Just fitted a new XT 11-36 Cassette with a Connex (Wippermann) 10sG Chain.

Even on my work-stand shifting seems ropey and the whole drivetrain seems rather loud!

Any thoughts, nothing else has changed?

Do i need to reset everything and start from scratch? I have never had to in the past.

It’s because your using Shimano and not Sram 😛 .

Seriously I’m not too sure, hard to say without seeing it. When my cassette and chain gets really worn I often change the high low screws so at least a few gears work ok. Then have to change them again with a new cassette and chain.

Check your crank rings, are they spikey, to worn ???
Check ýour pulley wheels …. spikey…???
Check your shifter cables, worn? fx maybe lube them with “king of lube” cable magic(found on CRC)
JUST my 3 cent 😉

Worn chainring(s)

+3 Chainrings.

If you have more than one, try it on a different ring – the middle usually suffers the worst. Sometimes you can’t see the wear either.

+1 chainrings or jockeys

B adjuster screw maybe.

I assume your mech is a 10sp one ?

You are supposed to use the matching Shimano 10 speed chain (and the MTB one at that – not a road chain).

I used an 11-36 cassette on a single ring set up last year and mistakenly bought a Shimano 105 chain and it ran terribly – improved a lot when I switched to the mtb chain but still not the smoothest quietest transmission – really odd if you backpedal too.

You are supposed to use the matching Shimano 10 speed chain

Errrr, no you’re not.

Thanks for the comments guys.

After my experience of a Shimano chain earlier this year I wouldn’t use another.

The SRAM before this was great.

Only a single ring at the front and that is fairly new so knew it wouldn’t be that.

Anyway problem solved, i played about with cable tension and the B screw and all fine now although the jockey wheels do look like they won’t last for much longer.

Strange that it need adjusting though but I suppose most things wear at a similar rate.

I’m relatively new to MTB and have just put a new chain on ( before cassette and chainset looked too worn ) and under load it feels like I have multiple stiff links ie sticky/snatching

I’ve checked the chain for stiff links cleaned degreased etc and it is still happening.

The jockey wheels being worn sounds very plausible – do they wear relatively quicker on MTB? Its not something I’ve had a problem with my road bike

I fitted a new XT cassette and KMC chain, with a single ring up front recently. This sounded really rough for while, but after a week or so has bedded in, and is now nice and quiet. Had no problems with shifting though.

Also worth checking you’ve run the chain correctly through the rear mech, we’ve come across a few where it’s been routed the wrong side of the flat section that sits halfway down the cage plate.

winterfold – Member
I’m relatively new to MTB and have just put a new chain on ( before cassette and chainset looked too worn ) and under load it feels like I have multiple stiff links ie sticky/snatching

I’ve checked the chain for stiff links cleaned degreased etc and it is still happening.

Sounds like although your cassette doesn’t look too worn – it probably is.
Did you check your chain with a chain checker before changing it?

Slightly different, but I changed an inner chainring on my bike a while back ‘cos I was getting ridiculous chainsuck. Upon comparing the new & old rings, there was virtually no visible difference, but the new ring cured the chainsuck immediately.

As I understand it, the shimano designkers have invented a new gauge 10 speed chain for shimano mtb 10 speed products. It is different from shimano road 10 speed, and different from Sram Road and MTB 10 speed. It won’t work with anything other than a specific shimano 10 speed mtb chain.
I’m not familiar with Wiperman Chain specs. Are you sure this chain is derfinately for shimano 10 speed mtb systems?

Otherwise…I agree with the others…jockey wheels…chain rings…chainrings can cause problems even when they are not obviously visualy worn.

A quick check on the interwebnetthingy seems to suggest that the chain you have is compatible with shimano/sram/campag road systems SO IT WON’T BE COMPATIBLE WITH SHIMANO 10 SPEED MTB SYSTEMS

Like I said Shimano DesignKERS!

Are you sure on that billyboy?

Just saying as Shimano 9spd chains all cross over between disciplines

I’m only going on what the web seems to say on that Wiperman chain so I’m not 100 per cent on that.
But I am reasonably sure on the shimano 10 speed mtb system being incompatible with all other 10 speed systems.
Madison are the shimano importer in UK and they do have an e mail contact/questions system you can use to confirm/refute what I’m saying.

That was the beauty of 9 speed…it was cross compatible (barring SRAM/Shimano pull ratios)…thus if you were doing the Fred Whitton you could bang an 11/34 mtb cassette and mtb mech onto a road transmission and have something approaching decent gearing to get you up all those Lakeland passes.

How’s your gear cable? I’ve found that 10 speed systems are very much more sensitive to dirty or worn cables than 9 or 8 speed.