Taking apart, cleaning, and lubing jockey pulleys

[Kalidurga]

Aside from Oakleaf's old thread about ceramic bushings in jockey pulleys, I couldn't find any general info here about taking apart, cleaning and lubing them. Mine were singing quite a song today, so it seems they need to be done. I've googled directions and it sounds relatively simple. Before I take this next fumbling step in increasing my bike maintenance repertoire, though, I thought I'd check whether anyone here has any good tips or advice. DebW? Anyone?

[HillSlugger]

Aside from Oakleaf's old thread about ceramic bushings in jockey pulleys, I couldn't find any general info here about taking apart, cleaning and lubing them. Mine were singing quite a song today, so it seems they need to be done. I've googled directions and it sounds relatively simple. Before I take this next fumbling step in increasing my bike maintenance repertoire, though, I thought I'd check whether anyone here has any good tips or advice. DebW? Anyone?

This was covered in this week's Road Bike Rider (http://www.roadbikerider.com/#TECH)

[divingbiker]

I don't even know what a jockey pulley is. :confused:

Where did you end up riding today?

[HillSlugger]

The jockey wheels are the two little gears that the chain passes over in the rear derailleur.

[tzvia]

I've cleaned/lubed the bushings quite a few times over the decades. The nice thing about doing it these days is the quick-detach link that is on many new chains, so using a chain breaker is not always needed. It's a small item that makes drive train service soo much easier.

Make sure you have a clean well lit workspace as you will be dealing with small parts. Remove the chain, and the two derailleur jockey-plate screws. There are two bearing covers on each wheel (one each side). Pop them off and the bearings/bushings are inside. I like to use several small plastic containers for soaking the parts to remove old dirty grease. Once they are clean and dry, I re-lube with a waterproof grease and make sure they spin easily and smoothly before reinstalling the chain. I also take the time to wipe down the two jocky-pulley plates as there is often times dirt in there that you can't get at unless it is apart. The whole thing is actually very easy to do.

Last week I finally replaced the jockey wheels on my old 7700 Dura Ace (about 10 years old), with new red KCNC ceramic ones. I can't tell if they are any smoother than the old ones but they sure are bling :D. I then cleaned the old ones and put them aside for emergency use.

[Kalidurga]

MDHillSlug: Actually, it was reading that article in RoadBikeRider that made me realize I need to do this.

divingbiker: C&O/WMRT loop between Fort Frederick and Hancock.

tzvia: Are there very many small parts under the bearing covers? I think my concern is that I'll lose track of the order in which things come apart and then put them back together wrong. The one thing I haven't found on-line is a diagram of all the components involved.

[lunacycles]

I've cleaned/lubed the bushings quite a few times over the decades. The nice thing about doing it these days is the quick-detach link that is on many new chains, so using a chain breaker is not always needed. It's a small item that makes drive train service soo much easier.

You don't need to break the chain to clean the pulley(s). If you want to remove it, just take the chain off the crank so it is slack, and then undo the small allen bolt that holds the pulley in place.

Unless they are really dirty, you can usually get away with just squirting some aerosol type lube right at the heart of the pulley. A few miles of riding will allow the lube to work its way into the bearing and silence it, assuming the sound you hear is a "squeak" and not a "crunch." Once it is quiet, just wipe the excess lube on the outer surface away, so it doesn't attract more dirt.

[Kalidurga]

It's definitely a squeaky chirp. I felt like a little bird was following behind me through my entire ride. I think I'll try Margot's suggestion first, so I won't have to worry about putting everything back together.

And fortunately, I've got a quick-link so I can remove the chain and clean the plates as well. It does drive me crazy to not be able to get all the mud and stuff out of there during my usual cleanings.

[dianne_1234]

http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/EV/bikecomponents/RD/EV-RD-5500-1736_v1_m56577569830609118.pdf

Found this PDF showing Shimano's spare parts list for their 105 rear derailleur. It shows an exploded veiw of the pulleys. This 105 has plain bushings, the most common kind of bearing in pulleys (and simple to work on), but Dura-Ace and some others have sealed bearings.

I found this PDF at shimano.com, under Tech Docs, then the group (105), then the link starting with "EV".

Go for it!

[Kalidurga]

Ah, very cool! Thanks much, Dianne :D

[Miranda]

:)Thx for this post. I have yet to get brave enough to wrench anything off my bike for cleaning. Though I have aquired some stuff to do it with. My pulleys are looking nasty after some rain ridng. I wondered if I could just get away w/spraying them w/degreaser. Sounds like it's not too bad to just remove them.

[divingbiker]

Ha, the day after I read this, my jockey pulleys started chirping at me on my commute. It was embarrassing actually. So I just scrubbed them really well with simple green and squirted lots of lube in there, and now they're back to being quiet again. I guess a more thorough cleaning is in order...

[Kalidurga]

Well, that wasn't so bad. Kind of fun, actually :D

And, man, was the area between the plates and the jockey wheels disgustingly filthy. I'm surprised the wheels were able to spin at all. After cleaning and greasing everything, I felt a huge difference while turning the cranks with the bike on the stand. Shame it's 1/4 to 10 at night, 'cause now I'm eager to see how it feels to ride ;)

[tzvia]

Kalidurga-
Good job! And if it was really dirty in there you will notice a difference.

lunacycles- Yea, I know about dropping the chain, but if I can remove it, and soak it, and let it hang and dry while I work on the bushings, so much the better. It is easier for me to put the jockey cage back together without the chain flopping about and being in the way, and I can take a few moments and clean the rear cassette and chainrings too.

[Kalidurga]

I took off both the rear wheel and chain. I'm such a klutz that the more space and easier access I have, the better.

Now if I could just get the hang of derailleur adjustment, I'd be making some real progress :rolleyes:

[tzvia]

I took off both the rear wheel and chain. I'm such a klutz that the more space and easier access I have, the better.

Now if I could just get the hang of derailleur adjustment, I'd be making some real progress :rolleyes:

Derailleur adjustment is really easy. It's four things.
1. B tension screw.
2. Outer stop screw.
3. Inner stop screw.
4. Cable tension.

First thing to deal with is 2 and 3. One screw at the back of the rear derailleur limits the outermost movement and the other is the furthest in it will go. Set those two to keep the upper jockey wheel lined up with the lowest and highest gear. The derailleur should not go past either end to eliminate the possibility that the derailleur will shift into the spokes or cause the chain to drop between the smallest gear and the chainstay. Once those are set you deal with 4, cable tension. This is the setting that places that jockey wheel directly under each gear as you shift. When you shift, it should move one gear and line up with the gear so you don't get any jumping or grinding. Then you look at 1, the B tension screw. This is the tension on the spring that pulls the derailleur back and the upper jockey wheel away from the rear cogs. It should be set so that the jockey sprockets don't rest against any section of chain that is also touching the gear at the same time. Put the rear derailleur in the largest cog front and back. Look at where the upper jockey is- it should not be resting on chain that is resting on the gear, but on chain that is just hanging off the gear. Shift through the gears to make sure the jockey wheel does not move up into the cassette. It may take a little fiddling to get the best feeling shifts. Done.

[Kalidurga]

Wow. I cannot believe the difference it made to do this bit of maintenance. Pedaling and shifting are both sooo very smooth now. It seems this was actually the problem that made me think I couldn't figure out how to adjust the gears.

And my bike was so. incredibly. quiet today. It was amazing. Definitely gotta do this more often.