aaarrgggghhhh!!! singlespeed woe part 3! :-(

this is seriously pi$$ing me off now…

34t SS ring / new SS chain / new 17t SS sprocket / new tensioner

chain length although on the long side not a contributory factor, chain lines spot on.

chain seems to pick up on sprocket and clunks rendering the bike unrideable.

i’ve tried a 16t sprocket and all was fine, and a 17t sprocket broken out of a cassette and that was fine.

i assumed the original 17t ss sprocket was faulty so ordered a posh spanking new one and its clunking again!?

i’m out of ideas, its been weeks and i’m seriously hacked off.

please help!!

what chain is it?

Stiff chain link? If so twist chain side to side to loosen off.

Is the chain worn? Or are the chainrings worn? Using a worn chain on new chainrings (or vice versa) will cause problems.

SRAM PC1 nickel, brand new.

no stiff links and it’s working on a 16t sprocket and a 17t cassette sprocket

tensioner pushing up or down on chain? i found this problem pushing down with a 17t there just wasent enough chain wrap on the rear cog and was slipping but on a 16 was fine
eventualy tentioner bent and chain always coming off so plumped for a sanderson and never looked back lol

pushing down.

You really aren’t having much luck with this are you!

You can bring it over and I can have a look at it/hit it with hammer… a second set of eyes might help…

Send the 17T sprocket back and get a different one, it’s clearly the problem.

just stuck a rr mech on and it works… perhaps it is all down to the pushy down tensioner.

and i have tried a new 17t sprocket and that didn’t work.

now where to find a pushy up tensioner in nottingham on a sat am…

cheers for the offer nick. julian kicked and cussed at it last weekend, i’ll let you know if i need more kicking and cussing and contemplative drinking of beer 😀

dmr tension seeker 2 any good?

What tensioner are you using? I had the same problem with an On One Doofer like this I had a while back.

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FSOOSSD/on-one-doofer

I found that the little U shaped bit which goes over the chain was fouling the chain in some cases. It was just a case, of loosening the bolt and rotating it slightly so that it was pointing straight down.

The reason it was OK with other sprockets may be because the teeth weren’t so tall.

I’ve got an old chain tensioner in the shed I think… although looking at the photos in the other thread, it might be the same type.

It always gave me problems with 1/8 chains as the clearance of the chain was very small. It’s be worth checking to make sure that isn’t causing trouble.

where is the sprocket from?

this is seriously pi$$ing me off now…

34t SS ring / new SS chain / new 17t SS sprocket / new tensioner What make? Tensioners can be a problem, I’ve found the DMR bolt on ones to be good. I’ve also found the sprung ones to be problematic.

chain length although on the long side not a contributory factor, chain lines spot on.

Don’t be so sure, a long chain will reduce the wrap around the sprocket. This is NOT GOOD in the world of singlespeeding!

chain seems to pick up on sprocket and clunks rendering the bike unrideable.

Is is jumping under pressure or chainsucking (as your words seem to indicate)

i’ve tried a 16t sprocket and all was fine, and a 17t sprocket broken out of a cassette and that was fine.

With what chain?

i assumed the original 17t ss sprocket was faulty so ordered a posh spanking new one and its clunking again!?

What make and width?

i’m out of ideas, its been weeks and i’m seriously hacked off. please help!!

I had all sorts of problems using a 1/8th set up. I bit the bullet after some advice from here and went to 3/32. No problems at all. Middleburn/ Sram 8 speed/ Surly 3/32nd.

I’ve put a DMR tensioner/ Surly sprocket on my son’s s/s after some issues with the sprung type. Very reliable. If you insist on using a sprung tensioner shorten your chain and get it to push up.

This is obviously a conversion. Derailleur bikes don’t need such stiff chainstays as single speeds – indeed some are designed with a bit of flex to enhance the “feel”. It could be as simple as your chainstay flexing laterally under pressure and the chain roller catching on the top of a tooth.

Otherwise with new components, I’d suspect the chain is catching on the tensioner based on your description.

I wouldn’t be using a SRAM chain anyway, but it’s probably not the culprit here.

What’s wrong with SRAM chains epi?

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

fixed!!! (hopefully!)

nipped out the shop and picked up a DMR tension seeker 2 fitted it with a shed load of tension seems to have done the trick, not extensively tested yet but the up and down the street test is all good!

many, many, many thanks for all your suggestions and help.

love you all!!

xx