# Is there a better choice for a chain tug?



## mushroomking (Sep 26, 2008)

With all the stop and go riding I do it's been almost impossible to keep my rear wheel in good tension. So my obvious choice is a chain tug, but I was browsing all the different options and reading some indecisive reviews.

It's obviously a cheap investment but there are a surprising amount of options and I'm looking to spend my money wisely. So are there any clear winners for you guys?

It is a track bike and does have horizontal dropouts.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

How often do you flat? I prefer tugs that use an allen key for tension... It saves me from carrying another wrench... Other than that, tugs are tugs IMHO


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## JustTooBig (Aug 11, 2005)

I'm with Dave on this one. For commuters, I prefer a tug with a 3 or 4mm hex key. MKS makes tensioners using both allen key or 10mm bolt head, they're bulletproof but a little pricey. If you use the MKS, know the thickness of your dropouts because the tensioners come in different sizes to accommodate different dropouts. The Tuggnut that Surly makes just uses a thumb screw, is cheaper and will work just fine on your commuter.


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## mushroomking (Sep 26, 2008)

Flats? More often then I would like...but I just bought a new set of heavier duty tires for commuting on it and they are working out great so far.

I don't mind the expense of a quality it part, and having an allen head sounds great because I carry a ring of allen keys in my saddle bag.

The biggest issue is that right now my wheel is pretty far back in the dropouts and I'm wondering if its going to install hassle free, or if I'll have to re-chain. But I'm gonna head up to my lbs right now and see if they have anything in stock.


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## mushroomking (Sep 26, 2008)

I told the guy at the bike shop I needed a chain tug and he said "what the heck is that?"
He ended up pulling a couple out of a drawer that were made out of stamped steel for $3 a piece but they were a little cheezy to me.

I ended up having him order an MKS and it was $28. Can't find the exact model online but it looked a lot nicer then some of the ones that are almost double the price. The dropout width totally slipped my mind though.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*mks*



mushroomking said:


> I told the guy at the bike shop I needed a chain tug and he said "what the heck is that?"
> He ended up pulling a couple out of a drawer that were made out of stamped steel for $3 a piece but they were a little cheezy to me.
> 
> I ended up having him order an MKS and it was $28. Can't find the exact model online but it looked a lot nicer then some of the ones that are almost double the price. The dropout width totally slipped my mind though.


Been using several MKS for about 10 years. They function and look great.

On thinner steel dropouts (ok, track ends), I have to grind down the thickness of the tug body, though. Takes about a minute, but it was necessary.


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## Hiro11 (Dec 18, 2010)

I bought a set of Redline bmx ones for about five bucks front Dan's Comp. They work perfectly, but I go without a tensioner now.


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## Alx (Mar 22, 2007)

BMX tensioners for dirt cheap, or just tighten your bolts up right, if the hub slips you're not tightening it up properly.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

MKS makes two different versions, one with 5mm end caps that are for steel frame dropouts, and 8mm end caps for aluminum frame droputs. Hopefully the LBS asked you that and your getting the right one. Any filing shouldn't be necessary if you get the right one, worse case is if the one you get doesn't quite fit right you may have a small degree of grinding.


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## mushroomking (Sep 26, 2008)

froze said:


> Any filing shouldn't be necessary if you get the right one, worse case is if the one you get doesn't quite fit right you may have a small degree of grinding.


Hopefully we got the right one, but I won't get it till next week. D'oh.


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