Questions about Shimano 105 R7000 11s mechanical

[xerxes]

I have a bit of a Frankenstein Shimano 105 R7000 11s mechanical set-up on my gravel bike. I have 105 shifters and derailleurs with with an 11-40 cassette and a 30-46 Shimano GRX crankset. The maximum for the 105 rear mech is supposed to be 34 teeth, I think, but it all seems to work without any adapters.

This is because there are a lot of not particularly long, but steep climbs where I live on the North Downs and I sometimes travel loaded with panniers, etc.. It's absolutely not because I'm old and not very fit.

I keep my drivetrain pretty clean and well maintained, but lately I've noticed it's a bit noisy. The chain isn't worn, comfortably below 0.5% according to my chain checker. The chain doesn't seem to be rubbing on the front derailleur cage. Also, it's not that I'm severely cross-chaining, this is while I'm cruising along using the front outer ring and the outer half of the rear cassette.

I've previously had 7, 8 and 9 speeds, and they generally stayed pretty quiet, if well adjusted and maintained. Maybe I've been spoiled by the dead silence of the Gates belt drive and hub gears on my other bike.

Is it typical for an 11s drive train to get a bit noisy once they have a few thousand kilometres on them, or is something off? Would new jockey wheels help? Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[minor_LEGEND]

I would say it is not usual for 11sp to be noisy.
But I would say from experience, Shimano chains are awfully noisy. Does it have a genuine Shimano chain?
Shimano derailleur jockey wheels are barely lubed these days from the factory - sort this with a strip & re-grease.
I run 32t rear sprockets on my 11sp road bikes with short cage r/mechs intended for max 28t. This does not create any more noise.

 

[bikeworkshop]

Cleaning your chain will probably make a difference, but:

Might be worth fitting an mtb chain as your sprockets are more similar sizewise to mtb, and there's some incredibly detailed shaping on the side plates that might be different if it's aimed at max efficiency on road ratios.

 

[pigman]

Cleaning your chain will probably make a difference, but:

Might be worth fitting an mtb chain as your sprockets are more similar sizewise to mtb, and there's some incredibly detailed shaping on the side plates that might be different if it's aimed at max efficiency on road ratios.

Always wondered why there was a difference between road and MTB chains. I assumed they were interchangeable, and the difference was just marketing hype

 

[bikeworkshop]

A Road chain wants to be super efficient, particularly on something like 50-13 gearing.

A mtb chain wants to handle steep lateral angles without skipping, especially 1X on something like 30-42 gearing

Obviously mtb & Road setups want to do both, but the demands and expectations are different.

 

[stephan]

The key is in your statement:

"Is it typical for an 11s drive train to get a bit noisy once they have a few thousand kilometres on them, or is something off? Would new jockey wheels help? Any suggestions appreciated."

As stated above clean everything and re-oil the transmission, I would also check the cable tension/alignment of the front and rear derailleur, something has sifted/worn after that "few thousand miles" if all was good before.

I doubt very much its the jockey wheels. If your doing loads of miles, I would suggest using some 80/90 transmission oil rather than "bike chain lube" - apply the 80/90 then rub/wipe off the excess with a rag, that 80/90 will outlast any "push bike lubes" and keep everything in tac.

 

[foz]

check the b-tension bolt adjustment, if this slips a bit then it can leave the top jockey too close to the sprockets

 

[xerxes]

Does it have a genuine Shimano chain?

Yes, it's a genuine Shimano CN-HG601 11s chain and it isn't overly worn.

I replaced the jockey wheels with some BBB Rollerboys. I've used these in the past and I think they're smoother and better than the Shimano originals, but they didn't help in this case.

I don't think it's a lubrication issue, as I said, I keep my drivetrain pretty clean and well maintained.

check the b-tension bolt adjustment, if this slips a bit then it can leave the top jockey too close to the sprockets

I'll check that. I recently moved this drivetrain, and everything else for that matter, from one frame to another. Everything works, but it maybe that the mech hanger is slightly different and has thrown that off.

 

[ChromeChainstay]

I would say it is not usual for 11sp to be noisy.
But I would say from experience, Shimano chains are awfully noisy. Does it have a genuine Shimano chain?
Shimano derailleur jockey wheels are barely lubed these days from the factory - sort this with a strip & re-grease.
I run 32t rear sprockets on my 11sp road bikes with short cage r/mechs intended for max 28t. This does not create any more noise.

what chain do you recommend ?

 

[minor_LEGEND]

what chain do you recommend ?

Anything but Shimano tbh, I don't just say this to be pedantic.
I used to fit Shimano XT/Ultegra chains all day on new builds back in the noughties. I bought a genuine new Shimano 11sp chain a few years back thinking I couldn't make a better choice & the thing was so rattly & noisy straight away. Even after cleaning & re-lubing it was just the same.
Now plenty of my riding buddies agree.

Can't go wrong with (genuine) KMC or SRAM. That it what I fit to my own bikes. 7sp - 11sp.