Crunchy chainring

[mjbrekke]

I'm riding an Ottrott with Campy Record 8spd drivetrain. My chain was starting to sound a bit noisy on the big ring (very quiet on the small ring), so I checked the stretch. It was still under 1/16", but it had been a few thousand miles so I decided to replace old Rohloff with a new 9spd Campy. I thoroughly cleaned the cassette and chainrings, of course.

The new chain shifts crisply and sounds good in the big ring, but there is a "crunching" sound from the chainring as I pedal in the small ring. It's very rhythmic, in time with my cadence, and gets progressively worse as load increases. I thought it might smooth out after a few miles and the lube (factory lube) was distributed, but no. So, I lubed with White Lightning as I have for years. The result was slightly better, but still not a cure.

There are no tight links, and I'm about to check bolt tightness again, but I'm beginning to suspect the small ring might be worn out. I can't really see any cupping or significant wear, but there are about 11K miles on the rings. I spend most of my time in the big ring, but I definitely put more load on the small as I use it mostly for hills.

Any thoughts?

[oldpotatoe]

I'm riding an Ottrott with Campy Record 8spd drivetrain. My chain was starting to sound a bit noisy on the big ring (very quiet on the small ring), so I checked the stretch. It was still under 1/16", but it had been a few thousand miles so I decided to replace old Rohloff with a new 9spd Campy. I thoroughly cleaned the cassette and chainrings, of course.

The new chain shifts crisply and sounds good in the big ring, but there is a "crunching" sound from the chainring as I pedal in the small ring. It's very rhythmic, in time with my cadence, and gets progressively worse as load increases. I thought it might smooth out after a few miles and the lube (factory lube) was distributed, but no. So, I lubed with White Lightning as I have for years. The result was slightly better, but still not a cure.

There are no tight links, and I'm about to check bolt tightness again, but I'm beginning to suspect the small ring might be worn out. I can't really see any cupping or significant wear, but there are about 11K miles on the rings. I spend most of my time in the big ring, but I definitely put more load on the small as I use it mostly for hills.

Any thoughts?

That's right, the ring is worn out. BTW-an 8s chain would work as well(better) and cost less.

[mjbrekke]

Thanks, oldpotatoe. Any suggestions as to sources for replacement rings (in addition to the Classifieds here)? My crank is Record 4-arm pattern. And would it be wise to replace the big ring at the same time?

What 8-speed chain would you recommend?

[oldpotatoe]

Thanks, oldpotatoe. Any suggestions as to sources for replacement rings (in addition to the Classifieds here)? My crank is Record 4-arm pattern. And would it be wise to replace the big ring at the same time?

What 8-speed chain would you recommend?

I sell TA chainrings in 135mm BCD..$75 and $50 and I sell KMC 8.93 silver chains, $15.