Reducing Campy Noise

[caleb]

Last year I got my first Campy (Chorus) group, and like it alot.

What I don't like is the noise - this stuff is significantly louder than Shimano DA 9.

Am I doing something wrong?

Right now I'm running a Chorus chain. Would a narrower (Wipperman) chain help?

Other ideas?

[fierte_poser]

What noise in particular?

Where is it coming from? FD, RD, jockey pulleys, chainring, casette?

What gear combos make it worse?

ps I think the UN Chorus chain is as narrow as they come at 5.9mm. Does Wipperman sell a narrower chain?

[Dave Wages]

Everyone I know who owns or works on Campy has noticed this. The Wipperman, SRAM or other chains all run quieter than Campy. Why this is, I have no idea.

[Ahneida Ride]

When I switched to ATB (All the Best) Lube ....

My Campy drive train was dramatically more silent.

My LBS guru came to the same conclusion independently.

[caleb]

ps I think the UN Chorus chain is as narrow as they come at 5.9mm. Does Wipperman sell a narrower chain?

It's the chain on the cassette mainly, and I don't think it's an adjustment issue. A couple of different - good - wrenches have all worked with it, and it always sounds the same.

I believe Wipperman's 10spd chains are 5.7mm. Probably won't last as long, but might hit fewer things in back and run smoother.

For a few bucks I think it's worth a try this spring.

[Dave]

I've tried just about every chain out there. The one time I tried a Wipperman, I found it to be far noisier than a Campy chain. I wouldn't waste the money on their chains, but I do like their connex link.

All current 10 speed chains are now 5.9mm wide, so you're not going to gain anything in width by changing chains. I've never noticed a Campy UN chain being any noisier than Shimano or KMC, but it will certainly last longer. If you want a cheap chain to try, Performance has KMC chains on sale for $20. They are quiet and shift well, but I haven't used mine long enough to report on how long they last. Some people say that KMC makes Shimano chains. If that's accurate, then they probably wear about the same.

I'd say their is something being overlooked, perhaps RD alignment. Another thing to keep in mind is some frames transmit a lot more sound than others. Your choice of chain lube also matters. Dry lubes will usually make more noise.

[pdxmech13]

Word to everything Dave here said.
I would go out on a limb and say the newest campy offerings are the most quiet to date. :cool:

[chuckred]

Last year I got my first Campy (Chorus) group, and like it alot.

What I don't like is the noise - this stuff is significantly louder than Shimano DA 9.

Am I doing something wrong?

Right now I'm running a Chorus chain. Would a narrower (Wipperman) chain help?

Other ideas?

My old Veloce 9 spd on a steel frame is as silent as can be.

My new Chorus 10 spd on a carbon frame is noticeably noisy. Not noisy in a bad sense, but you can hear the chain. The only reason I even commented on it is that it's not completely silent like my old bike. But it rides and shifts as smooth as can be... Discussions with the mechanic who built the bike and seems to be pretty knowledgable indicate that it's partially due to 10 spd vs 9 spd and partially due to noise transfer of Carbon frame vs. steel.

[Louis]

Other ideas?

Switch to Shimano?

[big shanty]

I have '06 and '07 Record cassettes + chains on two different bikes and have no issues with noise.

[bigman]

For what it is worth th eonly chain I have ever broken was Wipperman - according to my LBS I am not alone.

[Big Dan]

You can also get some earplugs.......

:eek:

[Ken Robb]

the quietest bike in my stable has 7 spd. Sun Race cassette, shimano 8spd chain, Nuovo Record drive train. Very stealthy indeed.

[thwart]

My old Veloce 9 spd on a steel frame is as silent as can be. Like the DA 9 spd you are comparing the 10 spd Campy Chorus to...

There's a common theme here.

Nine speed drivetrains were the epitome of the function of bicycle drivetrains, atmo; with 10 speed things went ever so slightly downhill. They are generally more difficult to set up and maintain. They may also be slightly noisier.

There is a good reason that 10 speed has been available for almost a decade and yet nobody has come out with 11 speed...

[caleb]

It's the chain on the cassette mainly, and I don't think it's an adjustment issue. A couple of different - good - wrenches have all worked with it, and it always sounds the same.

I believe Wipperman's 10spd chains are 5.7mm. Probably won't last as long, but might hit fewer things in back and run smoother.

