Loud, droney drivetrain noise

[fmradio516]

Not sure if this is because i havent had an aluminum frame in a while, but my new/used Felt(2019 model) that I bought on here has a kind of droning drivetrain noise. I noticed it when I put it on the stand and went through the gears. Its noticeable most on the highest gears but maybe its because I can spin them harder. anyway, its a kind of droney, grindy, noise that kind of sounds like someone stuck a microphone into frame near the crank and amplified the drivetrain noise. Kinda sounds like when I ride my Fluid2 trainer on hardwood.

I can tell that its definitely coming from the chainring and I can feel *something* in the pedals. I cant really replicate it with the small ring but maybe its a matter of bigger gears.

This all could be completely normal, and im just not used to it. This is a Shimano R8000 rear derailleur with a Praxis Alba crank, and KMC X11 chain. Could it just be a noisey chainring? Im the second owner but I dont think anything is worn out as its a 2019 model...

[Jad]

You may already have done these, but--you could check rear derailleur to see if it could use any adjustment. An out of sync RD can maybe grind a little or "drone" seemingly from BB/CR area I think. You can also check your derailleur hanger, though sometimes it can be hard to tell if it needs a tweak.

[Hindmost]

The old internet noise diagnosis thread.

I have had drivetrains that when run on the stand make a little chain noise and give a little sensation back through the pedals which doesn't translate to anything significant when actually ridden.

[Jad]

Originally Posted by Hindmost

The old internet noise diagnosis thread.

I have had drivetrains that when run on the stand make a little chain noise and give a little sensation back through the pedals which doesn't translate to anything significant when actually ridden.

And I recently had a drivetrain that I happily thought I had silenced on the stand only to hear grinding on starting to pedal down the road. Oh, the madness. It just turned out I didn't have the spacer I needed behind the cassette.

[Clean39T]

I get that in the stand sometimes on oversized frames from the resonance when spinning it up fast. That RX8000 with the clutch is also a bit different feel in the stand. I'm pretty sure I had the b-tension set properly too, but you could always fiddle with that and micro-adjust the cable tension. I thought it shifted perfectly and didn't notice any issues when riding it - and the clutch definitely prevents chainslap on rough roads, which is the big plus of the whole setup. I do know I put the spacer on there with the R8000 11/34 cassette, so that shouldn't be it. The T47 BB on it is foolproof too - definitely not enough miles for anything to be worn. Wheels are brand new as well - and I believe those are DT internals, so everything should be golden there. The stock wheels definitely were not as nice.

Anyway, hope it beds in okay for you after a couple more rides..

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

I get that in the stand sometimes on oversized frames from the resonance when spinning it up fast. That RX8000 with the clutch is also a bit different feel in the stand. I'm pretty sure I had the b-tension set properly too, but you could always fiddle with that and micro-adjust the cable tension. I thought it shifted perfectly and didn't notice any issues when riding it - and the clutch definitely prevents chainslap on rough roads, which is the big plus of the whole setup. I do know I put the spacer on there with the R8000 11/34 cassette, so that shouldn't be it. The T47 BB on it is foolproof too - definitely not enough miles for anything to be worn. Wheels are brand new as well - and I believe those are DT internals, so everything should be golden there. The stock wheels definitely were not as nice.

Anyway, hope it beds in okay for you after a couple more rides..

Thanks Dan. I will leave it alone for now and go back trying to fix the disc brakes. I loosened the bolts to center the calipers like you suggest, but it only made thing worse. Im bad at discy stuff.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

Thanks Dan. I will leave it alone for now and go back trying to fix the disc brakes. I loosened the bolts to center the calipers like you suggest, but it only made thing worse. Im bad at discy stuff.

