Gritty pulleys

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

addictR1
Posts: 1878
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:11 am

by addictR1

I’ve noticed lately my old 10sp Red RD pulley are making a lot of gritty noise.

I’ve seems some vids on how to remove it from the RD but what should I torque it down? 4nm or 5nm?

Also how do you guys go about cleaning it? In the past I just use a brush to brush it off without remove it from the leg, but it’s getting very noisy and maybe it’s time for a good cleaning.

Thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

if they feel gritty it's likely the bearings are dry/contaminated, you can clean and regrease...

remove the seals using a sharp pick, be careful to not bend/damage them, then flush out the old grease - for bearings i use an ultrasonic bath with degreaser, then follow up with detergent, then water, and dry quickly with warm air

now they are clean and without seals, you can see if they spin freely and do not feel rough

if ok, pack the bearings with good waterproof grease then replace the seals

for grease i use skf lghp 2, i got a cartridge of it years ago, use it for bb30, wheel bearings etc. - if you have the little syringe that sram supply it is filled with the same grease, it is a translucent blue colour

the mounting bolts have threadlock, i just tighten by feel - if the old threadlock is no longer active and the bolt turns freely i would put just a little dab of loctite 243 on to keep it secure

User avatar
73Bronco
Posts: 40
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2017 6:57 pm

by 73Bronco

I think I need a good cleaning/greasing on my gravel bike rear pulleys. Thanks for the post above.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


User avatar
Frankie - B
Admin - In the industry
Posts: 6573
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2003 8:17 am
Location: Drenthe, Holland

by Frankie - B

If it is a red Derailleur, please use grease that works well with ceramic bearings as those are in the RED jockey wheels.
'Tape was made to wrap your GF's gifts, NOT hold a freakin tire on.'
If you want to see 'meh' content of me and my bike you can follow my life in pictures here!

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

sram use the grease i mention (as do ceramicspeed i believe), see the tech manual...
https://www.sram.com/sites/default/file ... -rev-a.pdf

you can pay a lot for a little...
https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/prod ... ing-grease 10ml, retail around 3-4 £/€/$

or pay not much more for a lot...
http://www.wychbearings.co.uk/LGHP2x420ml_grease.html

...the 420ml cartridge is rather better value, and will last for many years servicing

addictR1
Posts: 1878
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:11 am

by addictR1

Thank you all for the tip!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

addictR1
Posts: 1878
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:11 am

by addictR1

Ok I took the pulley wheels off and cleaned it. I don’t have ultrasound machine to clean. Any recommendations?

I wiped the caked layers of dirt and grim off, mount it back and rode today... still hear it squeak like a rusted wheel.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

NiFTY
Posts: 1493
Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 11:26 pm

by NiFTY

Did you lube?
Evo 4.9kg SL3 6.64kg Slice RS 8.89kg viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110579" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

unclear if you removed the seals and flushed out the bearings - if you haven't got an ultrasonic cleaner you can dunk in a cup of degreaser and scrub with a small brush, or use an aerosol can of solvent/light oil to do it, all will be effective

addictR1
Posts: 1878
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:11 am

by addictR1

Nifty, yup I lube it, but didn’t open the deal.

Sungod, thanks.. I’ll give that a try. I have some purple power degreaser that’ll clean it up.

But I’ll need to get the grease for it first.

I only have Phil Wood grease, and slide glide grease.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

bm0p700f
in the industry
Posts: 5777
Joined: Sat May 12, 2012 7:25 pm
Location: Glermsford, Suffolk U.K
Contact:

by bm0p700f

the jockey wheel would may also need replacing. A ceramic bearing that feels gritty could have race pitting. Replace the waste of time ceramic bearings with jockey wheels with a steel bearing if that the case.

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

addictR1 wrote:
Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:51 am
Nifty, yup I lube it, but didn’t open the deal.

Sungod, thanks.. I’ll give that a try. I have some purple power degreaser that’ll clean it up.

But I’ll need to get the grease for it first.

I only have Phil Wood grease, and slide glide grease.
just pop off the seals and flush them clean, then see how they feel dry (and without the seals)

as above if the bearings feel gritty dry then it's time to replace anyway, no need to get extra grease, if they feel smooth then grease them with the pw stuff, reseal and they'll be fine

btw i did a quick search, the pw grease is waterproof, so it should be ok long term - according to one report it's a repackaged exxon grease (mobilgrease 33), i.e. just as the 'sram' grease is repackaged skf

addictR1
Posts: 1878
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:11 am

by addictR1

Thanks for the info on the grease. Will take them apart this weekend and check out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

addictR1
Posts: 1878
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:11 am

by addictR1

Been traveling too much due to work. Finally took it apart, clean and reinstall.

I noticed something funny about my RED 10sp RD.

Not sure if this is normal? Seems the carbon is bent? See the portion circled.

ImageImage


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12457
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

That’s part of the design...

Post Reply