moto noise" from the chain rubbing on it. Although it still rubs on it slightly, today I cut a bit off my dad's punctured road bike tube and wrapped/glued it onto the top guide. I haven't actually tested it properly but it has reduced a lot of the noise. It's pretty much just a ghetto version of what Sam hill does with his E-13 LG-1. I can get photo's later if you want. Make sure the rubber is fairly thin, as you don't want a big thick bit hitting your chain.
Anyway, I hoped that helped. If I've missed something, done something wrong let me know and I can add it fix it.
Oh yeah, and I do all of this after every main/wet ride. I hate noisy bikes!
Cheers,
Nathan
EDIT: Yes, I was bored :p