Are there any chain tensioners for old road frames with vertical dropouts?
#1
Are there any chain tensioners for old road frames with vertical dropouts?
I got a singlespeed bike made out of old road frame with vertical dropouts, something like this:
I am looking for a chain tensioner(tugnut) for such frame, mainly to align rear wheel in frame properly. I don't want ones with pulley wheels(sprung), as I don't have any good experience with them.
I was wondering are there any tensioners of this kind(track frame) but for the frame I own:
I can say that I've tried using these track tensioners on my road frame and even when they didn't work properly, they helped with wheel alignment - ie. I've set wheel in position, tensioned chain with them, then tightened QR skewer and finally loosened tensioners so the chain was tensioned by the wheel held by skewer and not by tensioners themselves.
I've used two for both sides, but I've heard that using one is enough, is that true?
edit: For some reason I can't see my image attachments so I am also posting some random links:
Dropouts: https://surlybikes.com/uploads/blog/FFHwD.jpg
Tensioner: https://saltbmx.com/products-2/chain-tensioner/
I am looking for a chain tensioner(tugnut) for such frame, mainly to align rear wheel in frame properly. I don't want ones with pulley wheels(sprung), as I don't have any good experience with them.
I was wondering are there any tensioners of this kind(track frame) but for the frame I own:
I can say that I've tried using these track tensioners on my road frame and even when they didn't work properly, they helped with wheel alignment - ie. I've set wheel in position, tensioned chain with them, then tightened QR skewer and finally loosened tensioners so the chain was tensioned by the wheel held by skewer and not by tensioners themselves.
I've used two for both sides, but I've heard that using one is enough, is that true?
edit: For some reason I can't see my image attachments so I am also posting some random links:
Dropouts: https://surlybikes.com/uploads/blog/FFHwD.jpg
Tensioner: https://saltbmx.com/products-2/chain-tensioner/
Last edited by cuyd; 06-22-23 at 01:59 PM. Reason: can't see images
#2
With a mighty wind
Check your particular bike. All of my horizontal drop old road bikes have a little steel screw built into the dropouts. Super easy to replace if they're missing, check your frame. Not a tensioner but it will allow you adjust how deep or shallow you place the wheel in the frame. Probably enough to make up for the slack in running a single speed without a tensioner.
If you want your chain tighter, grab something soft like a tennis ball and cram it between the frame and seat-tube, then tighten your axle nuts/quick release. It's imprecise but mostly works ok.
If you want your chain tighter, grab something soft like a tennis ball and cram it between the frame and seat-tube, then tighten your axle nuts/quick release. It's imprecise but mostly works ok.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 39,657
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
Liked 3,491 Times
in
1,916 Posts
You don't need anything, since you have classic horizontal dropouts.
Simply pull the wheel back, center and tighten, the same way as you would with IGH hubs and coaster brakes.
BTW - your problem may be that you don't understand chain "tension". I put it in quotes because the correct tension is ZERO TENSION. You want to pull up almost all the slack, leaving the slightest bit possible. Slack in the chain is critical because sprockets aren't perfectly round. Also tension increases wear. Obviously there'll be load on the upper chord, why double wear by also having thensin in the lower.
Simply pull the wheel back, center and tighten, the same way as you would with IGH hubs and coaster brakes.
BTW - your problem may be that you don't understand chain "tension". I put it in quotes because the correct tension is ZERO TENSION. You want to pull up almost all the slack, leaving the slightest bit possible. Slack in the chain is critical because sprockets aren't perfectly round. Also tension increases wear. Obviously there'll be load on the upper chord, why double wear by also having thensin in the lower.
Last edited by FBinNY; 06-22-23 at 02:13 PM.
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,886
Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride
Liked 555 Times
in
381 Posts
The issue with this is if a QR skewer is used instead of a threaded axle, it can be susceptible to being pulled out of alignment. Having a tensioner holding the axle in place can mitigate this.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 39,657
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
Liked 3,491 Times
in
1,916 Posts
HOWEVER not all QRs are created equal, and many key design elements have gone the way of Damascus Steel.
First, the QR does not keep the wheel in place, the axle (locknut) face does that by way of a biting surface. What the QR does is squeeze the dropout against the axle so the necessary bite happens.
So, rather than look for a tensioner, look for hubs with proper hardened, dentated faces. If you can't find a proper hub you can create the needed bite with traction paint, or coarse corundum or sand and nail polish.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,886
Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride
Liked 555 Times
in
381 Posts
What you say is true FBinNY but I'm not sure if you missed the OP stating this was for a SS application. I'm more sprinter than climber but certainly not a super cyclist; I have pulled QR SS rear wheels out of alignment even with closed cam QRs and serrated washers to help with the bite. I contemplated tensioners like the OP but ended up just swapping the axle to a threaded nut axle (no issues since).