It took me fiddling for a bit too (10-15min of wishing I had the eyes of my 20yr old self) when I swapped back to the 650b ones w the lower-end rotors. Some recommend using a sheet of paper to hold behind the caliper so you can see where to align it. I think there's a tool too and probably YouTube instructions... I should have remembered to do that before shipping. It's a brave new world this disc stuff. The stopping in the wet is great and not wearing our rims, but it certainly isn't as straightforward as cantilevers.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

It took me fiddling for a bit too (10-15min of wishing I had the eyes of my 20yr old self) when I swapped back to the 650b ones w the lower-end rotors. Some recommend using a sheet of paper to hold behind the caliper so you can see where to align it. I think there's a tool too and probably YouTube instructions... I should have remembered to do that before shipping. It's a brave new world this disc stuff. The stopping in the wet is great and not wearing our rims, but it certainly isn't as straightforward as cantilevers.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Heh yeah I hear that. It seems like 99% of the disc good and then it hits this one spot. I dont see that its out of true at all; I guess I gotta throw on some gloves and feel around a bit.

[fmradio516]

or i can just leave it

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

Not sure if this is because i havent had an aluminum frame in a while, but my new/used Felt(2019 model) that I bought on here has a kind of droning drivetrain noise. I noticed it when I put it on the stand and went through the gears. Its noticeable most on the highest gears but maybe its because I can spin them harder. anyway, its a kind of droney, grindy, noise that kind of sounds like someone stuck a microphone into frame near the crank and amplified the drivetrain noise. Kinda sounds like when I ride my Fluid2 trainer on hardwood.

I can tell that its definitely coming from the chainring and I can feel *something* in the pedals. I cant really replicate it with the small ring but maybe its a matter of bigger gears.

This all could be completely normal, and im just not used to it. This is a Shimano R8000 rear derailleur with a Praxis Alba crank, and KMC X11 chain. Could it just be a noisy chainring? Im the second owner but I dont think anything is worn out as its a 2019 model...

I wouldn't be surprised it was the big ring, considering your 'symptoms'..only way to know is swap the ring/crank somehow.

Also sounds like your rotor isn't flat...it may not 'look' bent but noise doesn't lie..

[zap]

edit

Originally Posted by fmradio516

This is a Shimano R8000 rear derailleur with a Praxis Alba crank, and KMC X11 chain. Could it just be a noisey chainring? Im the second owner but I dont think anything is worn out as its a 2019 model...

I (& lbs) spent all spring, summer and most of this fall chasing serious noise on my Trek that I purchased new in Nov. '17. The rear was always a bit grindy from new. It got so bad it sounded like the bike was going to shatter into 10,000 pieces. Bike was rebuilt twice and the shop was about to warranty the frame when Trek Corporate told the shop to swap out the rear derailleur.

Sure enough, that was the fix. Bum 8000 rear derailleur.

Not saying this is your problem, just something to explore.........because there have been a number of reports of bad Shimano 8000 bits.

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by zap

edit



I (& lbs) spent all spring, summer and most of this fall chasing serious noise on my Trek that I purchased new in Nov. '17. The rear was always a bit grindy from new. It got so bad it sounded like the bike was going to shatter into 10,000 pieces. Bike was rebuilt twice and the shop was about to warranty the frame when Trek Corporate told the shop to swap out the rear derailleur.

Sure enough, that was the fix. Bum 8000 rear derailleur.

Not saying this is your problem, just something to explore.........because there have been a number of reports of bad Shimano 8000 bits.

Great.. looks like I need to chase down another 11 spd derailleur.. Thanks for the heads up.

[fa63]

I have a bike which sounds really loud ("droney" like the OP described, not a grinding sound) in the stand, when in the big chain ring front / smallest three cogs in the back. I only notice it in the stand though; on the road I can't hear it.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

Great.. looks like I need to chase down another 11 spd derailleur.. Thanks for the heads up.

RX800 RD is not the same as the R8000 though. These are a newer design and function differently with the clutch mechanism.

[zap]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

RX800 RD is not the same as the R8000 though. These are a newer design and function differently with the clutch mechanism.

Ah, apologies. Didn't see that in your earlier post.

To be clear, the issue I had relates to the regular R8000 rear derailleur.