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please help troubleshot my Fixie

Old 07-11-14, 05:03 AM
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TMacNJ68
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please help troubleshot my Fixie

whats up everyone i need some help.. i was tightening my chain because it popped off on the earlier ride. i set it and it was tight i turned the crank 1/3 turn and the chain was louse again then another 1/2 turn it was really tight... i checked the the tire and cog are straight so i think its the crank... what do you guys think
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Old 07-11-14, 05:32 AM
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It's the alignment of your chainring on the spider. They're never completely concentric so you'll always get some places that are more tight than others. Try this:

1. Loosen all of your chainring bolts so they are just barely tight enough to hold the chainring in place.
2. Now spin your crank for several cycles. That should center your chainring so the tight and loose places are less noticeable.
3. Re-tighten your chainring bolts and you'll be good-to-go.
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Old 07-11-14, 06:25 AM
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After following retro grouch's advice about centering the chain ring, you will need to make sure that there is still a little slack remaining even at the tightest point.
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Old 07-11-14, 06:53 AM
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Another trick is to remove the ring and rotate it on the crank spider the follow RG's centering advice. There are 5 (if the ring has 5 bolts) chances to get as close to round as possible. Also make sure that your chainline is spot on. Using a chain not meant to derail easily can help. Andy.
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Old 07-11-14, 10:39 AM
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The fact is that chains should never be tight, and the tension or, more properly, minimum slack is set at the tightest position on an eccentric chainring. Feel free to center the ring as well as possible, which will improve things, but even if you don't, the system will run fine with varying slack, as long as there's minimum slack (not tension) at the tightest point.
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