# Making your fixie silent



## deviousalex

I keep having problems where my fixie starts making noise after a while. If I lube it up it's silent for about ~75 miles then it starts making noise again. The noise seems to be coming from the rear cog area.

Could it be the rear cog? It's a piece of crap cog that has no name.
Could it be that I've got the wrong chain size? I've got an Origin 8 track/SS crank on there. According to the website it's 1/8" (and so is the KMC chain), but when I look at the chain it's quite a bit bigger than the teeth on the crankset. The cog's teeth seem to be a little bigger.

I've also tightened and lubed the pedal contacts and that hasn't seemed to help much. I also doubt it's the BB because I've only had it for a about 4-5 months.


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## Local Hero

Take off the rear wheel and see if there is any play in the hub.


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## wim

After making sure the entire drivetrain is 1/8, check the chainline. Some "fixies" are designed with less than the requisite care and proper chainline sometimes falls through the cracks ("no one will notice"). On the other hand, the absence of all the other typical geared road bike noises can make you hypersensitive to chain noises, so perhaps there's nothing wrong at all.


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## JCavilia

*Another possibility*

After you get the chainline perfect, as wim sugested, take a look at chain tension. If it's too tight, you can get noise, as well as drag and excessively rapid wear. Many new FG riders make the mistake of thinking the chain should be as tight as you can get it. There should be just a little slack.

I may be more tolerant of noises, but I find my fixies wonderfully quiet compared to derailleur bikes. Riding fixed in a light rain is especially soothing. shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. . .
.


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## Dave Hickey

JCavilia said:


> After you get the chainline perfect, as wim sugested, take a look at chain tension. If it's too tight, you can get noise, as well as drag and excessively rapid wear. Many new FG riders make the mistake of thinking the chain should be as tight as you can get it. There should be just a little slack.
> 
> I may be more tolerant of noises, but I find my fixies wonderfully quiet compared to derailleur bikes. Riding fixed in a light rain is especially soothing. shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. . .
> .


I agree with both JCavilia and Wim....

My only other comment is I don't use a wax based lube on my fixies. I use a petrolium based lube..I've found it keeps the drivetrain quieter....


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## Fixed

*wheel*



Dave Hickey said:


> I agree with both JCavilia and Wim....
> 
> My only other comment is I don't use a wax based lube on my fixies. I use a petrolium based lube..I've found it keeps the drivetrain quieter....


Also, check rear wheel/axle alignment. If off center, can be noisy.


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## Aggdaddy

I actually miss the clickety ratchet noise from my geared road bike. Riding the fixie is almost too quiet, but soon forget about the quietness when I try to coast and get the "gentle" reminder .....


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## UrbanPrimitive

Double checking that all the components are happy is a good start, then checking chainline, then cleaning the bejezus out of the rear cog. I've encountered a number of fixies where the chain noise is actually the chain _releasing_ from the rear cog. The bushings in the chain can stick if there's a lot of junk there.


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## CleavesF

Boeing T9. Chain. Nuts. Cables. Everything. 

Buy some smooth rubber. Re-grease everything. Apply chain tension but not too tight. 

Nobody knows when I'm coming behind them.


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## Alx

if you hear the drivetrain you're riding too slow! Get a good quality cog, keep your chain clean, don't over-tension your chain and just ride.


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## deviousalex

Right now I think my chain may be under-tensioned since I cna hear the chain clicking around. Before it was more of a sandy grinding sound.


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## axlenut

Hi, I really quick way to check the chain tension on a fixed gear bike without getting your hand greasy is to grab the peddle while standing on the chain side of the bike and move it forward and back with the rear tire on the ground. Does the chain move a bit up and down? It should. If not the chain was too tight. You might also want to check at multiple points around the circle as it is common for there to be high and low spots.

Later, Axlenut


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## deviousalex

Thanks, there is a bit of slack in the chain. I'm just curious as to how much there should be. When the shop installed a new crankset there was too much and the chain kept dropping it so I got some tensioners and use them now.

Also, do most epople run 1/8" or 3/32"? It seems that 3/32" is real track stuff so I assume that's better quality and therefore more silent.


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## Dave Hickey

deviousalex said:


> Thanks, there is a bit of slack in the chain. I'm just curious as to how much there should be. When the shop installed a new crankset there was too much and the chain kept dropping it so I got some tensioners and use them now.
> 
> Also, do most epople run 1/8" or 3/32"? It seems that 3/32" is real track stuff so I assume that's better quality and therefore more silent.


Real track is 1/8".. 1/8 cogs and rings are thicker and a 3/32 chain won't work because it's too narrow.

You can run a 1/8" chain on either size


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