Chain stretch & magic gear

Currently running a magic gear set up on my big Argos and my chain kmc z510 has stretched a bit. I know you are supposed to run a chain a bit slack but I'm worried this could get worse.

Anyone have any good tips to prevent chain going slack.

Any chain recommendations particularly welcome esp from the lo pro po po riders.

Cheers, Ved

I just used a half link chain and then when it got super slack, pulled out a link.
seemed to work.

The more you keep it lubed the less it will stretch. Stretch is due to the rivet holes wearing, rather than the links physically stretching so looking after it (regular cleaning/lube) will reduce this.

Cheers dude, not at super slack stage yet thankfully and have half links.

I seem to recall a chain being marketed as non stretch but this seems impossible as chains don't stretch but wear.

Keep an eye on it. Mine went from okay to not okay in a month when I tried a magic gear many years ago. The not okay resulted in chain coming off when going down hill and spinning at full speed (no pressure on chain, rough road) so not okay is a bit of an understatement!

That is the day I decided to get a frame with track ends...

what about filing flats onto your axle to take out a bit of the slack?

that works ^

Yes. Will keep an eye on it sure. Filing flats. Hmmmm.

^that (axle filing) actually works, spoken from experience. if you do it right, you will have months of adjusting opportunity without having to take out link from chain - just spin the axle taking slack out little by little. just try not to mount the axle with filed off bit facing upwards if your ridin is rough.
let us know if that advice actually comes through - it took me quite a few pictures before i actually knew what to do about it :)

I got hollow axles though[t]...

like this but not DA hubs

hollow axles work ..

via http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

Good old Sheldon.

Yep. Props where props is due.

half links is the only way and you'll have to live with the "slackness" until you have enough chain wear to put a half link in.

other than that.. Eno hub is the answer...

filling flats into axle ? no, i wouldn't do it.

oh yes you would if you had a vertical drop-out MTB frame and hated chain tensioners, just like myself... :)

@ Zed hollow axles work, like shown above, and in fact that's the type of hub axle i happenned to file down and then use lots... so no worries, really

actually, regarding that pic above from sheldon's site
you wouldn;t want to make the edges of that filed down area so rough, but instead make it smooth, in order to have an opportunity to spin the axle little by little - which is actually your goaal now, innit? :)

I find that there's a point where chains stop to wear/stretch. The chain on my bike that has vert dropouts is one that I previously had on a fixed that I rode solidly for six months before I fitted it to the new bike. The magic gear has been solid for almost a year now. So there you go. A bit of forward planning is all that's needed. ;o)

thats what i'm hoping for!

does running a worn chain not increase wear on chain ring and sprocket? I remember replacing a well worn chain (12 1/4 inches for 12 links) on my old spesh hardrock a couple of years ago, first time i had done anything like that - new chain still skipped and jumped over the chainrrings like crazy when pulling away, replaced the chainrings, sorted. Don't know if the worn chain specifically caused increased wear on teeth or if it was just concurrent age / distance related wear which would have occurred even with unworn chain.

I find that there's a point where chains stop to wear/stretch.

That is the point where the chain needs to be replaced!

Chains tend to wear slowly to begin with, but once they go they really go. The theory is that once there's a bit of clearance between the pins and the plates, bigger and bigger pieces of grit can enter and wear is accelerated.

I've had a chain with no measurable wear after five months of winter commuting - only one month after that it had almost 1/8" per foot of stretch.

For chain stretch prevention you can ONLY rely on quality voodoo..
http://www.voodoodeprince.com/FREEVoodooBoneCastingSpell.html

How are you getting on with this, Zed?

I'm not. Magic gear is for retards.

did you by the eno hub, thats the answer really.