# Adjusting chain tension



## Balderick (Jul 11, 2006)

I had not bothered to re-adjust the tension on my track bike, as it seemed to be OK from the time it was collected from the LBS. However, as the chain has worn and so "stretched" (yes, I know) I thought I would tighten it up a bit last night. Holy cow Batman, it required a bit more effort than I thought it would be. I ended up sitting on the floor behind my bike, feet pushing on the pedals, and pulling on the rear wheel. It all came together OK in the end, and the chain is now properly tensioned, but I am thinking I should not try this task after a few bottles of Cider....


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## croscoe (Aug 8, 2007)

Invest in some chain tugs to save yourself time and hassle... or just jam a rag between the tire and seat tube.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Balderick said:


> I had not bothered to re-adjust the tension on my track bike, as it seemed to be OK from the time it was collected from the LBS. However, as the chain has worn and so "stretched" (yes, I know) I thought I would tighten it up a bit last night. Holy cow Batman, it required a bit more effort than I thought it would be. I ended up sitting on the floor behind my bike, feet pushing on the pedals, and pulling on the rear wheel. It all came together OK in the end, and the chain is now properly tensioned, but I am thinking I should not try this task after a few bottles of Cider....



Take a rolled up towel and stick it between the rear tire and the seat tube..start at the top and keep pushing it down until you get the proper tension... Once the chain is tight, tighten the nuts..... It's much easier than other methods..It keeps the wheel centered and tight


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## roadfix (Jun 20, 2006)

Setting chin tension shouldn't take more than s few seconds. Before you get a flat I suggest you practice removing and reinstalling the wheel til you get the hang of it. You'll soon figure out which technique works best for you.
Just don't flip your bike up side down to do this...


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## Balderick (Jul 11, 2006)

I think it was more the cider I had consumed. Really like Cider, which is my BBQ cooking beverage of chouice. My kids thought it was funny, as they never see me tanked, as I rarely drink (usually only when cooking a BBQ).

I had not taken a wheel of a SS or fixie for a long time, as my kids (who have BMX and other single geared bikes) seem to be luckier than me and never get punctures. 

I like the towel idea - makes sense to me. 

Interestingly I have never had a puncture (caused by road debris - did have a puncture from a failed rim strip) on the fixie, despite my fixie running tyres that seem to be very prone to puncture if I run them on the roadie. Perhaps I am just more alert to debris on the fixie.


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## 11.4 (Mar 2, 2008)

What kind of tension are you trying to achieve? This has been discussed in other threads. There's a fad among some fixie riders to set your chain tension unbelievably tight. The idea is to have no play so you can perhaps skid a little more effectively, but you can skid just fine with some slack in your chain. On the track, the general rule is plus or minus about an inch of up-and-down play in the chain at mid-span. And these days, track riders are going even looser -- as long as you can't derail the chain off the chainring with a wrench, you are doing better.

What's wrong with tight tension? It's harder on your legs. It's much harder on bearings. It's subject to much faster wear of chain, chainring, and cog. Proper chain tension is the cool approach.


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## alexb618 (Aug 24, 2006)

i just creep it back from side to side with some light tightening of the nuts until its the correct tension and aligned properly then torque the nuts right up, it takes about 15 seconds.


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

Too tight and there is a bunch of chain racket, as usually the crank spider offers enough play in the chain ring that the ring ends up being slightly out of round.



11.4 said:


> What kind of tension are you trying to achieve? This has been discussed in other threads. There's a fad among some fixie riders to set your chain tension unbelievably tight. The idea is to have no play so you can perhaps skid a little more effectively, but you can skid just fine with some slack in your chain. On the track, the general rule is plus or minus about an inch of up-and-down play in the chain at mid-span. And these days, track riders are going even looser -- as long as you can't derail the chain off the chainring with a wrench, you are doing better.
> 
> What's wrong with tight tension? It's harder on your legs. It's much harder on bearings. It's subject to much faster wear of chain, chainring, and cog. Proper chain tension is the cool approach.


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## Muaythaibike (Oct 26, 2007)

So how tight is tight enought???


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## alexb618 (Aug 24, 2006)

if your chain falls off its not tight enough


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## Balderick (Jul 11, 2006)

11.4 said:


> What kind of tension are you trying to achieve? This has been discussed in other threads. There's a fad among some fixie riders to set your chain tension unbelievably tight. The idea is to have no play so you can perhaps skid a little more effectively, but you can skid just fine with some slack in your chain. On the track, the general rule is plus or minus about an inch of up-and-down play in the chain at mid-span. And these days, track riders are going even looser -- as long as you can't derail the chain off the chainring with a wrench, you are doing better.
> 
> What's wrong with tight tension? It's harder on your legs. It's much harder on bearings. It's subject to much faster wear of chain, chainring, and cog. Proper chain tension is the cool approach.


Skidding is something I never do, so not an issue for me. I was trying to achieve a bit less than an inch at mid-span and did so. I do not like the feel as I move from pedalling to resisting - that clunk feel as the slack is taken off is something I do not like. Seems to be working fine, not more noise than before and the clunk has reduced.


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## jmlapoint (Sep 4, 2008)

I run my FG chain as loose as I can without deraillment.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

jmlapoint said:


> I run my FG chain as loose as I can without deraillment.




I'm curious why you do this...


