Was replacing the chain andnoticed the pulleys spin anything but freely, bit of a gritty feel when I turn them
They are the original set, Shimano 9spd, 105, ~12K miles, road bike.
I’ve now got them off and apart. Lots of grit in the groove of the rubber gasket type pieces on the high/guide pulley (“sealed ceramic bush G pulley”).
Lower pulley is sealed bearing, doesn’t come apart as much.
I’ve got dry lube and light grease on hand.
Not my race bike, but I do ride it plenty and will be using it for the Garrett County Savage Gran Fondo in a few weeks.
Tips on cleaning and lubing,and reinstalling, these? Or, advise just replacing?
Jockey wheels are pretty cheap I would just replace them if they are that worn
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That’s normal. Once a year, in the Spring I pull by pulleys and clean then regrease them. They will never spin freely because they are greased, but they won’t offer performance degredation that way.
Now my mtn bikes are a different story. After a muddy ride/race they may get pulled and cleaned each time…but typically the grease in there keeps water and debris out.
I do like the bling factor of a nice sealed bearing set of aftermarket pulleys though. And you can get cool colors to match your kit. They just aren’t faster.
I’m pretty sure you can pull appart the sealed bearings. I’ve done it a couple times on my ultegra derailler. Use a sharp knife to pull the seal out, clean, pack with grease, press the seal back in.