For a few bucks I think it's worth a try this spring.

Oops, what I meant to say was that they've recently gone from 6.1 or 6.2 down to 5.9. 1mm on each side might make for a quieter chain - don't know.

[caleb]

There is a good reason that 10 speed has been available for almost a decade and yet nobody has come out with 11 speed...

Yah, I have a bike with 8 speed that's pretty darn quiet, easy to set up, and has a real "solid" feel.

Yet, apples to apples, I think my Chorus 10 is louder than DA or Ultegra 10.

[jsfoster]

had a noise problem with their 10 spd drive train before they went to the narrow 5.9 chain. I use the Record 5.9 chain on my Chorus gruppo and there is no unusual noise. I switched my older bike to 5.9 and solved the the problem there also. I believe that the wider chain did not seat properly on the 10 spd cassette. My only question is "did i need to get a new bike?". :-) Of Course.
-Jon

[chrisroph]

ipod


seriously, when well lubed and reasonably clean, they are not noisy. I use generous mineral spirits/mobil 1 brew

[SoCalSteve]

Like the DA 9 spd you are comparing the 10 spd Campy Chorus to...

There's a common theme here.

Nine speed drivetrains were the epitome of the function of bicycle drivetrains, atmo; with 10 speed things went ever so slightly downhill. They are generally more difficult to set up and maintain. They may also be slightly noisier.

There is a good reason that 10 speed has been available for almost a decade and yet nobody has come out with 11 speed...

Not the Shimano 7800 10 speed drivetrain, just the opposite, in fact.

Campy has always been noisy.

Just sayin'

Steve

[ti_boi]

There's a bunch of 'Campy Noise' on this forum.....I just have learned to ignore it.... ;)

[thwart]

Not the Shimano 7800 10 speed drivetrain, just the opposite, in fact. Well, Shimano only moves forward...

I think it's the tech spill-over from their fishing equipment division.

[SPOKE]

step one: make sure the derailleur hanger is proper aligned......i don't care if the frame is brand new or not!!! find a skilled wrench that actually has an alignment tool and is experienced at using it.

step two: make sure the chain is the proper length for the gearing/derailleur setup you are using. you need to make sure that the rear derailleur jockey pully cage assembly is actually putting some tension on the chain when the chain is on the small cog-small chainring combination (double chainring setup). a triple setup you may have to fudge a little bit.

step three: make sure the chain is clean and in good condition. now use a good quality lube with a bit of "body" to it. i like Pedro's SynLube or a fully synthetic motor oil (usually 20W-50 weight). work the chain through the gears for a bit then be sure to really wipe as much of the excess lube off as well as you can.

if you do this then the campy drive train will be as quiet as it's going to get. also note that the Record or all Ti cassettes run a bit more quiet than the all steel ones. the Ti cogs have a bit softer surface which helps with the noise.

hope this helps.

[TMB]

Not the Shimano 7800 10 speed drivetrain, just the opposite, in fact.

Campy has always been noisy.

Just sayin'

Steve

No.

I recently built up a bike using an old record 28 hole hub.

That bike is almost silent.

I played hooky this afternoon and took out my 7-11 bike, it is built with Super Record.

That bike IS silent, not a sound out of it.

Makes me miss the old days.

[soulspinner]

step one: make sure the derailleur hanger is proper aligned......i don't care if the frame is brand new or not!!! find a skilled wrench that actually has an alignment tool and is experienced at using it.

step two: make sure the chain is the proper length for the gearing/derailleur setup you are using. you need to make sure that the rear derailleur jockey pully cage assembly is actually putting some tension on the chain when the chain is on the small cog-small chainring combination (double chainring setup). a triple setup you may have to fudge a little bit.

step three: make sure the chain is clean and in good condition. now use a good quality lube with a bit of "body" to it. i like Pedro's SynLube or a fully synthetic motor oil (usually 20W-50 weight). work the chain through the gears for a bit then be sure to really wipe as much of the excess lube off as well as you can.

if you do this then the campy drive train will be as quiet as it's going to get. also note that the Record or all Ti cassettes run a bit more quiet than the all steel ones. the Ti cogs have a bit softer surface which helps with the noise.

hope this helps.


Excellent post. Ive been using prolink. Gonna try Pedros.