Currently finishing off what could be considered a bit of a hack bike for mucking around the pump track and jumps.
Decided to convert to singlespeed for simplicity, but I'm unsure about chain tension.
Now, this Dartmoor frame has a bolt-thru rear end which seems to limit adding a rear tensioner (eg. DMR STS) due to not having the QR required?
How about a BB mounted tensioner? I dug out the Blackspire Stinger from the parts bin, but this can't touch the chain due to the chainstay getting in the way.
Any suggestions? Just take another link out the chain and hope for the best?
Cheers everyone.
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Surly singleator or similar (on one, superstar etc)
Ah yeah, those look as though they simply bolt into the mech hanger with no need to feed the QR through. Spring adjusted too, which looks easier to set up.
Cheers. Will get one ordered.
I bought an on-one doofer for a singlespeed conversion. My main problem using it was that it pushes the chain down and away from the rear cog, which gave me issues when pedaling. I bodged a fix by simply using zip-ties and feeding them through the tensioner and around the chainstay to make it pull up on the chain. It's worked a treat, plus as the chain slackens over time you can simply use a fresh zip-tie and remove any slack in the chain.
The only time I've ever had problems with chains slipping was with old* sprockets and new chains. You can get away with that combination if you have a proper SS frame that tensions the chain with track ends, sliding dropouts, EBB etc but sprung tensioners will let it slip, just like a new chain would on an old cassette.
So if you want to run components into the ground, you need a new frame or an eccentric BB or hub, anything else then sprung tensioners pushing down are fine.
Push up tensioners (and zip tie bodges etc) don't work on all frames/chainlines, most SS bikes chainline is nominally where the big ring would be, which means a tensioner would foul the chainstay if it were pushing up. You can get around that by putting the chainring in the middle position and the sprocket in the middle of the cassette sometimes.
*anything other than new, i.e more than 0.75% worn. As long as the chain and sprocket have worn together you can run SS until they look like a ninja throwing star and the teeth snap off though.
I used a blackspire chain device and it worked a treat. Would do it again, and would recommend the approach over using any tensioner out back. You may need to use a half-link to get the chain length right. Run the device a smidge loose and you can just give it a tap to take up slack as your chain wears.