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Awful grinding noise in High gears.

 Many thanks for letting me join the forum. I have an issue with my 11 speed cyclocross cannondale CAADX 105 which is basically in higer gears ( small rear cog in case my terminology is off) i get an awful grinding sound.

It starts in gear 8 all the way to 11 , intensfying as I go. The same thing happens when in the big or small cog on front.  I have exhausted all info on the internet hence the need to ask some experts.

Things I have tried to date :-

1)B-Screw adjustment , Fine no rubbing on the rear derailleur 

2) H and L screw adjustment , perfectly fine.

3) Rear derailleur cable tension fine, gear shifting is fine with no hesitation. 

4) Front derailleur not rubbing, I am very used to this having 105 and the trim function which makes a distintctive sound. 

5) Took the cassette off , reseated it and ensured fully tightened.

 

I ride all year round and in winter I fit studded tyres as I once had a painful ice accident, which I don't want to repeat. With these tyres I never go to the higher gears so I have no idea when this could have started. With the slicks back on I need these higher gears.

So as mentioned I'm now stumped and am out of ideas....

Could it be a worn chain or cassette.

I'm reluctant to visit my LBS as it's not so local and they ripped me off the last time I used them. I 've managed all my own repairs except for this issue

 

 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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16 comments

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Nokis | 5 years ago
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Hello
I have the same problem on my caadx 105 se 2018.
Cblake843 could you please tell me wich cassette and chain you installed. So that I can can order the same and be sure to solve the problem.
Could you give me the link to reddit.
Thanks a lot for your help.

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cblake843 replied to Nokis | 5 years ago
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Nokis wrote:

Hello I have the same problem on my caadx 105 se 2018. Cblake843 could you please tell me wich cassette and chain you installed. So that I can can order the same and be sure to solve the problem. Could you give me the link to reddit. Thanks a lot for your help.

Hi ,

       I fitted :-

ultegra kassette 11 speed and compatible 11 speed chain( cant find details of chain).

 

To be honest a 105 cassette would have worked and been cheaper.  The problematic chain / cassette must have worn during some hard winter commuting.

 

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cblake843 | 5 years ago
1 like

So I installed a new cassette and chain this morning and that fixed the issue:-) 

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Judge dreadful | 5 years ago
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Is the lock ring of the cassette seated perfectly flat? If it’s slightly raised on one side, or not quite seated correctly it can contact the junction of the stays, by the lockring slightly, and it’s more noticeable when the chain is on the sprockets closest to it.

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cblake843 replied to Judge dreadful | 5 years ago
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Judge dreadful wrote:

Is the lock ring of the cassette seated perfectly flat? If it’s slightly raised on one side, or not quite seated correctly it can contact the junction of the stays, by the lockring slightly, and it’s more noticeable when the chain is on the sprockets closest to it.

 

 

It appears fine, I've taken it off several times and reseated it but the error persists. 

I found someone had a similar issue (on Reddit) and they replaced the chain and cassette after similar levels of frustration experienced by me.

This reportedly fixed the issue , so I've ordered a new cassette / chain and install on the weekend. Hopefully this will be end of the saga  1

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kevvjj | 5 years ago
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Just a thought. Installing a new chain and cassette will tell you if the issue is your current chain/cassette. If all is fine (no grinding noise) leave them on for summer. When it comes time to use the studded tyres put the old casette and chain back on (since you won't be using the higher gears). This way you will have a winter cassette/chain and a summer cassette/chain.

 

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cblake843 | 5 years ago
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I noticed I had the chain on the wrong way so removed it and re-installed it shortening in the process. Unfortunately this made absolutely no difference  2

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Spangly Shiny | 5 years ago
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AfterPeak | 5 years ago
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Take chain off and check the jockey wheels? If they sound terrible or dont spin freely they remove them clean them up and put them back. Worth doing anyway.

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Rapha Nadal | 5 years ago
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Go to a bike shop.

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cblake843 | 5 years ago
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Thanks for all the suggestions. 8th gear has settled down now , definitely need a rear mech alignment and chain checker tool! Hub was fine when cassette was off.  When pedaling backward the noise is not present

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Drinfinity | 5 years ago
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I have found a rear mech alignment tool to be very useful when tracking dodgy mech issues. It might be the problem here (or not) but I use mine on all the family bikes before I fettle the mech. 

How worn is the chain? Have you tried a chain checker? Maybe riding in the winter on the low range has worn cogs and chain together, so now when you come up to high gears you have an old chain on newer cogs. 

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SteveAustin | 5 years ago
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try a different shop, or a mate who rides. things like this need a quick look to solve

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Podc | 5 years ago
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How was the freehub when you had the cassette off? Much play? Could be worn bearings in there grumbling away  2

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StraelGuy | 5 years ago
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It could be the distortion in the photo but it looks like your mech hanger might be out of alignment. You look at the housing where the attachment bolt is, it looks to be slightly anged to me .

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cblake843 | 5 years ago
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Some images

 

The spec :-

Shimano chain HG-X11 HG701-11

Shimano cassette CS6800 Ultegra 11fach 11-28

 

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