Going up or down?
- Thread starter Pickle
- Start date
RockyMountainHigh
Dirt Disciple
Ok guys, here is my wisdom gleaned from training on and racing a vintage vertical drop MTB Single Speed last year. First off chain wrap is critical and you will know it when you don't have enough. What happens is when you push hard to climb the chain will skip, just like when you run a new chain on a worn cluster with a geared bike. By pushing up on the tensioner you get the best wrap, but this not always possible with the gear you want to run. You can use 1/2 links to try and get a short enough chain for it to work pushing up.
Tensioners, getting a good one is critical. I ended up with a Surly Singulator which worked well...but not good enough.
Then I discovered the "magic" chain length so I could eliminate the tensioner all together. I landed on it by accident (32x17) when messing around in the garage. I then found this calculator that can take you there without dumb luck. Now we're talking! No more chain slap and it's bullit proof. I did a 111K point to point mountain bike race on this magic chain length set up and about 3/4 the way through a pine branch got cought in the drive train. I felt a massive tug and then the chain crushed the branch and cut it off clean. I never stopped pedaling and finished the event. There was an section of chain that was much more stretched but it was still fully functional. I also never dropped a chain again once I lost the tensioner.
Here is a link to the calculator for magic chain length:
http://eehouse.org/fixin/formfmu.php?ma ... tay_length
I then started wanting to run more than a 32x17 and I did not want to put the tensioner back on. With a half link option I found other combinations that worked but I still wanted more options. I though that I could file out the drop outs to give myself some room to move the wheel back and forth a bit, run an eccentric hub, or have some track drops welded on. I did not want to file on my drop outs, or butcher my frame, so eccentric hub made sense. I could have gone with the eccentric set up mentioned in the above link, or go with the White Industry hub. I decided to go white industry and I would recommend it to any one willing to spend the money. I then discovered the thrills of riding trails fixed gear since it's a flip flop hub.
Obviously the White Ind. hub was some bucks, but if you can live with the gearing you can get with a magic chain then that's the best solution and it's cheaper than a tensioner (i.e. FREE). I would only consider a tensioner as a quicky deal for someone else who wanted to give SS a try or a city only bike. The advantages to running free of a tensioner are just to great.
The poll needs another option
Tensioners, getting a good one is critical. I ended up with a Surly Singulator which worked well...but not good enough.
Then I discovered the "magic" chain length so I could eliminate the tensioner all together. I landed on it by accident (32x17) when messing around in the garage. I then found this calculator that can take you there without dumb luck. Now we're talking! No more chain slap and it's bullit proof. I did a 111K point to point mountain bike race on this magic chain length set up and about 3/4 the way through a pine branch got cought in the drive train. I felt a massive tug and then the chain crushed the branch and cut it off clean. I never stopped pedaling and finished the event. There was an section of chain that was much more stretched but it was still fully functional. I also never dropped a chain again once I lost the tensioner.
Here is a link to the calculator for magic chain length:
http://eehouse.org/fixin/formfmu.php?ma ... tay_length
I then started wanting to run more than a 32x17 and I did not want to put the tensioner back on. With a half link option I found other combinations that worked but I still wanted more options. I though that I could file out the drop outs to give myself some room to move the wheel back and forth a bit, run an eccentric hub, or have some track drops welded on. I did not want to file on my drop outs, or butcher my frame, so eccentric hub made sense. I could have gone with the eccentric set up mentioned in the above link, or go with the White Industry hub. I decided to go white industry and I would recommend it to any one willing to spend the money. I then discovered the thrills of riding trails fixed gear since it's a flip flop hub.
Obviously the White Ind. hub was some bucks, but if you can live with the gearing you can get with a magic chain then that's the best solution and it's cheaper than a tensioner (i.e. FREE). I would only consider a tensioner as a quicky deal for someone else who wanted to give SS a try or a city only bike. The advantages to running free of a tensioner are just to great.
The poll needs another option
Yup, up is the correct way to fit the tensioner, it really niggles me to see them on the wrong way, so much that if a potential BOTM is a S/S with the tensioner the wrong way I don't vote for it. But that's me being me lol!exbiker":ppq2h6hm said:
