Another slack chain question

So i've had my bike for 2 weeks now and it seems the chain has gone slack. From what i've read on the forum, the chain doesnt really stretch until youve put in a hefty number of miles on there.

I'm pretty sure it's slacker than when i first bought it.

Is a chain tug the answer?? have i broken something? she still rides fine but ive noticed as well that it isnt as quiet as when i first started and im pretty sure it has something to do with the chain... don't ask me how.

unscrew the bolts and pull the wheel back, then tighten them again.

Hi there, firstly the chain doesn't actually stretch, it wears out. The rivets rub against the bushing and after a while this means there's more slack in the chain. The chances are a your chain hasn't worn like that yet unless it's made of some silly easy wearing material not seen before in a bicycle chain. So probably your rear wheel has just moved in the dropouts. A tug will solve this problem and as far as the noise goes that's pretty likely to be dirt. A good clean and lube of the chain normally sorts out noise. Or as lpg says just tighten those rear nuts til ya can't tighten them no more!

unscrew the bolts and pull the wheel back, then tighten them again.

am i gonna have to keep doing this??? sorry total n00b question.

Got track nuts? They grip the drop outs best with their grippy bits. I put on new wheels this week with non-track nuts and my chain keeps going loose. Trip to lbs tomorrow.

Hi there, firstly the chain doesn't actually stretch, it wears out. The rivets rub against the bushing and after a while this means there's more slack in the chain. The chances are a your chain hasn't worn like that yet unless it's made of some silly easy wearing material not seen before in a bicycle chain. So probably your rear wheel has just moved in the dropouts. A tug will solve this problem and as far as the noise goes that's pretty likely to be dirt. A good clean and lube of the chain normally sorts out noise. Or as lpg says just tighten those rear nuts til ya can't tighten them no more!

cool. ill look into chain tugs then. must be my uber strong pedal strokes at the stop lights.... yeah thats it...

Hi there, firstly the chain doesn't actually stretch, it wears out. The rivets rub against the bushing and after a while this means there's more slack in the chain. The chances are a your chain hasn't worn like that yet unless it's made of some silly easy wearing material not seen before in a bicycle chain. So probably your rear wheel has just moved in the dropouts. A tug will solve this problem and as far as the noise goes that's pretty likely to be dirt. A good clean and lube of the chain normally sorts out noise. Or as lpg says just tighten those rear nuts til ya can't tighten them no more!

Got track nuts? They grip the drop outs best with their grippy bits. I put on new wheels this week with non-track nuts and my chain keeps going loose. Trip to lbs tomorrow.

ive no idea what those are, what are track nuts? how are they different from normal nuts?

Is your crank straight? Wonky crank pulls the chain out (voice of experience).

grippy bits - so they lock proper without having to be overtightened. Dead cheap, available from most lbs's.

even my phil wood with a surly chain tug gets a slack chain fairly quickly. slack chains don't really bother me though. You really don't want them too tight, or you'll wear your drivechain out fast.

I let my chain slowly go slack and every week or so I reset the wheel - I don't bother with tugs as this weekly check forces me to tune up/check out the drive chain.

ive no idea what those are, what are track nuts? how are they different from normal nuts?

A track nut has a built in washer that rotates - (it spins free from the nut).

ie. the washer is griped on the side which makes contact with the dropout and when tightening

it spins free from the nut

Last time i viewed the chainstay/no chainstay thread the opinions were pretty 50/50, I personaly dont mind tinkering with my nuts.

Stoopsombitch.

am i gonna have to keep doing this??? sorry total n00b question.

Yes.

ie. the washer is griped on the side which makes contact with the dropout and when tightening

Last time i viewed the chainstay/no chainstay thread the opinions were pretty 50/50, I personaly dont mind tinkering with my nuts.

Stoopsombitch.

!?!??! last I looked, a chainstay is pretty integral.

means chain tug

!?!??! last I looked, a chainstay is pretty integral.

that's what I like, solid, definite words like integral. cheers, i'll look into one then.

Search the forum for "chaintug".

Not all tugs are suited to all frames.

i was being pedantic, i'm sure stoop meant chaintug, not chainstay. a chaintug is not necessarily integral.

even my phil wood with a surly chain tug gets a slack chain fairly quickly. slack chains don't really bother me though. You really don't want them too tight, or you'll wear your drivechain out fast.

also n00b question (hope u don't mind): what's the first sign of a nigh-fukked drive-chain? how often can you expect to replace it all?

also n00b question (hope u don't mind): what's the first sign of a nigh-fukked drive-chain? how often can you expect to replace it all?

I think I'm right in saying that over tightening the chain makes the teeth on your cog and chainring wear faster, so you'll see the edges of the teeth on one side smooth down. However, IMHO it's more likely just to break or you upgrade your parts (for a different ratio, for example) before the wear gets so bad that you can't ride it any more.

Slack is better than too tight. Too tight wears your bearings and makes it a grind too ride. A bit slack rolls smoother and quieter.

this may be a stupid question, but how do i stop my chain from being slack laterally. its not slack vertically at all, but there's quite a bit of sideways movement.

merci!

right chain size for the chainring/cog maybe?

As in, you don't have a straight chain line?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainline.html