Levo Gen 2 Jockey wheel clicking after rebuild of 12-speed cassette (CS-M7100)

[Tim1023]

I took my cassette apart today to give it a good clean and get rid of the crappy grease that chains are delivered with. It's the 12-speed CS-M7100 on the 2021 Levo Comp.

After rebuild, the jockey wheels are clicking in three of the gears. It appears to grab the chain and hold it a bit longer than it should roughly once per revolution of the jockey wheel. Happens in gears 9, 10 and 11 (the 2nd, 3rd and 4th smallest cogs). All the rest, including the 12th gear are OK.

See video here. (Sorry, couldn't see a way to upload a video file)

It's too new for it to be wear and it was working fine beforehand. I'm convinced that I rebuilt it correctly according to the diagram from the manual below (except that there was no lock ring washer):

I also took the jockey wheels off and cleaned them. The jockey wheel is rotating in the correct direction according to the arrow on it and pictures I took before I took things apart. The jockey wheels are different and were replaced in the correct positions.

I'm out of ideas.

Any thoughts?
[edited for clarity]

 

[Mikerb]

jockey wheel in backwards or with missing washer??

 

[kungdog]

Top and bottom jockey wheels mixed up?

 

[mtbbiker]

Just throwing this out there. A link on the chain stiff? If it’s this, you need to find the tight link and move it with your hand side to side until it frees up.

 

[Dirk74]

Check if the small cogs are clockwise in the right postion and sitting in properly . Especially the smallest cog on the 2nd smallest cog, there are postion markers (little dots) on them.

 

[aarfeldt]

Check if the chain is routed correctly between the 2 jockey wheels.

 

[KennyB]

This happens to me a lot with thick thin jockey wheels after I've taken the wheel off, just turning the offending jockey wheel so it matches the chain sorts it.

 

[KennyB]

Oops, just reread the original post and I don't think this is the reason for the clicking but I'll leave it for what it's worth.

 

[Tim1023]

Oops, just reread the original post and I don't think this is the reason for the clicking but I'll leave it for what it's worth.

Thank you. I thought of that too and advanced it one tooth. Not that I could see a difference between the teeth!

 

[Mcharza]

Take the cassette off and rebuild it again. 12-speed cassette is really accurate that it is assembled correctly.

 

[Tim1023]

Take the cassette off and rebuild it again. 12-speed cassette is really accurate that it is assembled correctly.

Thank you. Yup, done that a couple of times, all is correct. Even found that the locking ring washer was still attached to the locking ring, so all parts are definitely there. Also spun the cassette with the wheel detached from the bike to check that there was no wobble.

Still clueless.

 

[Salespunk]

In your video you can see the chain sticking to the upper jockey wheel and being pulled down. I would try turning the B tension screw in a turn or two to move it slightly farther away from the cogs.

Second thought is that the chain looks very dry. You might have "over cleaned" it when trying to remove the shipping grease. The best way to remove the cosmoline is to just lube the chain and wipe it down after a few minutes. If you want to maintain your drivetrain properly without a lot of fuss here is a process that works;

Wipe down the chain with a rag. When new or if you have over lubed it in the past and has a lot of black/old lube on it, put some degreaser on the rag before wiping it down.

Next lube the chain and let it sit for 5 minutes

Last step is to wipe the chain down again. You can use degreaser on the rag again if you are super picky, but it is not a requirement. It is important to remember that any lube you can see on the chain is not doing anything but attracting dirt and causing wear. The only lube doing anything can't be seen inside the rollers and between the link plates.

Using the method you will never have to clean your cassette again and your bike will run super smooth. The only other thing you will need to do from a maintenance perspective is clean the jockey wheels about once a month. I have used this method for 20+ years and never had to pull a cassette to clean it or even had any grime on it even riding 4-5 days per week and lubing before every ride.

 

[Tim1023]

In your video you can see the chain sticking to the upper jockey wheel and being pulled down. I would try turning the B tension screw in a turn or two to move it slightly farther away from the cogs.

Second thought is that the chain looks very dry. You might have "over cleaned" it when trying to remove the shipping grease. The best way to remove the cosmoline is to just lube the chain and wipe it down after a few minutes. If you want to maintain your drivetrain properly without a lot of fuss here is a process that works;

Wipe down the chain with a rag. When new or if you have over lubed it in the past and has a lot of black/old lube on it, put some degreaser on the rag before wiping it down.

Next lube the chain and let it sit for 5 minutes

Last step is to wipe the chain down again. You can use degreaser on the rag again if you are super picky, but it is not a requirement. It is important to remember that any lube you can see on the chain is not doing anything but attracting dirt and causing wear. The only lube doing anything can't be seen inside the rollers and between the link plates.

Using the method you will never have to clean your cassette again and your bike will run super smooth. The only other thing you will need to do from a maintenance perspective is clean the jockey wheels about once a month. I have used this method for 20+ years and never had to pull a cassette to clean it or even had any grime on it even riding 4-5 days per week and lubing before every ride.

Thanks for the tips. I'll try that next time! There's currently plenty (too much) oil on there. On my old bike, I had good results with the park tools chain cleaner, but not being able to peddle the chain backwards without the computer complaining makes it more difficult.

 

[Salespunk]

One last thought is that the upper jockey wheel might be out of spec or the RD hanger might be out of alignment. It seems to be sticking to the same tooth every time on the jockey wheel (it is rythmic when you speed up the spinning) which points to an issue with a single tooth.

I do always recommend aligning the hanger even on a brand new bike with the appropriate tool. Most (read all) shops do not do this and 11/12 spd cassettes are very sensitive to alignment. Your shift quality will improve dramatically after doing this.

 

[Mikerb]

Sorry...I did not notice you had actually posted a video!!
Having watched it, the chain is gripping the upper jockey wheel which means on the smallest cogs the mech is not in line with the cog on the cassette. On the very smallest cog it will not occur because the mech is fully released....but as you go to the next few gears, alignment of the mech with the cassette cogs is determined by the indexing. Check your indexing by ensuring the mech aligns with the outside of the smallest cog when fully released. Adjust as necessary with the limit screw.

 

[Tim1023]

Sorry...I did not notice you had actually posted a video!!
Having watched it, the chain is gripping the upper jockey wheel which means on the smallest cogs the mech is not in line with the cog on the cassette. On the very smallest cog it will not occur because the mech is fully released....but as you go to the next few gears, alignment of the mech with the cassette cogs is determined by the indexing. Check your indexing by ensuring the mech aligns with the outside of the smallest cog when fully released. Adjust as necessary with the limit screw.

Thank you Mike. Interesting point about the smallest cog disengaging fully. I tried adjusting both the limiter screw and the tension adjuster at the lever, but no change. I assumed the tension was OK as all the other gears worked, but I tried anyway.

I happen to have my first inspection next week, so I'll raise it with Specialized, ask them to fix it and let me know what the issue was.

I'll report back!

 

[Tim1023]

I decided "Sod it, I'll just ride anyway and let the workshop sort it out". Two rides, 40 km and a wash later, I just checked the gears again and the problem seems to have sorted itself out. Damned strange. I'd have liked to have known what the cause was.

 

[Konanige]

Just watched the video and that is definitely the shifting ramp picking up the chain then dropping it. Could be just a quarter turn of shifter adjustment may sort it and if it sorted itself it could well have just been cable end cap not in tight enough or something else simple like that. 12 speed is super sensitive to cable tension and bscrew alignment.