Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Tandem Cycling
Reload this Page >

Changing timing chain

Notices
Tandem Cycling A bicycle built for two. Want to find out more about this wonderful world of tandems? Check out this forum to talk with other tandem enthusiasts. Captains and stokers welcome!

Changing timing chain

Old 07-22-19, 03:43 PM
  #1  
124Spider
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Posts: 315

Bikes: 2016 Cervelo R3 2018 Rodriguez Tandem

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 127 Post(s)
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Changing timing chain

Hi,

It's time to change the timing chain on our tandem.

I've changed many "normal" bike chains, but I just wanted to be sure that my thought of just using two one-speed chains for a timing chain makes sense.

Thanks!

Mark
124Spider is offline  
Old 07-22-19, 07:22 PM
  #2  
Carbonfiberboy 
just another gosling
 
Carbonfiberboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 19,501

Bikes: CoMo Speedster 2003, Trek 5200, CAAD 9, Fred 2004

Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3873 Post(s)
Liked 1,920 Times in 1,369 Posts
Before we switched to a belt, we used the same type that we used for the drive chain. That way one repair kit covers everything.
__________________
Results matter
Carbonfiberboy is offline  
Old 07-22-19, 08:15 PM
  #3  
124Spider
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Posts: 315

Bikes: 2016 Cervelo R3 2018 Rodriguez Tandem

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 127 Post(s)
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
But the concept that one splices together two normal chains is valid?
124Spider is offline  
Old 07-22-19, 08:56 PM
  #4  
ahultin
Senior Member
 
ahultin's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Bonsall, Ca
Posts: 679

Bikes: 2003 Cannondale Jekyll 1000, 2014 Fuji Finest 1.5 (wife), 2008 Fuji Finest 1.0 (Daughter), 2012 Fuji Cross 2.0 (son), 2011 Cannondale Road Tandem 2

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 57 Post(s)
Liked 27 Times in 17 Posts
Originally Posted by 124Spider
But the concept that one splices together two normal chains is valid?
More or less, as I recall, pre-belt, we used about 1.5 chains spliced together for the timing chain
ahultin is offline  
Old 07-22-19, 10:44 PM
  #5  
due ruote 
Senior Member
 
due ruote's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,707
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 903 Post(s)
Liked 524 Times in 318 Posts
Originally Posted by 124Spider
But the concept that one splices together two normal chains is valid?
That’s what we have done. If I recall, we used 6-speed chain, but maybe single speed would last longer? We have had no issues.
due ruote is offline  
Old 07-23-19, 01:15 AM
  #6  
Chancy
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: (near)New Orleans, LA.
Posts: 101

Bikes: S&S Santana Beyond & S&S Santana Arriva. Trek Domane 3.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 14 Times in 8 Posts
124 Spider,

I would not use a single speed chain. Under load your boom tube will bow (slightly). Now your timing chain has to flex as it is engaging the rings. Multi-speed chains are made to run like this, single speed are not. There have been reports of single speed chains coming off the timing rings because of this bow/flex of the boom tube that puts the timing rings out of alignment.

Tailwinds,
Charlie
S&S Santana Beyond

When we used a chain, I went to an 8-speed chain because it was cheaper (at the time) than the 9-speed the bike came with. I carried an 8-sp & 9-sp quick link then.
Chancy is offline  
Old 07-23-19, 09:03 AM
  #7  
DCwom
Senior Member
 
DCwom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Central New Jersey
Posts: 427

Bikes: Burley Tandem

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 29 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 11 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
Before we switched to a belt, we used the same type that we used for the drive chain. That way one repair kit covers everything.
Same here, I matched the drive chain so I only had to worry about 1 size quick link for repair, the cost was not much of a factor to me compared to the hassle of dealing with 2 different chain sizes.
DCwom is offline  
Old 07-23-19, 09:26 AM
  #8  
Carbonfiberboy 
just another gosling
 
Carbonfiberboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 19,501

Bikes: CoMo Speedster 2003, Trek 5200, CAAD 9, Fred 2004

Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3873 Post(s)
Liked 1,920 Times in 1,369 Posts
Originally Posted by 124Spider
But the concept that one splices together two normal chains is valid?
Yes, that's what you have to do. IIRC, takes about 1-1/2 chains. Save the other half.
__________________
Results matter
Carbonfiberboy is offline  
Old 07-23-19, 03:32 PM
  #9  
JanMM
rebmeM roineS
 
JanMM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Metro Indy, IN
Posts: 16,217

Bikes: Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 653 Post(s)
Liked 345 Times in 225 Posts
I've been buying chain by the foot for our recumbent tandem - the timing chain and the main chain are both long.
https://t-cycle.com/collections/chain-in-bulk
__________________
Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer
JanMM is offline  
Likes For JanMM:
Old 08-31-19, 11:19 AM
  #10  
Road Fan
Senior Member
 
Road Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 16,853

Bikes: 1980 Masi, 1984 Mondonico, 1984 Trek 610, 1980 Woodrup Giro, 2005 Mondonico Futura Leggera ELOS, 1967 PX10E, 1971 Peugeot UO-8

Mentioned: 49 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1851 Post(s)
Liked 654 Times in 498 Posts
Originally Posted by Chancy
124 Spider,

I would not use a single speed chain. Under load your boom tube will bow (slightly). Now your timing chain has to flex as it is engaging the rings. Multi-speed chains are made to run like this, single speed are not. There have been reports of single speed chains coming off the timing rings because of this bow/flex of the boom tube that puts the timing rings out of alignment.

Tailwinds,
Charlie
S&S Santana Beyond

When we used a chain, I went to an 8-speed chain because it was cheaper (at the time) than the 9-speed the bike came with. I carried an 8-sp & 9-sp quick link then.
Is this caution recommended for all tandem frames? I could see it for a round boom or a square one, but mine (Meridian) is oval, twice as wide as it is tall.
Road Fan is offline  
Old 09-01-19, 12:33 PM
  #11  
Chancy
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: (near)New Orleans, LA.
Posts: 101

Bikes: S&S Santana Beyond & S&S Santana Arriva. Trek Domane 3.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 14 Times in 8 Posts
Originally Posted by Road Fan
Is this caution recommended for all tandem frames? I could see it for a round boom or a square one, but mine (Meridian) is oval, twice as wide as it is tall.
Yes. The tests were done before carbon fiber bikes, but all tubes flexed. Oval flexed the least, thus most tandem builders went to oval boom tubes. Also why Santana developed the "Z" coupler (initially for their boom tube), thus getting away from 2 round boom tubes (with small round S&S couplers) on their travel bikes. I would assume carbon fiber flexes too, but I do not know for sure as I only play as an engineer.

Mark Johnson, of Precision Tandems, once posted pictures to prove it. In the pictures his timing chain was taunt while they were coasting, and a had a belly on the bottom run as they were peddling.

Tailwinds,
Charlie
2016 S&S Santana Beyond (with an oval coupled boom tube)
Chancy is offline  
Old 09-01-19, 02:56 PM
  #12  
Chancy
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: (near)New Orleans, LA.
Posts: 101

Bikes: S&S Santana Beyond & S&S Santana Arriva. Trek Domane 3.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 14 Times in 8 Posts
Road Fan,

For pictures, go to www.precisiontandems.com scroll down the left side of the home page and click on "Tech Tips" then "Timing Chain Adjustment." Halfway down the page you will see the different pictures, peddling vs. coasting.

Tailwinds,
Charlie
Chancy is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
mstyer
Tandem Cycling
1
10-16-13 10:04 AM
jacks1071
Tandem Cycling
20
09-26-11 06:05 PM
zonatandem
Tandem Cycling
7
09-25-11 04:57 PM
SvdSinner
Tandem Cycling
21
06-30-10 05:10 PM
lhbernhardt
Tandem Cycling
14
05-06-10 08:02 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.