I'm building up a rigid ss inbred hack from a mixture of old/used/new as necessary bits, but having trouble with chain length so could do with some advice.
Running converted alivio triple up front with 32t ring in outer ring position.
Rear is vertical dropouts with cassete hub, got a dmr simple tension seeker & 16t ring.
Have got an 8 speed chain with powerlink but can't get the length right, it's either too tight or too loose with just 1 link in or out.
So what size front or rear sprocket do I need to make it work?
Help pleeeeeease, I've been pulling my hair out all morning!
[url= http://www.winstanleysbmx.com/product/22601/Gusset_Slink_HalfLink_Chain_Links ]Half Link[/url]
I ran 34-16 without a problem a few years ago. My tensioner was sprung though so took up more slack.
I have run a 15 and a 17 either useable but as above a half link should get you close enough for the tensioner to work.
32-16 on mine, but have sliding dropouts and a halflink chain.
use the tensioner to push the chain down not pull it up by running the chain on the outside I use 32 /16 on an inbred and that DMR thing .I dont like it though it never stays in place no matter how tight things are done up and pulls the wheel out !
I'll give it a go with a half link (cheapest option), but am worried about it pulling the wheel out, I did manage to get the chain on by feeding it over the front ring, but as soon as it got tight it pulled the wheel out...........
So I got a 3/32" half link - no good, too wide for an 8 speed chain.
I put a link back in the chain and can *just* get a bit of tension on it with the tensioner pushing down at full reach, but you just can't get it tight enough to stay put long term, at least not without breaking something.
So, I'm going to change ratio - am I best off going for 34t front in place of the 32t?
Would be nice to have a SS specific ring up front anyway....
On my old geared Inbred, running 32:16 with a tensioner always lead to people telling me I needed to take a link out of the chain but the chain wouldn't join with one less link.
It never caused any problems, other that at Hit The North where it always skipped under load.
Your tensioner mustn't be able to cope with quite as much slack. You'll either need a different tensioner, a half-link, or a 17t sprocket.
So, I'm going to change ratio - am I best off going for 34t front in place of the 32t?
34:16 is quite high. Might be better off with a 17t sprocket?
You might even be able to get away with a 34:17 if there is so much slack in the chain. Worth a try?
Would rather only buy front OR rear, do you think a 17 on rear would make enough difference to chain length?
32:17 and I am a spinner. The 17 has one additional tooth which is a quarter inch of tension. What is th deflection on the chain. Half a cm is acceptable. To loose that deflection is how far the wheel needs to move back. Since it can't, it's about 1 tooth per half cm.
Perhaps a bit left field; have you tried using an old (stretched) chain? My magic ratio SS goes from too tight to too slack after a few hundred miles.
^^^ Sorry, tried to say "from too tight to just right in a few hundred miles"
Have ordered a 17t rear sprocket, will see how I get on with that.....
Haven't even ridden the thing properly yet and got a slow puncture on the front, great!
