Derailleur jockey wheels

[CharleyFarley]

I think my Sram X5 derailleur is in need of new jockey wheels, as I can wobble them side to side. So searching for jockey wheels I find that replacement wheels don't come with the central sleeve. Isn't that a part that wears and needs to be replaced? Why would they be sold without the central sleeves? The teeth on my current jockey wheels look fine.

I also see jockey wheels made for 11 speed that come with the central sleeves but I need ten speed. I'm thinking the 11 speed wheels would be slightly thinner than 10 speed wheels. I don't want to fit them and find they're a problem.

As things look right now, I don't want to order the wheels without the central sleeves and find that I have to send them back, as one reviewer did. Another guy said they were great. There isn't enough info on them. As a last resort, I'll have to buy a whole new derailleur.

Incidentally, some of the jockey wheels I found were over $100 for a pair.

[Painkiller]

if it ain't broke don't fix it. Are you having sifting issues? Many of them a certain amount of side play.

[Joe_W]

They do need some side to side play (one of them more). They should also be reasonably easy to find. Just replaced the very worn out ones on my cyclocross bike. I would actually say that the bearings don't wear out, not before the teeth are completely worn down...

[CharleyFarley]

(08-20-2019, 11:37 PM)Painkiller Wrote:  if it ain't broke don't fix it. Are you having sifting issues? Many of them a certain amount of side play.

No shifting issues. I discovered the slightly wobbly jockey wheels after buying '3 in 1' oil in a new can with a long spout. I didn't think it was okay for them to wobble, but after putting nearly 6,000 on the bike, from new, I figured it might be time to replace them.

I like to fix things before they let me down while on a run. I know they're not likely to suddenly let me down unless they actually broke.

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(08-21-2019, 03:48 PM)Joe_W Wrote:  They do need some side to side play (one of them more). They should also be reasonably easy to find. Just replaced the very worn out ones on my cyclocross bike. I would actually say that the bearings don't wear out, not before the teeth are completely worn down...

Something happened and I lost my whole reply. Here goes again:

I didn't think they should wobble at all, but at nearly 6,000 miles something must have worn. The teeth aren't worn down. Before I saw the replies, I had removed the jockey wheels to take a look, and had ordered a new pair online so I'll replace them, anyway.

It crossed my mind that a ten speed derailleur needs to be pretty accurate, perhaps moreso than a seven speed. If the jockey wheel is wobbling, it may not push the chain onto the next sprocket so well. The tight tolerances of a 10 speed cassette might not go well with a wobbly jockey wheel whose teeth might be lagging behind. It's just my analytical thinking.

These jockey wheels are on the Sram derailleur on my fat bike. I have a hybrid with 21 speed Shimano drive train, and those jockey wheels don't wobble at all. That bike has 3,600 miles on it from new. It's because of the comparison of the two derailleurs that I figured the Sram wheels are worn somewhat. I took them off to take a look and they seem like they're made of hard plastic but perhaps they're aluminum. Plastic would hardly stand up to a chain for long.

I don't mind changing them because I'm retired and love working on bikes. And $11 for jockey wheels beats $50 for a new derailleur. It'll give me something to do keep out from under my wife's feet.

Any ideas why the smilies don't work?

[CharleyFarley]

(08-21-2019, 03:48 PM)Joe_W Wrote:  They do need some side to side play (one of them more). They should also be reasonably easy to find. Just replaced the very worn out ones on my cyclocross bike. I would actually say that the bearings don't wear out, not before the teeth are completely worn down...

This morning I accidentally came across some info that matches what you told me. I wasn't questioning what you said. Apparently, the upper jockey wheel does have some play in it. I would have thought it might start to create a problem on a ten speed. What do I know?

[Joe_W]

No worries, the thought process is analytical and logical, I can totally follow that
The jockey wheels are made of nylon (mostly) and have a slip bearing, except for some 100 quid ones, which come with ceramic ball bearings - which is totally unnecessary (I think). They are by design softer than the chain.

Replacing them is 1) simple 2) cheap enough and 3) means you can work on the bike instead of mowing the lawn ;-}

[CharleyFarley]

(08-24-2019, 02:32 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  No worries, the thought process is analytical and logical, I can totally follow that
The jockey wheels are made of nylon (mostly) and have a slip bearing, except for some 100 quid ones, which come with ceramic ball bearings - which is totally unnecessary (I think). They are by design softer than the chain.

Replacing them is 1) simple 2) cheap enough and 3) means you can work on the bike instead of mowing the lawn ;-}

I put the new jockey wheels in, this morning. Both wheels were a perfect fit with the bushings, so it didn't matter which bushing went with which wheel. I put a dab of White Lightning Crystal waterproof grease on the bushings. There is no side play whatsoever, and they run smoothly. Test rode the bike and no problems. Although gear changes weren't that bad, previously, there was considerable sideways play on the upper jockey wheel, more than the lower one.

I had replaced the freehub, cassette and chain earlier this year, and found that changing from fourth to fifth made a very slight clonk as the chain dropped to the next smaller cog. That doesn't happen, now. Nit-picking stuff, I know, but I was a bit disappointed, previously, that I couldn't tune that out with the barrel adjuster. My el cheapo Schwinn with its freewheel was actually very, very slightly better through the whole range of gears.

Yes, I saw how fancy those expensive ones were, and wondered why anyone would buy them, other than to brag about them at the next group ride.

And now to mow the lawn! :-)