Fixed chain tension

stealthbike
stealthbike Posts: 84
edited September 2008 in Road general
Should a fixed wheel chain be super rigid, no slack?
http://beeston.cc

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    edited September 2008
    it needs some slack, or you will be killing bearings very fast.

    about 1/2" up and down on one run of the chain is a good starting point.

    Be away that not all sprockets and chainrings are 100% true so there will be some tension change through each rotation.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • NorwegianBlue
    NorwegianBlue Posts: 484
    It's not just bearings you'll kill if you have the chain too tight it will be the whole transmission from bottom bracket to rear wheel bearings and everything in between. It will also slow you down.

    As stated above, pull your top run tight and you should have about 1/2" play up and down in the bottom run. The same applies to single speed, the only difference being that with single speed it's not so critical and so you can get away with a bit more slack.

    I did know one rider who insisted that single speed bikes needed a tight chain. You could play the bass line from Black Knight on the chain of his Edge One, but the speed he got through chains was truly scary and he was always tweaking up the tension because they wore so fast. Finally he got the message when his chain let go suddenly on a steep climb. He was behind me so I only heard the bang and the following clatter as he fell. The scream, however, was silent. He told me that bruised and swollen cahones are not a laughing matter. Which is odd, because I thought they were. :twisted:
    "Swearing, it turns out, is big and clever" - Jarvis Cocker
  • stealthbike
    stealthbike Posts: 84
    thanks for the feedback guys, got it all sorted now.
    http://beeston.cc

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