Likes For tFUnK:
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 39,657
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
Liked 3,491 Times
in
1,916 Posts
What you say is true FBinNY but I'm not sure if you missed the OP stating this was for a SS application. I'm more sprinter than climber but certainly not a super cyclist; I have pulled QR SS rear wheels out of alignment even with closed cam QRs and serrated washers to help with the bite. I contemplated tensioners like the OP but ended up just swapping the axle to a threaded nut axle (no issues since).
Thr key is to use hubs and QRs that have the proven design specs that were universal before folks forgot them.
In the event the OP wants belt and suspenders confidence he can use a cap screw and nut in the slot forward of the wheel. Otherwise he might use a device like the one pictured, with a DIY stop riding the back of the dropout side saddle.
__________________
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: NW Oregon
Posts: 3,775
Bikes: !982 Trek 930R Custom, Diamondback ascent with SERIOUS updates, Fuji Team Pro CF, Specialized Sirrus Gravel convert '09 Comencal Meta 5.5
Liked 1,136 Times
in
807 Posts
QRs have been reliably holding wheels on for almost 80 years. That's true even for super strong riders climbing steep alpine grades. Don't be offended, but I strongly doubt that you can produce forces exceeding that range.
HOWEVER not all QRs are created equal, and many key design elements have gone the way of Damascus Steel.
First, the QR does not keep the wheel in place, the axle (locknut) face does that by way of a biting surface. What the QR does is squeeze the dropout against the axle so the necessary bite happens.
So, rather than look for a tensioner, look for hubs with proper hardened, dentated faces. If you can't find a proper hub you can create the needed bite with traction paint, or coarse corundum or sand and nail polish.
HOWEVER not all QRs are created equal, and many key design elements have gone the way of Damascus Steel.
First, the QR does not keep the wheel in place, the axle (locknut) face does that by way of a biting surface. What the QR does is squeeze the dropout against the axle so the necessary bite happens.
So, rather than look for a tensioner, look for hubs with proper hardened, dentated faces. If you can't find a proper hub you can create the needed bite with traction paint, or coarse corundum or sand and nail polish.
the One that slipped was a Shimano XT QR (silver painted head, Black lever).. they tighten at first, then, once they cam over and completely close, become looser.
Last edited by maddog34; 06-22-23 at 06:40 PM.
#9
My concern is that the OP shows an old school frame with obvious horizontal (semi-horizontal, to be technically correct) rear dropouts, and in the first sentence refers to the dropouts as "vertical."
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 13,336
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Liked 4,339 Times
in
2,793 Posts
This sounds like an arduous routine. It isn't and never do you have to juggle more than one variable at a time. By contrast, setting chain tension and centering the tire using a quick release when you are tires or having a bad day can one of those juggling acts best done some other time except you gotta get home. In the dark and wet adds to the fun.
Likes For 79pmooney:
#11
Hey
As for dropouts, thanks for correcting me, they are quite similar to those from picture but bit more pointing downwards so I called them vertical but they are indeed of semi-horizontal type.
The bike is singlespeed on rather high gearing and I had issues with wheel being pulled in past(like when aggressively accelerating from standstill or riding uphill), but it could be due to poor quality QR skewers. Now I am using proper steel ones and they seem to hold better. I said I used tensioner(made for track dropouts), just not to tension chain but to ease and speed up wheel alignment process. The chain is being held by QR skewer(my process is to align wheel first using tensioner, then lock skewer and then loosen tensioner - so everything holds up just on QR force).
Anyway, I was just wondering are there any tugnut tensioners for frames with semi-horizontal dropouts because I've never seen ones.
As for dropouts, thanks for correcting me, they are quite similar to those from picture but bit more pointing downwards so I called them vertical but they are indeed of semi-horizontal type.
The bike is singlespeed on rather high gearing and I had issues with wheel being pulled in past(like when aggressively accelerating from standstill or riding uphill), but it could be due to poor quality QR skewers. Now I am using proper steel ones and they seem to hold better. I said I used tensioner(made for track dropouts), just not to tension chain but to ease and speed up wheel alignment process. The chain is being held by QR skewer(my process is to align wheel first using tensioner, then lock skewer and then loosen tensioner - so everything holds up just on QR force).
Anyway, I was just wondering are there any tugnut tensioners for frames with semi-horizontal dropouts because I've never seen ones.
#12
Old fart
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 25,052
Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.
Liked 3,684 Times
in
2,080 Posts
That's only an issue with open-cam type quick releases that should only be used with vertical dropouts. A traditional enclosed cam quick release doesn't have that issue.