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## jmlapoint (Sep 4, 2008)

FatTireFred said:


> I'm curious why you do this...


Chain runs smooth and quiet and has never derailled.
A tight chain seems to bind and be noisy.
I like medium slack so the chain spins freely in the bike stand and is quiet on the road.
Has always worked for me.
John


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## Gene Kahn (Jan 17, 2008)

FIXIE CHAIN TENSION: I flip the bike upside down to be easy to work on the back wheel. I found a small hammer whose wooden handle just fits nicely between wheel and
BB and I use that like a lever to push the wheel backwards (this is on an
old road bike with front facing drops), Either I have a 15mm wrench already on each
wheel nut, or I tighten from side to side all the while keeping the tension on the tire.
Since I always lose some tension, I go for tight and hope for max 1/2-inch play. 
I like to skid.


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## roadfix (Jun 20, 2006)

Many different ways and methods of setting tension.


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## Arby (Apr 29, 2004)

I do exactly the same thing. A trick I learned when building 20" bikes back in the day. 

Arby


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## Crack Monkey (Apr 19, 2007)

Hmmm, I was taught this method to get the chain tension correct when installing the rear wheel...
- push rim to drive-side chainstay and apply slight rearward pressure
- tighten drive-side axle nut
- pull rim to non-drive-side until centered
- tighten non-drive-side axle nut

Seems to work fine for me. Am I missing something?


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## frmrench (Apr 10, 2009)

Crack Monkey said:


> Hmmm, I was taught this method to get the chain tension correct when installing the rear wheel...
> - push rim to drive-side chainstay and apply slight rearward pressure
> - tighten drive-side axle nut
> - pull rim to non-drive-side until centered
> ...


No. That works fine, but be sure to keep about 1/2" slack in the chain. I do it that way too, but also have one of those Surley Chain-tug thingeys in the dropout. It's got an all important beer bottle opener built in after all!


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## jmlapoint (Sep 4, 2008)

Dave Hickey said:


> Take a rolled up towel and stick it between the rear tire and the seat tube..start at the top and keep pushing it down until you get the proper tension... Once the chain is tight, tighten the nuts..... It's much easier than other methods..It keeps the wheel centered and tight


Great idea, Dave.

Another method is to use a short piece of 7/8"-1" white PVC Tubing. (Lawn Irrigation Tubing)
Place the tube between the tire and the seat tube and roll it down until you have the correct tension and then tighten the nuts. You can also tilt the tube from side-to-side to adjust wheel centering at the same time you adjust tension. I carry a 3-4" tube in my 'Flat Bag' and use it on the road for my FG.


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## roadfix (Jun 20, 2006)

This is how I set chain tension: YMMV 

Sorry about the crappy video quality..


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## Balderick (Jul 11, 2006)

Thanks for that. To video my efforts you need to have Cider bottles strewn around my kitchen, me lying behind the bike...

Your tension levels are much less than mine were or are. I am racing track tonight (and hence commuted to work on my track bike). I will do a quick comparo on the tensions others have on their track weapons.


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## roadfix (Jun 20, 2006)

Balderick said:


> Your tension levels are much less than mine were or are. I am racing track tonight (and hence commuted to work on my track bike). I will do a quick comparo on the tensions others have on their track weapons.


I see a lot of street FG & SS riders with their chains way too tight. I understand minimal slack gives you almost no pedal play which is nice if you are not using a hand brake for stopping. At mid-span I'd like to feel my chain move up and down at least about 1/2".
You will find at the track the chains are reasonably slack, a lot more so than what you'll find on the street.


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## jmlapoint (Sep 4, 2008)

roadfix said:


> I see a lot of street FG & SS riders with their chains way too tight. I understand minimal slack gives you almost no pedal play which is nice if you are not using a hand brake for stopping. At mid-span I'd like to feel my chain move up and down at least about 1/2".
> You will find at the track the chains are reasonably slack, a lot more so than what you'll find on the street.


Hello Roadfix:
I completely agree with you. I ride FG with a front lever brake and I like to run my chain very slack, just shy of derailling. I think this makes for a smooth, friction-free chaindrive. I have never understood why folks recommend keeping your chain so tight, unless you are a 'skidder'.
At mid-span my chain always has 1" of slack, and runs smooth and quiet and has never derailled. I also don't skid or go over large bumps or curbs. 
John


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## OffRoadRoadie (May 15, 2006)

Dave Hickey said:


> Take a rolled up towel and stick it between the rear tire and the seat tube..start at the top and keep pushing it down until you get the proper tension... Once the chain is tight, tighten the nuts..... It's much easier than other methods..It keeps the wheel centered and tight


Good idea, but not good if you run full length fenders.


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## Cygnus (Nov 26, 2004)

i tension by:

crouching behind my rear tire, 
grab the front of the rear tire with my left hand, 
pull back tire towards me firmly -- centering the wheel in the frame,
tighten the drive side with my right hand,
tighten the non drive side. 

i do this unconsiously daily as a gear change on a SS set up as a 2x2. 

perhaps like these guys in 1922, although they had flip flop hubs.


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## roadfix (Jun 20, 2006)

Cygnus said:


> crouching behind my rear tire,
> grab the front of the rear tire with my left hand,
> pull back tire towards me firmly -- centering the wheel in the frame,


Very similar to what I do except I like to grab the rear tire at the seat stay bridge and keep forward pressure on the frame.


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