So, I've got my hybrid converted to SS and it all works fine. But it's quite noisy and as near as I can tell it's the chain tensioner that causes it (Surly Singleator). The chain line is basically perfect and it runs nice and quietly without the tensioner and gets noisy when it's added (even when just spinning the cranks with the bike upside down).

I think it's because there's a lot of deflection in the frame when the wheel is put in and the skewers are tightened- it looks like the tensioner might end up at a slight angle compared to the chain, if that makes sense!

Anybody had anything similar and what did you do about it? I'm wondering whether to just stick some washers on either end of the hub or maybe try an Alfine tensioner or old derailleur in the hope it'll be a bit more accommodating on the angle.

Tensioners always seem to be noisier than you expect so that may well be part of it but it does sound like something's maybe a bit out of line.

Well, it's my first dabble with SS and I expected it to run quieter (or at least as quiet) as a derailluer setup and at the moment it doesn't 🙁

grease it up? mine was quite noisy at first but its not so much now (DMR tensioner)

grease it up? mine was quite noisy at first but its not so much now (DMR tensioner)

I've been running it a while now and I've tried greasing various things but only seems to help for a day or 2.

I've come to the conclusion that the problem is that jockey wheel in the tensioner isn't quite parallel to the chain line (because of the frame deflection) and it's the chain running over it at an angle and/or the jockey being batted back and forth that's behind it…

I've found Surly ones can be surprisingly noisy if you've got the tension wound up quite high. Try slackening it off a bit.

I've found Surly ones can be surprisingly noisy if you've got the tension wound up quite high. Try slackening it off a bit.

I guess it is quite taut- will give that a go.

Sounds like it could be a bent derailleur hanger/dropout?

Sounds like it could be a bent derailleur hanger/dropout?

Did wonder about that, it worked fine with the gears on though so I decided it was probably OK.

Definitely sounds like your hanger or frame is bent/out of alignment or there is too much tension on the tensioner. I noticed when I wound my singleator up tight it would pull off to one side but then my singleator looks like it was made by a chimp!* Very poorly made/asembled…

The hanger should be parallel with the dropout and the dropouts should be parallel with each other when the wheel is fitted. Maybe you could try taking the singleator off and sighting a rule on the outside face of the hanger. If your frame/hanger is steel then you could gently bend it back using an adjustable spanner. If they are aluminium then it will most likely snap off if you try to straighten it.

* No offence intended toward chimpanzees.