Likes For JohnDThompson:
#13
señor miembro
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Pac NW
Posts: 6,637
Bikes: '70s - '80s Campagnolo
Liked 6,999 Times
in
3,448 Posts
#14
What I do with nutted axles is grab the chainstay with my left hand and hook my thumb around the tire to tension the chain, tighten the DS nut, then adjust the centering of the wheel while tightening the NDS nut. I don't push very hard, and there's usually a bit of slack when I'm done.
#15
Someone could make a retainer washer, similar to what the OP is suggesting, that attaches to the adjuster screw, which prevents the QR axle from sliding forward on the DS dropout.
#16
I got a singlespeed bike made out of old road frame with vertical dropouts, something like this:
I am looking for a chain tensioner(tugnut) for such frame, mainly to align rear wheel in frame properly. I don't want ones with pulley wheels(sprung), as I don't have any good experience with them.
I was wondering are there any tensioners of this kind(track frame) but for the frame I own:
I can say that I've tried using these track tensioners on my road frame and even when they didn't work properly, they helped with wheel alignment - ie. I've set wheel in position, tensioned chain with them, then tightened QR skewer and finally loosened tensioners so the chain was tensioned by the wheel held by skewer and not by tensioners themselves.
I am looking for a chain tensioner(tugnut) for such frame, mainly to align rear wheel in frame properly. I don't want ones with pulley wheels(sprung), as I don't have any good experience with them.
I was wondering are there any tensioners of this kind(track frame) but for the frame I own:
I can say that I've tried using these track tensioners on my road frame and even when they didn't work properly, they helped with wheel alignment - ie. I've set wheel in position, tensioned chain with them, then tightened QR skewer and finally loosened tensioners so the chain was tensioned by the wheel held by skewer and not by tensioners themselves.
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 39,657
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
Liked 3,491 Times
in
1,916 Posts
QR systems are just that systems, and like all systems require multiple elements that work together. The key elements in wheel QRs include axle faces that bite into a dropout for a secure grip, a cam with adequate throw and a stop point just beyond top dead center. Excess throw beyond the top unreasonable reduces tension. While many worry about aluminum QR heads, I remind them that BITD the reliable QRs were also made of comparatively soft materials that didn't bite. That's because the Axle did that, and if one looked ar the road bikes of the era, you'd see that the outside faces of dropouts looked decent, the inner faces were seriously marred.
So, while I agree that many modern external cam QR don't hold well, it's because other parts of the system were similarly compromised. The problem isn't the type of cam, it's all the other issues, most importantly the lack of bite in axle faces.
__________________
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
#18
Senior Member
Many companies make chain tensioners that attach on the dropout for this purpose. For example these: https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...45&category=54
Likes For AeroGut:
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 39,657
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
Liked 3,491 Times
in
1,916 Posts
None of those is a viable option if the OP is planning to go with a fixed gear.
__________________
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
#20
Old fart
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 25,052
Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.
Liked 3,684 Times
in
2,080 Posts
Someone could make a retainer washer, similar to what the OP is suggesting, that attaches to the adjuster screw, which prevents the QR axle from sliding forward on the DS dropout.
Likes For JohnDThompson:
#21
Senior Member
Just FYI, there is literally one tensioner of this design made by Surly (which is, maybe ironically, where the picture that OP provided is from).
Search for a "Hurdy Gurdy".
But I also agree that OP should just get a good QR skewer/hub.
Search for a "Hurdy Gurdy".
But I also agree that OP should just get a good QR skewer/hub.
Likes For wschruba:
#22
Senior Member
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 39,657
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
Liked 3,491 Times
in
1,916 Posts
My statement that spring-arm tensioners were unsuited for fixed gear implied exactly what it said. Any extension to non-fixed single speeds isn't implied, so I don't see what needs explaining.
In any cast, the OP clearly emphasized that he wasn't looking for a spring-arm tensioner, so there's no logic to linking to those.
__________________
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
Likes For FBinNY:
#24
Senior Member
I'm not sure I understand your point.
My statement that spring-arm tensioners were unsuited for fixed gear implied exactly what it said. Any extension to non-fixed single speeds isn't implied, so I don't see what needs explaining.
In any cast, the OP clearly emphasized that he wasn't looking for a spring-arm tensioner, so there's no logic to linking to those.
My statement that spring-arm tensioners were unsuited for fixed gear implied exactly what it said. Any extension to non-fixed single speeds isn't implied, so I don't see what needs explaining.
In any cast, the OP clearly emphasized that he wasn't looking for a spring-arm tensioner, so there's no logic to linking to those.
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 39,657
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
Liked 3,491 Times
in
1,916 Posts
Sorry, the link didn't open, and my mind was somewhere else.
__________________
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.