How To Service Jockey Wheels

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Recommends Argenti Apparatus · 2018-07 · Bicycles Stack Exchange · on “Derailleur tension causing chain friction?”

An un-lubricated chain will definitely cause losses in the drive train. Problems with the jockey wheels may also cause some losses, but probably not as much as the chain You should properly clean the chain, sprockets and derailleurs and drive train before lubing the chain. There are numerous guides on how to do that on-line that you can easily look up. Servicing the jockey wheels is reasonable easy and again there are guides available on on-line. The Global Cycling Network YouTube channel has a good video [this video] . General drive-train wear may also be an issue. so check the chain and rear sprockets for wear when you are cleaning them. There are inexpensive chain wear checking tools available

Recommends Argenti Apparatus · 2018-10 · Bicycles Stack Exchange · on “Is it possible to service rear derailleur pulleys?”

Yep, derailleur idler wheels are easily serviceable, or replaced if they are worn (either the teeth or the bearing). They can be easily removed from the cage, serviced and then replaced one at a time so the cage stays in one piece and it's easy to route the chain. They tend to use plain bearings rather than ball bearings so they are easy to clean and re-lubricate. Note the top and bottom idlers are different - which is another reason to deal with them one at a time. The top one usually has some lateral movement to align with the cassette sprockets. GCN video on idler servicing:

Recommends Vladimir F Героям слава · 2019-09 · Bicycles Stack Exchange · on “Are Shimano jockey wheels compatible between groupsets, provided same speeds?”

They are often compatible between different companies. Certainly between different groupsets of the same companies. The manufacturer normally states where they can be used and often that is multiple systems (like both Shimano and Campagnolo [LINK] , some provided spacers may need to be used and may only work for some range of speed counts). Of course, if you buy a Shimano product, they will tell you it is for Shimano only. 10 speed Shimano should be compatible with other 10 speed Shimano. But before replacing the wheels, I would try to service the current ones. I think 105 generally has pulley wheels with bushings. They can be easily services and likely need that more often than pulley wheel

Recommends el_oso · 2020-04 · Bicycles Stack Exchange · on “Squeaky noise coming from rear derailleur or jockey wheels”

Sounds like jockey wheel squeak to me. Although keeping your bike clean is generally a good thing, it does have some negative side effects like washing away grease and lubrication on your moving parts. As part of your regular maintenance tasks you should be periodically replacing the lost/contaminated lubrication from your moving parts, in this case, likely to be your jockey wheels. Here is a GCN Video on how to service your jockey wheels [this video]

Cites Weiwen Ng · 2020-03 · Bicycles Stack Exchange · on “Bearings vs. bushings in rear derailleur jockey wheels - which should be more resistant to contamination?”

This question [LINK] came up in a forum I frequent. As background, many of us are familiar with ball bearings, as they are used in many places on bikes: the bottom bracket, the hubs, the headset, etc. Not all of us may be familiar with bushings, which look like this image from the Wikipedia link: [LINK] Basically you just put an axle through there. The axle rotates against the bushing. Bushings may not be as frequently used on bikes, but they are often part of MTB suspension components [LINK] , and they may be used in your rear derailleur. Bronze has been used for bushings in other applications, but on bikes, plastic bushings appear to be more common. This test [LINK] by Ceramic Speed showed