So, adjusted my chain the other week as it was a bit too loose (would "slap" on acceleration pretty badly), and now two weeks later I hear what's almost a grinding noise from the chain/front sprocket area. I first noticed it when slowing down from 30 down to a stop, feels almost like there is a really, really bad wheel bearing or something was dragging in the rear brake.
I put the bike up on the centerstand on a block of wood tonight, and when I spin the rear wheel it's almost like there's a ratchet noise from the front sprocket. The tire doesn't really spin as freely as I think it should (or it did), but that could be just my mind. The noise is kind of a mix between a bicycle ratcheting mechanism, and just mechanical noise (like just the noise of the chain bedding into the gears); it's hard to pin down, but it's not crazy loud. The noise the the same spinning the tire both forwards and backwards, and doesn't make any noise if I spin it REALLY slowly.
I inspected it with a flashlight and feelers to be sure there wasn't any gravel in the chain, and the chain has about 1-1 1/4 inch freeplay in the center, depending on what part of the chain I push up as I spin it around (I was told to check it in multiple spots). The rear chain guard isn't loose or contacting it either, as I was hoping.
As I said, feels like a bad wheel bearing, but on inspection noise comes from the rear primary/sprocket area, just started these past two days, keep chain lubed with dupont teflon lube, 600 miles on the bike, what do you think? Too Tight? Too Loose? Sprag bits in primary? Let me know