First time Cassette Change - Chain/Cassette Compatibilty Issue?

[EasyPeez]

Hi,

I've just put a shiny new chain and cassette on my bike but something is amiss. Although I can pedal the bike and change through the full range of gears, the chain pulls through the cassette and jockey wheels quite roughly and doesn't seem at all happy.

I've put new chains on my bikes before without problem; this is the first time I've put a new cassette on, so it's possible I've done something wrong there.

I'm using a KMC X10 EL chain (which the packaging states is "compatible with Shimano, Campgnolo, SRAM and any other 10-speed derailleur system") and a Shimano 105 (CS-5700) cassette. Are these compatible?

I have noticed just now that among the various notes on the cassette safety info it states "Do not use the CS-5700 in any combination other than with the 10-speed super narrow chain. Other chains cannot be used as the sizes do not match"

It does look like the next sprockets up and down from the one the chain is engaged on are pressed against the outer plates of the chain links, but I'm not sure if I'm just imagining this because of reading the note...

Is it standard practice to run a specific Shimano narrow chain with the 105 5700 cassette, or is it more likely that I've made a gaffe with the installation? I thought KMC and Shimano ran fine together, and previously had a KMC chain paired with a Tiagra 10 speed cassette with no issues.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Andy

 

[lpretro1]

It should work absolutely fine - so down to installation. Have you made sure the chin is routed correctly through the rear derailleur - when new to doing it it is easy to get chain wrong side of the little tab between the front & back of the cage and then it rattles like mad?

 

[Tim Hall]

Another possibility is you might be missing or have added a spacer behind the cassette that should or shouldn't be there, if you see what I mean.

 

[EasyPeez]

It should work absolutely fine - so down to installation. Have you made sure the chin is routed correctly through the rear derailleur - when new to doing it it is easy to get chain wrong side of the little tab between the front & back of the cage and then it rattles like mad?

Oh dear. To be honest I was hoping it was a compatibility issue rather than my ineptitude...seems not! Chain is definately routed correctly through the derailleur.

Another possibility is you might be missing or have added a spacer behind the cassette that should or shouldn't be there, if you see what I mean.

Now this could be the issue...when removing the old cassette there was a spacer at the back which I assumed was part of the freehub. The new cassette came with a spacer which I also added next to this. So yes, I do have 2 spacers in there at the moment. They are quite different though - the one that I thought was part of the freehub is a bit thicker, and the reason I took it to be connected to the freehub is that it seemed to have notches cut into it that matched the ridges on the freehub body, thereby only allowing it to be slid onto the freehub in a specific way. The new spacer, as well as being thinner, is just a standard circle without notches and just slips onto the freehub without having to be lined up, if memory serves.

Should I do away with one of these?

 

[raleighnut]

Oh dear. To be honest I was hoping it was a compatibility issue rather than my ineptitude...seems not! Chain is definately routed correctly through the derailleur.


Now this could be the issue...when removing the old cassette there was a spacer at the back which I assumed was part of the freehub. The new cassette came with a spacer which I also added next to this. So yes, I do have 2 spacers in there at the moment. They are quite different though - the one that I thought was part of the freehub is a bit thicker, and the reason I took it to be connected to the freehub is that it seemed to have notches cut into it that matched the ridges on the freehub body, thereby only allowing it to be slid onto the freehub in a specific way. The new spacer, as well as being thinner, is just a standard circle without notches and just slips onto the freehub without having to be lined up, if memory serves.

Should I do away with one of these?

Don't use the new 'plain' one would be my advice.

 

[Andy_R]

Don't use the new 'plain' one would be my advice.

Try them both individually and see which one works best. My guess would be the one that came with the cassette.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Yep, sounds like you have two spacers in there. Surprised you fit the cassette snuggly though.

 

[si_c]

You have an 11 speed freehub from the sound of it. 11 speed cassettes are slightly wider than 9 and 10 speed ones so require an additional spacer to be secured properly. What you have done is added the spacer that came with the cassette which has made the cassette installation slightly wider again, I would remove that new spacer because you have reduced the amount by which the lockring engages with the freehub body.

Your shifting is poor because the derailleur is indexed to the old positions, so are currently 1mm (the width of the spacer) out of position, you could re-index the gears and this would fix the noisy gears, but then when you remove the new spacer you would just have the opposite problem.

 

[EasyPeez]

Thanks, chaps.

Schoolboy error, simple fix, running like a sewing machine again now. Cyclechat to the rescue again. Much obliged to you all.

Of course, with my shiny cassette and chain all running perfectly and a smug grin on my face, it was almost inevitable that I'd get my first puncture in over 2,500 miles on the way home from work today!

 

[EasyPeez]

11 speed cassettes are slightly wider than 9 and 10 speed ones so require an additional spacer to be secured properly

Thanks for the info, but I'm confused as to why an 11 speed cassette, if wider, needs an extra spacer. If wider wouldn't it require less spacers? Is an 11 speed freehub wider than a 9/10 speed one, to accommodate the wider cassette? If so I would have thought it would be putting a 10 speed cassette onto an 11 speed freehub (as I have just done) that would require an extra spacer.

 

[si_c]

Thanks for the info, but I'm confused as to why an 11 speed cassette, if wider, needs an extra spacer. If wider wouldn't it require less spacers? Is an 11 speed freehub wider than a 9/10 speed one, to accommodate the wider cassette? If so I would have thought it would be putting a 10 speed cassette onto an 11 speed freehub (as I have just done) that would require an extra spacer.

You would be right, and my phrasing poor.