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Preferred Single Speed Chain Tension Method?

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#43 ·
With axle and nuts of that size, suitable torque can be applied to keep the wheel in position without drama.
 
#44 ·
Interesting topic for a newbie like me, having never yet ridden a SS MTB. Last SS I rode was a Schwinn Stingray or something like that when I was about 10...lol.
I just recently got my first hardtail since getting into mountain biking at 48 about 7 years ago. Single speed never even crossed my radar until shortly after I started riding the hardtail, but now for some reason I want to try SS at 55. As my frame has rear through axle, I can see I'd need a tensioner to run it SS. So my question is "which" chain tensioner? I don't want to ruin the look of this sweet bike with some cheesy device, and the ones I've seen from online research that appear to be good looking, well engineered pieces of kit, are the Paul Melvin tensioner, and the Rohloff. What do you all recommend? Also what else do I need to order other than a cog and chain? Can I keep my oval chainring I'm currently running in the front? I'm thinking a round chainring may be better with SS? Any advice would be appreciated. For the past couple of weeks I've been just about ready to buy another frame with either sliders or horizontal dropouts, but now I'm thinking I should probably just run my current hardtail SS for a while to make sure I will like it.
 
#45 ·
I have a Paul and Rohloff tensioner. If I remember right, the Paul is limited to something like 18t and the Rohloff will just fit 20t. Depending on what ratio you are wanting to run that could be a deal breaker, for me a 20t cog is about the smallest I'd be running so the Rohloff is the better option. It also seems to have a stronger spring and overall better design (pivots at the upper pulley instead of in the middle of the cage).

If using the Rohloff, I highly recommend adding a small shim to the mounting bolt so that the arm is held in a fixed position instead of being able to pivot. This helped with some skipping issues that I was having.
 
#46 ·
Unlike others, it seems, I’ve never had any problems with the Phil Wood setscrew BB that Singular use. No slippage, easy to adjust. Well, if I’m being strictly honest, I did have a problem with one and that was on my titanium Hummingbird and for two reasons....
One is that on it the set screws are no longer located at the 6 o’clock position but more rearwards, say around 8 o’clock. This means that as you nip them up the tension is marginally increased, so you have to allow for this. It was made worse by the fact that the shell was machined about 0.2mm oversize....
However, I’ve solved this by machining 2.00mm off the register dia. of the BB insert, shrinking on two rings and then machining these to the correct fit.

I’ve got a Trek 69er singlespeed with sliding dropouts and that’s completely trouble-free....
 
#48 ·
Completely agree. EBB's in theory should work fine, but a lot of the time they either move, creak or strip. I tell people to avoid at all costs. Track ends with tugs or sliders with set screws are superior.
 
#51 ·
*OneSpeed* said:
I have tugs on at least 4-5 frames, never had an issue with any of them. I much prefer that system over an EBB.
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EBB was and is a PITA for many reasons. Especially in a wet/muddy environment since many are slackers with proper maintenance. Wish my trials bike had sliders vs snail cam regardless.
 
#53 ·
Since it's related, what do riders do if they want to use more than one crankset or chainring(s), whether single, or in a set? Do you keep one chain with each ratio, or find a midpoint and just use it? I know there are several methods of determining the correct chain length, but I have seen bikes with plenty of chain sag that kept going for years without problems.
 
#54 ·
Gym123 said:
Since it's related, what do riders do if they want to use more than one crankset or chainring(s), whether single, or in a set? Do you keep one chain with each ratio, or find a midpoint and just use it? I know there are several methods of determining the correct chain length, but I have seen bikes with plenty of chain sag that kept going for years without problems.
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I have cogs and chainrings along with tailored chains to match. This makes a gear change a two minute pleasure with that Heinz jingle in mind! Anticipation is not makin' me wait! Time to ride and enjoy that one speed automatic experience is at hand.

Chain tension is somewhat of a need! Loose and it may start slipping on the cog during hard acceleration or when you go wide open throttle on a stiff climb. That will shorten the life of the system as a whole. Use proper tension for longevity and reliability. Your bike will thank you!
 
#55 ·
BansheeRune said:
I have cogs and chainrings along with tailored chains to match. This makes a gear change a two minute pleasure with that Heinz jingle in mind! Anticipation is not makin' me wait! Time to ride and enjoy that one speed automatic experience is at hand.

Chain tension is somewhat of a need! Loose and it may start slipping on the cog during hard acceleration or when you go wide open throttle on a stiff climb. That will shorten the life of the system as a whole. Use proper tension for longevity and reliability. Your bike will thank you!
Click to expand...
I removed the chain- when I was looking for a master link, I saw how much gunk was in the chain (was wearing glasses and using a bright light, unlike the other times). I had used BoeShield and it was very quiet, but it still shed a lot of black dirt when I wiped it today, so I decided to soak it. The cleaner is pretty groaty looking, too. Once I finish cleaning it, I'll decide if I'll replace or use it but I checked it and it's not stretched.
 
#56 ·
Gym123 said:
I removed the chain- when I was looking for a master link, I saw how much gunk was in the chain (was wearing glasses and using a bright light, unlike the other times). I had used BoeShield and it was very quiet, but it still shed a lot of black dirt when I wiped it today, so I decided to soak it. The cleaner is pretty groaty looking, too. Once I finish cleaning it, I'll decide if I'll replace or use it but I checked it and it's not stretched.
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Should still have some miles left in it. Frankly, I never use an oil/grease based lubricant on my chains since it attracts and traps dirt and grime that will grind the chain to pieces in short order. Rock lube or similar has served well.
 
#57 ·
BansheeRune said:
Should still have some miles left in it. Frankly, I never use an oil/grease based lubricant on my chains since it attracts and traps dirt and grime that will grind the chain to pieces in short order. Rock lube or similar has served well.
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I don't know if the chain is original (I kind of doubt it, considering the things that were neglected to some extent), but it's possible that it's old, but it wasn't ridden hard. The chainrings are pretty worn, but it didn't skip like 3 & 4 on the original Helicomatic on my Trek and I kept that chain clean & lubed. This one has wear on the front end, but the freehub looks really good. Since I don't know the service history, I have disassembled just about everything to clean & lube, other than the derailleur itself (removed the cage and pulleys- they were pretty loaded with crud). The front bearings are the only think left, aside from new grips and adjusters for the brakes- the ones that came with the levers are plastic and the thread is weak, so the new ones will be Aluminum.
 
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