Singlespeed safety....

jamLCFC

A bit of a strange situation but let me explain..........

I have an on one inbred that i have converted to singlespeed. I started of with a `vertical` frame and used a tensioner set up. After three incidents

Snapped tensioner cog Chain pooped out the tensioner damaged tensioner (again)

all resulting in me star shapped on the floor with blood coming from arms or legs (or both) i sourced a new frame with horizontal drop outs in order to makes things a little `safer`.

The problem that i now face is a touch of paranoia over whats going to snap next and what mess its going to leave me in and thats the reason i seek some advice.I use the bike for my road work and fitness benefits as its harder work than the luxury of gears. I do stomp :shock: and power :shock: up the hills so the drive train gets some work. Up out the seat working the legs is the fun bit but also where i feel most concern :roll:

I currently run

Mk1 XT cranks on a black spire front ring rear 9 speed wheel converted for single speed. The chain is a standard 9 spd Drive side Surley chain tug.

Would you say its a `safe` set up for what i do or is it worth sourcing some singlespeed specific parts .... .

Thanks for your time....

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nicklouse

sounds like you are doing something very wrong.

it should all work fine with no issues.

I suggest getting some one to look at it.

yocto

All your tensioner problems are strange! Were you running singlespeed or fixed. Fixed would cause the problems you've mentioned but not singlespeed.

I imagine the new set up would work fine but with your history of issues, as the previous poster said, may be worth having someone giving it a look over...

Vegeeta

Gotta be honest, everything in your setup sounds like a good quality part. If you're still having paranoia about things breaking then maybe it's time to go to a good bike shop and pay them to check everything over.

jamLCFC

yocto wrote:

All your tensioner problems are strange! Were you running singlespeed or fixed. .

Definately singlespeed...

jamLCFC

nicklouse wrote:

sounds like you are doing something very wrong.

just what my wife said...

I am sure everything is okay and i suppose the major area of concern is that at 19 stone :roll: i may be stressing parts and causing issues.

To be fair the tensioners may have been installation error but they all failed some time after initial installation and use.

It is the simplest of things to set up and use and i am pretty happy that this is set right and it functions perfectly under normal use. Its the out of the seat big hill full load on the peddles that i am just checking on...

I will have a word with the LBS for a check as well.

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MichaelW

How is your chainline.
Does the tensioner match the chainline?

desweller

The tensioner is on the unloaded side of the chain so your power output is not going to be the issue here. Sounds like you have an installation problem.

jamLCFC

the tensioner is now looooong gone and very happy it has to. Whatever teh reason for the issues its one less part to have a posssible issue with...


Sounds like all the other bits (if fitted correctly ) are upto the job and thats my main concerns dealt with ...

thank you.

Anonymous

Same thing happened to me last night.

Chain line is spot on, tensioner is bang on in-line.

I was accelerating hard on the flat when the chain just came off and I crashed in to a lamp post pretty hard. (was with my children at the time and daddy was trying to impress them by jumping off a bank, one child laughed the other cried).

I've come to the conclusion it could be because I'm using a 14T cog of a old SRAM cassette and the ramped teeth and fact the tensioner is pulling the chain away from the teeth on the bottom of the cog are making it slip.

I've ordered a 13T non-ramped rear cog in the hope this might hold the chain better.

nicklouse

run the tensioner pushing up.