Okay so I just finished up my SS conversion on my old bike... everything was pretty easy except putting the damn chain back together, the chain tool on the multi-tools suck, or maybe I do..:?: I've been looking at other SS bikes and was wondering, why do some SS bikes need a chain tensioner while others don't? Here's a picture of the bike after 3 hours of work. I did a pretty ghetto job as you can see, I'm going to buy a new chain since this chain is over 6 years old and now some links are really stiff (Is there some sort of trick to work the chain tool to not to screw up the links?) Also, I probably should go out and buy longer screws for the crank ring but the zip ties seem to be holding up fine right now. If you don't want to see ugly.. click the back button.. now.
SS specific frames usually have horizontal dropouts. Yours are vertical, which means you will need a tensioner. New chain for sure, and obviously some new chain ring bolts, and you are good to go.
haha ZIP TIES! Single speed specific bikes dont need a chain tensioner because they either A) have an ebb (eccentric bottom bracket) 2) sliding rear dropouts or if you're bike runs gears you get a tensioner such as yours to pick up the slack once you have the chain at its proper length. I run a surly tensioner on my bike but it pulls upward on the chain not down like you have yours set up right now.
Here's a tutorial on using a chain tool. Note the last paragraph to loosen the stiff link. You can also find a magic gear where the combination of gearing and chainstay length exactly matches the pin distance increment(1/2"). In that case you can have vertical drops and no tensioner.
I think you're going to want shorter chainring bolts (Singlespeed/BMX bolts) and for crying out loud, get a new chain and/or shorten that one up quite a bit! :lol: never used a tensioner, but when done correctly they're pretty horizontal when everything's right speaking of EBB's, we had at least 3 giving problems this morning on the loop (2 new Niner EBBs to boot #-o)
You might want to try running a magic gear ratio on there. I used the same tensioner on my bike, but I decided to use a magic gear ratio when I snapped my dérailleur hanger during a climb. :lol: So far no more problems. BTW, you don't really need a chainstay protector on a single speed when the chain is tensioned correctly.
haha man you don't know how long I sat there messing with the chain. I took 3 links off the first time.. then realized I should have measured it first because it was still too loose.. so I took off 5 more, thinking that'd be perfect.. now it was too tight. then put 3 back on.. and this is what I have. I was about to rip out my hair, but my lower back hurt too much from leaning over..:lol:
Work SMARTER not HARDER wrap it around both cogs, (not around tensioner) and see how close you can get with your chain length. If you are short a link (cannot connect it), add a link, and your tensioner will eat up the slack..... If you are long a link, see if you can take one out.... if not your tensioner will eat up the slack. Basically, get as close to dead nuts as you can, and your tensioner will eat up the extra link. also.. you can use a HALF LINK to get it even closer
haha the "smart" thing to do would have been to wait until after finals to do it, my one hour break from studying turned into three.. Oh well, I have a SS now.
yep... i bled my brakes during a study break,,, and tensioned the chain on my SS.... finals are lame. 1 more quarter.... 1more
Yes! 1 more quarter! My next and very last quarter consists of: Jogging Weight Training Insects and Civilization The Asian American Experience Treatment of Law Violators EASY!!!!
1 more semester after this one, then grad school .... When you cut the chain try to get it short enough you can run the chain tensioner up, so you get more wrap on the cog. and less is sticking out
Thats a good point... Flip the tensioner so it pushes the chain UP.... more teeth engaged on the cog never hurts
Hm, okay. I'll try that when I get a new chain. Thanks for the tips guys! As for Beer and Culture, I personally enjoyed the Wines, Beers, and Spirits class more. It was a lot more organized, you get more to drink, and on some days food to pair with the wine. Oh and you also get to go on field trips where you can get totally trashed.:bang: Eh I don't know what I'm saying, both classes are pretty awesome.. hahaa. Good luck!
OKAY guys, one more time. What the hell does the horizontal vs. vertical dropouts have to do with converting my bike into SS?? I know that my bike has vertical dropouts, and therefore I have to use a chain tensioner. I bought a take off chain from the path today for $5 and went at my bike again to try and make it work. I was having trouble with the chain tensioner kind of being in the way of making the chain run straight (I think my derailleur hanger is bent a bit). So I sat there thinking, so what the hell does a chain tensioner do? I ended up taking off the tensioner and now everything is or seems perfect.. I feel like my chain tension is perfect and I don't feel like I really need the tensioner there anymore.. Is there any danger for me to go test it out at the loop right now?
