freddiesan

Last week I had to move my back wheel a little more backwards to put some more tension on the chain. I just hate the excessive back and forth play when trackstanding. Now I feel that the tensioned chain is getting loose again and it's just been a week!! I run Formula track hubs with track nuts so there's nothing wrong with the way I tighten the wheel. I'm also running a 3/32 set. Here are my questions:

1. Does a 3/32 chain stretch alot more then a 1/8?
2. Should it be as bad as I describe it?
3. How often do you guys need to add tension to your chain?
4. Do you have any solutions cause I really hate a loose chain on a fixie?

filtersweep

You realize, of course. that a chain cannot actually stretch There is no way it would wear that much in only one week that it would feel loose.

Are you sure it isn't sliding a bit in the drop out? OR that your chain ring is a little off-center, rendering it loose/tight/loose/tight as you pedal?

shants

if you constantly lose chain tension, it might be because you aren't using proper track nuts or just because you cannot get a solid enough interface between the nuts and your dropouts (i've noticed that sometimes cromed ends have trouble with this). if the latter is the case, you might benefit from a chain tensioner.

freddiesan

haven't measured the chainline but to the eye it's perfect and feels good. I have abit of a wiggly thing going on when pushing hard on my crankarms but that's just a tiny "natural" wiggle.

weed eater

freddiesan, i had a similar problem until I started really cranking down the axle nuts onto the dropouts. i realized I had been conditioned from using quick releases to "not try to go too tight" because it's easy to overtighten a QR, but with nutted axles you can really crank 'em down. Try that (if you havent already) and see if it helps. it fixed me right up, as they say.

pitboss

wiggle? are your crankarms seated properly? (just a thought)

freddiesan

thanks weedeater and the rest of ya! I'll give it one more go to fix the slack and this time really crank the bolts down. It's just that I thought I did that the last time.

freddiesan

I have original Stronglight crankarms from late 60's but they're tight and work wonderfully still.

pitboss

good! I had a crankarm unseat earlier this week - and it 'wiggled'...

and in cranking down the bolts - do not over tighten them.

Also check the wear on your chainring and cog - just to be sure

Ira in Chi

Pay attention to the position of your track nuts and see if they move in the dropouts at all. If not, your chain is being stretched out. If your chain is too tight it will wear out very fast. Dirt and grit on the chain add to this as well. If your chain line is good the chain can be a little loose without any negative effect. You should not hear any clicking or crunching.

As Filtersweep stated, the chain isn't actually "stretching", the bushings are being worn away. The visual effect is the same though, and having the chain too tight creates uneccessary friction and wear.

isotopesope

don't run your chain too tight though. you can also cause a lot of stress on your hub bearings if your chain is too tight. as shants suggested, perhaps get a chain tensioner. i have a pair of snafu bmx ones that i like quite a bit. however, i love a slack chain. it's waay faster. once you go slack, you never go back! holla!!

PraiseYeJah

chains stretch .. i have mks tensioners .properly installed and tracknuts tightened down as hard as you can. my chain has stretched in the past month..its a fact. i reset my chain tension about a month ago as i say and when i did i made it fairly tight(ish) as i like to not have any play when i trackstand.i ride without a handbrake so my chain gets stressed i guess you could say..but there is no denying that there is now slackness in my chain and hence a small amount of play in it when i trackstand..so..chains stretch!

freddiesan

fascinating. Chain slack vs tight chain. They both have their fans. It's just that the "play" involved in a slack chain really bugs me. I want it tight and silent.
Yes I know that a chain stretches. When I was a messenger(with a geared bike) my record was two weeks from brand new cassette and chain to a worn out cassette and chain. That was in the winter months though.

Ira in Chi

Sheldon Brown sez...

Chain "Stretch"

Cyclists often speak of chain "stretch", as if the side plates of an old chain were pulled out of shape by the repeated stresses of pedaling. This is not actually how chains elongate. The major cause of chain "stretch" is wearing away of the metal where the rivet rotates inside of the bushing (or the "bushing" part of the inside plate) as the chain links flex and straighten as the chain goes onto and off of the sprockets. If you take apart an old, worn out chain, you can easily see the little notches worn into the sides of the rivets by the inside edges of the bushings. With bushingless chains, the inside edge of the side plate hole that rubs against the rivet has a smooth radius instead of a sharp corner. This probably contributes to the greater durability of bushingless chains.

darkmother

The 1/8" chain that I run has rollers that bear on the full width of the pin, not the little shoulder like 3/32" deraileur chains do-I think this is standard for these chains. It should last a lot longer, I expect, because the wear surface is many times larger.

3niktac

I originally had a problem with axle slippage. I fixed the problem by roughing up the dropouts with a file a bit. I haven't had a problem since. If your bike isn't too shiny and special, maybe you should try this.

C

PraiseYeJah

well Sheldon is certainly more knowledgable than me..but my chain is brand new. hardly worn down or old. so again .. i think it stretches

LóFarkas

No way. Your chain got worn. Take a link apart and you'll see, or just lay it flat on the table and try pushing/pulling it lengthwise. There'll be play, because the surface of the inside links that is in contact with the pins is worn. The side plates are exactly like new, but the inside links are now loose on the pins.
Too tight chain, bad chainline, dirt, not enough lubrication, low quality chain or high gear mashing accelerate this.
You can call it stretching, terminology doesn't matter much... But physically it is wear.

HAUS!

Have been feeling like I keep my chain a little bit on the tight side so I decided to leave a little more slack in it today. At the end of my 33 mile ride (RIght at the end!) I was on a downhill and was putting resistance on the pedals as I was going downhill getting ready for my turn off of the main road. Dropped my chain to the inside of the cog on the rear wheel.. broke 2 spokes and came to a wonderfully long skid stop! DAMN! How tight is too tight? I will go back to keeping it snug though.

Ken Cox

I use chain tensioners and I keep my chain pretty tight, so that at the middle of the span I can wiggle it with resistance about 1/2" up and down.
I use EAI cogs and I centered my chain ring according to Sheldon Brown, and I have no tight or loose spots in the spin.

When I get a new chain I experience an initial stretch during the first two weeks, but after making an adjustment for this initial stretch the chain kinda settles in and I get a couple of months out of it that way.
I ride in an environment that has a lot volcanic ash on the road and even with dry lube I need to clean my chain at least once a week.

queerpunk

lots of bike shops have a tool to measure chain stretch. park makes one, a few bucks. that might solve your "is it really chain stretch?" question.

votedean

chains absolutely do not stretch, they wear. No poll needed.