New rings, chain and chainglider

[Matt2matt2002]

Big thanks to everyone who contributed to my threads over the past few months.
Finally got the cash together to splash out on.....
Front ring - Surly 38T
Rear cog 17T
Hebie Chainglider
Rohloff sprocket remover
A couple of MissingLinks

I ordered a new EBB - but out of stock.
I had a look at the one I have on - and very messy.

New KMC X1 chain was bought a few months ago.

So, borrowed a chain whip from son-in-law and away we went.

Removing the rear sprocket was the usual pain - but just as i was about to give up - it came off.

Here's the old and new.



New one 17T
Old one 16T

Pretty sure old one is original and looks quite worn

Front ring off
New one 38T
Old one 40T
This was put on when I was on tour in the Shetlands in July this year. The front cog started skipping badly. In fact it was impossible to ride. The one local bike shop fitted if for £15 and it got me through the rest of the tour.

Front rings


Old chain off - again original one I beieve.

Measure it, adjusted EBB, measured again. Cut the new chain once. Fitted - then cut one more link off and used QuickLinks to rejoin

I know the chain looks tight - but there is slack - and I guess there will be some 'give' as it settles in?





It was slackened off after that last picture.

A quick sping to make sure everything was in order and then on to the Chainglider.

Very good instructions from John Saxby
Many thanks indeed.
I only went wrong when I didn't follow your guide!!

Back on - the easy part


Front was fun - it does work - but took some juggling.



All done




Once again - thanks to all those who offered advice and suggestions

EBB should be here next week, so I may be back for a few more tips.

Matt

[Danneaux]

Nicely done, Matt, and wise to back-off on the chain tension as you noted. All looks great!

Many happy miles (and Adventure!) ahead...

All the best,

Dan.

[geocycle]

Well done matt, sprocket removal is one of the bigger challenges of the rohloff.  Hope you kept your fingers and temper!  Good idea to not have the chain tension too tight as it can damage things, but a new chain quickly 'stretches' before reaching a plateau after which you'll not adjust very often.  Hope things run smoothly through the chain glider.

[John Saxby]

Good work, Matt, and I'm happy that my guide to the 'glider was helpful.  Your tranny should be good for a long while now! 

On my ride through Denmark-Sweden-northern Germany in August & Sept., I found it very odd not to be regularly checking/fussing with the chain. I was wondering about its health, etc., so when I cut my rear tire after about 1,000 kms of my tour, I had a chance to examine the chain as I removed the rear wheel & partially dismantled the 'glider. The chain was spiffy silver, and looked only a bit put out at being disturbed... I had covered a few kms (maybe 50 - 100) on sandy/dusty/gravelly roads, and as a result there was a little buildup of blackish slightly oily dust at the joints of the rear sprocket cover with the long arms of the front 'ring cover (rather more on the lower than the upper). Since the rear sprocket cover is the female of the two parts, the joints are slightly open towards the front of the bike, and act as intakes for a small amount of dust. Don't think this counts as a design flaw, however.

[Matt2matt2002]

Only mishap was when I changed gloves.
I took off my thin latex pair. Put on thick gardening ones to avoid skinning my knuckles while tackling the rear sprocket.
Then put back on the latex ones inside out.
Didn't discover this until packing tools away!

[Andre Jute]

With that lot you should be able to ride almost forever without service. If the factory lube is on the chain, don't be tempted to open it up "just to look" and don't handle the chain unless really necessary. The factory-lube-Chainglider combo is good for many thousands of klicks. A really good, cheap, low-mess chain lube is Oil of Rolloff, which is less than a fiver for a small bottle. I bought several bottles, and the first one is still more than two thirds full after after nearly seven years; you use only a very drops at a time. My current chain has well over 3000km on the factory lube, without any extra lube. So you need one small bottle of Oil of Rohloff on standby just in case.

[Danneaux]

...on standby just in case.

Good one, Andre! 

All the best,

Dan. (...who [ducking and running] would also put the lube just in the chain case)

[Andre Jute]

Dan. (...who [ducking and running] would also put the lube just in the chain case)

That Oil of Rohloff is the colour of good quality olive oil, but I wouldn't recommend Matt dressing his salad with it.

[Matt2matt2002]

Still very happy with the Chain glider but unhappy not to have been out on the bike more often.
Bad weather, a cold and work are my excuses. Yes, pathetic, I know.

Manager a short 11 miles from my home this morning into some local hills. Light snow covering after the tree line finished at 1500 feet. Great views. No wind and high clouds. 34 degrees.

Anyway, onto business.

After giving the Raven a quick wash down and dry I pushed the bike backwards I to the shed.
That was when I heard the chain inside the gluider. A soft rubbing sound.

Anything to worry about? Indicates anything abnormal?

Thoughts appreciated folks.

Matt

[Andre Jute]

If the "noise" of the Chainglider gets lost in road and mechanical noise when you ride, don't worry about it. If you're obsessive, you can tune the "noise" of the Chainglider by pushing the arms one stop deeper into the sprocket cover, and if that is noisier then two stops more relaxed, i.e. one stop beyond the original position. If that is less noisy than the original, that's the position you want. Frankly, the initial position where it feels just tight enough is likely to be the best. Too tight is pretty obvious by a brushing sound and a tight feeling in the transmission chain, too loose can rattle, just right makes a very slight noise like a light breeze on the edge of your consciousness. If everything on your bike is silent (meaning of the best quality and properly serviced and adjusted so that the bike is quiet), you can tune out the sound of the tyres by riding on smooth tarmac on the painted white or yellow line, and what remains is the noise of the spokes and the Chainglider. Ride slowly to reduce the wind over the spokes and listen carefully. Do the test on a still day, no wind, or you won't hear anything; the sound you're listening for is that low. Don't wear corduroy trousers; they're noisy.

[Matt2matt2002]

Thanks Andre.
The noise is only there when I pushed the bike backwards into the shed.
None or minimal when riding.

Loved the way I could give the craven a proper good wash down without worrying about an oily chain.

So its a backwards noise.

Matt

[julk]

Matt,
that noise is the bike crying quietly because you are putting it away
Julian.

[Andre Jute]

that noise is the bike crying quietly because you are putting it away

Heh-heh.

The noise is only there when I pushed the bike backwards into the shed.

This could be a case of a sighing seal in your Rolloff box (same sort of thing that drags the crank around when you wheel the bike) rather than a Chainglider noise. But, even if it is a Chainglider noise, unless it is a clear death rattle, I'd just ignore it. Visual inspection of the Chainglider material will demonstrate to you that a few kilometres of pushing the bike backwards over the next twenty or thirty years won't wear it out. Seems to that if the Chainglider is silent going forward, that's the correct adjustment and you don't want to mess with it.