My forbidden druid makes a lot of noice while peddling. Is it supposed to be like that?
It's the upper pulley making that sound and since the frame didn't come with any assembly instructions at all, I put it together the only way it fits.
It gets better when in heavier gears, but only dissappears on the 3 last gears. All other gear are pretty much like this.
by Splitterboarder
17 Comments
Double check the pulley wheel is clocked to the right spacing for the chain. I don’t have much experience working on these forbidden but that’s the first thing that comes to mind.
Also be worth sending forbidden an email. They know their bikes best and if you’re having this issue it’s incredibly likely they have as well.
No, it should not sound like that. My first thought is that maybe the chain is hitting the upper chain guide?
Does the idler have narrow wide teeth? If the chain is misaligned with a narrow wide pulley it often sounds like that. Check mech pulleys also. It defo sounds like chain rubbing on something.
You’re probably missing a spacer or something silly like that. This was a direct to consumer purchase? Have you contacted Forbidden about it? That’s where I would start.
make sure that the chian is lubed, i also have a bike with a pulley and it is kinda loud so i guess its normal
You’re supposed to keep a bottle of chain lube you and re-lube 4-5 times per ride, that’s what the locals in Cumberland do lol
Not normal, mine is really quite. Having two bikes with idlers they do get louder if the chain is grimy. I use a wax lube to prevent any grit buildup.
That is coming from your knees
What drivetrain is this?
This is probably a dumb suggestion, but I figure you’ve already eliminated the obvious stuff like removing the chain guide, correct chain line measurement, etc… Can you tell if there is an alignment issue with the rear triangle? I can see you are in a low gear, and I wonder if the sound resolves itself if you start moving down to the cassette to the smaller cogs. Or perhaps there is a spacer Forbidden use that isn’t installed?
So hard to tell from this video whats going on. Myabe record a video in a stand on a couple different gears? Are you sure that your BB and cranks are put together with the right spacers to achieve the proper chianline? That would be my first guess if you know (A) the idler is position correctly and clocked and (B) the chainguide is position correctly.
Sorry to hear you’re having so many issues with your Druid. My experience has largely been the opposite of yours tbh. Built a frame up complete in June & their support has been very responsive to my questions. I found the guide online for how to assemble the bike & the idler very helpful & to the point. Here’s a link to their various tech downloads, download & look at the chainline setup guide if you haven’t already. The frame should come with two different idler pulley mounts & you need to use the correct one. I’m running Shimano 12sp & the idler is only loud under high torque. On pavement not climbing it is near silent. It has gotten a touch quieter over time as the idler breaks in, but it’s never been as loud as yours sounds here. Is the chain rubbing on the idler or the plastic just before it? Mine did at first, but again, no where near this loud.
https://forbiddenbike.com/tech-support/druid-v2-tech-support/druid-v2-tech-downloads/
Is the chain routed through the mech properly? Sounds like it’s hitting that little guide tab.
So I recently had this almost exact same problem. I had just started using a new brand of chain lube from Muck-Off. I’ve had good luck with some of their products so I thought I’d give it a try. It was great for exactly 1 one ride and then my drivetrain started to sound just like OPs. Turns out, Dry Lube ain’t so great for dry conditions and is probably best left for the roadies. Switched back to my trusted try Tri-Flow and whatdoyouknow! Nice and quiet again.
Clean and lubricate the chain and pulley. A lot of reviewers have said that they have to carry a little bottle of lube on rides and regularly lube the pulley
Use tri-flow on the idler, my Norco Sight does the same thing if I haven’t lubricated the idler cog
I demoed one a couple weeks ago that was still very new to the shop I rented it from… it was loud, even for being cleaned and lubed.
It’s a great bike for hauling a$$ in a straight line and the steeps but it’s not nearly as versatile as the travel numbers might suggest