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| *Vultures Knob>>>Cycling |
The rear deraleur on my bike sometimes makes clicking sounds is this normal? |
it rides ok but im worried it might break It's not going to break, but it might wear out parts sooner, and it sure is irritating isn't it? There's always some amount of noise in a drivetrain......you have all those chain links going over toothy cogs and pulleys in the rear. If your chain isn't well lubed, then the noise gets louder. Assuming your chain is the proper length and that you aren't talking about it rubbing on the spokes when you're in low gear, then my first thought would be that the cable adjustment is off, and that's an easy fix. If the tension isn't proper, then when you ratchet the shifter to the next gear, the derailleur doesn't move to exactly where it should be and the chain rubs on the side of the next cog instead of riding quietly in the center....simple adjustment. If it only clicks in certain gears and/or you get hesitation in shifting in one area of the cassette, then there's a good chance that your derailleur hanger is slightly bent. It happens alot and many mechanics don't take the time to check for this. This is also an easy fix, but you need to use an alignment gauge. They cost about $50 and most people won't ever want to own one, although if you have a few bikes or are tough on the hanger with crashing the bike or laying it down on the wrong side, you might want to buy one and learn to use it. A shop shouldn't charge you very much to tune the derailleur and check the hanger. (While we're on that subject, if you ride rough mountain bike trails and are far away from help, it's a damn good idea to carry a spare derailleur hanger and mounting screws with you.....you can replace it in the field and ride out instead of walking for miles or suffering with a single-speed emergency repair.) Also, just for fun, check the little bolts that hold the two pulleys inside the derailleur cage to be sure they haven't come loose. The pulleys should have a little side-to-side wiggle even when the bolts are tight.....that's normal. Look carefully at your chain to see that it isn't twisted, has a chewed up outer link plate, or a stiff link (you can see this easily if you rotate the cranks backwards and watch the chain move over the derailleur pulleys or the bottom of the chainrings). There's also a slim possibility that the noise you're hearing could be coming from the hub bearings or a loose spoke, so if none of the above applies, check here next. you didnt mentioned the type. lower quality deraillers have no adjustments and are made with less quality control. They tend to misalign a lot easier. Get yourself an alignment tool or take it to the shop. Some shops will even put on repair classes and show you what to look for with the drive train, brakes etc. Remember though, everything wears much faster if you let it go. And it may mean more damage to other components such as cassette, front rings or chain. It is making the clicking noise because it is slightly off gear. It is trying to upshift to the next higher gear or downshift to the next lower gear. It is easy to fix with a Phillip's head screwdeiver. On the bottom of the d茅railleur are two screws, one for lowering it, the other to raise it. Put the bike into the gear that makes it click, and screw up or down to make it stop. They slightly readjust from time to time. Years of experience riding and building. Really hard to say if it's normal, noise is not uncommon. The clicking sound happens when? In general the drive train should be pretty quiet. Most clicking sounds are chain noise. Derailleurs not quite adjusted right allow the chain to catch on the side of the rear cog. Worn chains, sticky links, lack of lube on the chain, bent teeth on the cog, jammed jocky wheels, generally dirty drive train all can cause strange noises. With so many possibilities it hard to say the exact nature of the noise. Have someone that knows about bikes check it out or take it in to the bike shop. if it is an OK one so go to a bike shop and get a gear tuning, clicking is not normal |
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