Chain Tension Problem

[jooohnnn]

Ive managed to sort the chain line problem i ran into the other week, but now the tension is the problem.

I tried simply adkusting the length of the chain but this turned out to be uselss with my semi horizontal dropouts not providing enough movement. Because of this I bought a cheap chain tensioner (on a bit of a tight budget!) to try and over come this problem. I thought this would sort it out but when I apply larger forces on the pedals the chain seems skip teeth on the freewheel. I dunno if this is a common problem or not but is there any quick fixes???

Im currently running a 44 chainring with an 18 freewheel, could changing the ratio be the way around my problem???

Cheers

 

[bidaci]

Ive managed to sort the chain line problem i ran into the other week, but now the tension is the problem.

I tried simply adkusting the length of the chain but this turned out to be uselss with my semi horizontal dropouts not providing enough movement. Because of this I bought a cheap chain tensioner (on a bit of a tight budget!) to try and over come this problem. I thought this would sort it out but when I apply larger forces on the pedals the chain seems skip teeth on the freewheel. I dunno if this is a common problem or not but is there any quick fixes???

Im currently running a 44 chainring with an 18 freewheel, could changing the ratio be the way around my problem???

Cheers

The cheapest thing to do is to try putting the tensioner so it pushes up on the chain to get a better wrap on your freewheel. Either that or maybe a half link would give you enough adjustment.

Look at Sheldon Brown's article on vertical dropouts. There is some great information (of course) on how much the axle will move by adding (or subtracting) links or making adjustments in gearing.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html#vertical

The other thing it could be is if you have a cheap freewheel the ratchet could be slipping internally

 

[gooseberry]

Ive managed to sort the chain line problem i ran into the other week, but now the tension is the problem.

I tried simply adkusting the length of the chain but this turned out to be uselss with my semi horizontal dropouts not providing enough movement. Because of this I bought a cheap chain tensioner (on a bit of a tight budget!) to try and over come this problem. I thought this would sort it out but when I apply larger forces on the pedals the chain seems skip teeth on the freewheel. I dunno if this is a common problem or not but is there any quick fixes???

Im currently running a 44 chainring with an 18 freewheel, could changing the ratio be the way around my problem???

Cheers

I'm currently riding an nice old Trek frame w/ semi-horizontal dropouts. I had to experiment w/ several cog/ring combos, but worked it out perfect at 42/16 which is comfortable for me. A combo w/ larger numbers would make for longer chain life, but the way I ride that's not an issue. I have worked out what I feel are optimal (for my personal comfort) Gain Ratios for my different rides (trail, rainbike, town cruiser...) then when I do a SS build, I try to hit a gear combo that comes as close to that Gain Ratio as possible. Try to avoid using a chain tensioner if you possibly can, and NEVER use one with a fixed wheel set-up. Happy trails.

 

[alfeng]

Ive managed to sort the chain line problem i ran into the other week, but now the tension is the problem.

I tried simply adkusting the length of the chain but this turned out to be uselss with my semi horizontal dropouts not providing enough movement. Because of this I bought a cheap chain tensioner (on a bit of a tight budget!) to try and over come this problem. I thought this would sort it out but when I apply larger forces on the pedals the chain seems skip teeth on the freewheel. I dunno if this is a common problem or not but is there any quick fixes???

Im currently running a 44 chainring with an 18 freewheel, could changing the ratio be the way around my problem???

Cheers

How far off was-and-is your chainline? A slack chain, alone, probably cannot be the culprit otherwise a large portion the coaster-brake bikes would have their chains jumping off their respective rear cogs, too.

Just how slack is the chain?

Have you tried a HALF-LINK?