The *BEST* Solution for "THE" tensioner/pulley

Love you more Tom Sir!

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I want 2 ride my bicycle

Always wanted to ask, have you ever ran a MB with out a tensioner? Just askin' really have never had a problem not using them

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I want 2 ride my bicycle

Me personaly love my factory chain tensioner....It makes taking the back tire off easier becouse you have alot of extra chain slack,it also helps to guide my chain and when my chain does stretch I just ajust the tensioner....
I dont see how so many people have had problems with the tentioner....My factory tensioners have never let me down and thats including when I had the old tentioner without the bearings.....End of story....
John-John

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IF I CANT FIX IT,IT ISN'T BROKEN!....ummmmmmm so I thought....

wow this is actually sweet, cause my tensioner has been nothing but a pain in the ass, NO matter what i do i cannot line it up(chain idler that is) and thaTS WHAT IVE BEEN PLANNING TO DO TO MY BIKE AND TRY IT. Even though its my first build that really been my only on going problem. Im pretty sure my sprockets are aligned but my idler is trashed now so i havent been able to ride. I plan on using a different chain to shorten.(Gasbikes. com) doesent really give a rats ass about there customers.

Here's the real deal. It's not a tensioner. Shouldn't be called one. Its a guide. Tensioners are for bikes with rear suspensions that have a large distance from the front sprocket to the swingarm pivot which effectively makes the chain different lengths at different angles of the swingarm. Even then it's purpose was not to put any kind of load on the chain but to take up the slack that would otherwise cause the chain to come off. In the old days dirt bikes had so little travel in the rear that they didn't need them.

If one can shorten the chain as you did that is the best way to go. However the reason it is sometimes necessary to use the guide is not because of the chain length or the desire to "tension" the chain (which in fact it shouldn't be), it is due to the style of the chainstays one has on their bicycle.

The guide when properly used is to route the chain above the chainstay of the bike to a point where it can drop down at an angle as to not interfere with the chainstay.

Take my elgin for example. No ammount of chain breaking or lengthing would do the trick. The problem was the angle of the chainstay in relationship to the position of the motor. The solution is to use a guide or mount the engine as high as possible. In my bikes case the engine can not be put up high enough to make the chain clear the chainstay.

IOW one frame might need to use one while another may not . It's all about the frame.

I suppose however one could use the guide to take out the slack that comes with chain wear .

It may be of some use to note that the smaller the rear sprocket the less chance of this kind of interference .

Here's my question- If you can't get the tensioner/guide to work properly, how are you going to get the chain to "work" properly??

Luck? Maybe.

What I am saying is if you can't make the tensioner work, you aren't generally going to be able to size a chain, properly tension it, and keep it that way.

It's not as simple as just removing the tensioner and riding away. If it was, they would save the .25 cents it takes to supply each kit with one.

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If it ain't broke, and you mess with it long enough, it will be.

I agree that it's better to NOT use the tensioner, if you look on my website, many of my bikes are that way, but on many bikes you simply don't have any choice; you must use it!
Many frames like the Schwinn Jaguar, don't have any adjustment for the rear wheel, 1/2 links dont always get the tension perfect, & shimming the engine every time the chain stretches is a pain in the arss!!!

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For engine kits & bike service in Los Angeles, visit us at- www.VeniceMotorBikes.com

in all honesty, you should learn how to use the tentioner properly,
#1, dont even think the wheel will stay put "adjusted" to the top of the slot. i have tried many times to tighten my chain this way and decelleration only pulls it back down.
#2, drilling the frame isnt a great idea either! mentioned above being in mind, the right way to tighten your chain is to slide the tentioner back closer to the sproket!
#3, you probley will need to "twist" it like tom explains (2door) you may not.

#4, the chain tentioner only gives problems if you install it wrong, in other words bolt it in place and expect to to work,

i set my last one up as i told you above, and adjusted it back once and have over 800 kms on it in the last month without a problem

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<code>"isuck@code"</code>

It's not as simple as just removing the tensioner and riding away. If it was, they would save the .25 cents it takes to supply each kit with one.[/quote]


I suspect that if the kit did not come with this device, a good number of people would complain to the supplier that the chain they sent was too long. After all the selling point of these kits is often that it can be put on a bike in a few hours with simple tools. Better to send a garage door opener guide than a chainbreaker.

y'know, you could put a chain tensioner on the pedal side, instead. they actually make high quality parts for that...

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