chain tensioner

filestyle1 · #1 (**permalink**) 06-01-2008, 11:37 PM

just wanted to share a few pics with all of you of the tensioner i fabbed over the weekend. I used a roller skate wheel I got for free from the local roller rink , then I modified a bmx brake arm with a internal spring , then fabbed up a new bracket, and had cut up the stock mount, modified it then re-used it as the bracket clamp ! a little paint to clean up the roller skate wheel and a few new bolts with acorn nuts for decoration and tweak here and there and wa-lah , the perfect tensioner. I appreciate so many who have replied to me about a tensioner and sharing ideas, that I have come up with my own application that works for me. hope you enjoy!

VENICE BOY · #2 (**permalink**) 06-02-2008, 12:42 AM

Very clean, very professional looking!

**Bikeguy Joe** · #3 (**permalink**) 06-02-2008, 07:23 AM

Nice!!!!!!

Pablo · #4 (**permalink**) 06-02-2008, 09:26 AM

Shizznits!

cool.

MarcPhotoMan · #5 (**permalink**) 06-02-2008, 08:13 PM

I LIke, I Like It!!!!!

Ghost0 · #6 (**permalink**) 06-03-2008, 10:42 AM

Excellent job, but I do have one suggestion. Typically most chain tensioners will have their pivot points leading, and the roller trailing, the direction of the chain rotation. Your roller is leading and your pivot point is trailing. Would be real simple to just turn the unit around. I doubt you will experience the potential over center problem but something to keep in mind.

**Bikeguy Joe** · #7 (**permalink**) 06-03-2008, 01:14 PM

Good tip...I was gonna say that, but it looked so nice, I thought I'd let it go.

I AM the one who, on my first build mounted his chain tensioner on the upper run and was perfectly happy with it until someone pointed it out....It did work better once I put it where it belonged though.

filestyle1 · #8 (**permalink**) 06-03-2008, 01:25 PM

the set up works good as is , as long as no one tells the chain that!(the chain doesnt know where the pivot is at!) but thank you for the advice I may turn that around just to see if better or not!

Padanew · #9 (**permalink**) 06-03-2008, 03:19 PM

How did you make it and with what parts and where can you get them?

filestyle1 · #10 (**permalink**) 06-03-2008, 04:37 PM

a roller skate wheel , free from my local roller rink ; a used brake arm from my personnel stash of goodies and then fabbed up a new bracket. the brake arm was used originally for a brake that mounts on a post on the frame of a bike, it has the small round spring inside that you can mount in different holes for the type of tension that you needed for your brakes. when I fabbed the new bracket , I drilled a 5/16" hole in the bracket ; then drilled a series of 1/8" holes around the larger hole for different tension settings and located the spring to the hole which best suited my needs. On both points (roller/pivot) I used 5/16" bolts with nylon locking nuts then decorated with acorn nuts. the little system works really well to my application.(necessity is the mother of invention)
well thats about every thing in a nut shell , if you have more questions feel free to ask