Chain to clear rear tire

How much room do you have between the tire and the stays and chain on the pedal side? It may be possible to dish the wheel to the right (offset from the hub) in order to gain clearance for the drive side chain.

I had this issue on my china build. the easiest and best fix is to use a thinner tire. I used the maxxis 1.9x26 hookworm.

Jamesgregory said:

I would like to throw this out here for some input or ideas. I am working on running Maxxis tires and they are 2.5 wide (I already have them on). The wheel needs to be pushed over and the sprocket brought out a bit. I’m thinking of spacer washers or thin nuts threaded on the chain side rear wheel axel to push the wheel over and spacers on the bolts between the sprocket and hub adapter. Any thoughts or input would be appreciated

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James, I dig the fact that you are using 2.5" tires. I'm using 2.35" Schwalbes on both of my current motor-bikes. For most frame, a 2.5" tire would be a tight fit!

-Consider a Manic Mechanic Hub Adapter, which allows for side-to-side adjustment/movement, in addition to keeping the rear sprocket perfectly true.

-Adjust the rear wheel so it just barely clears the pedal-side chain, in order to allow maximum space for the engine-side chain.

-If neccessary, also consider a standard, KMC-brand 415 chain, as opposed to the 415H chains that come with the engine kits. the 415 will still fit the sprockets you have, but has less width than a 415H, with minimal tensile strength difference. This will give you a slight advantage for tire clearance, though it is a slightly weaker chain.

If all else fails, maybe a Sick Bike Parts shift kit, so you only have the pedal chain going back.

Jamesgregory said:

Im running 2.35 Schwalbes (Fat Frank) on my Mountian Bike, I like them so far I only got them last week and put them on. They dont look to much smaller than my Maxxis I do have the hub adapter and going to run a 40T sprocket. Turbobuick1 when you say "-Adjust the rear wheel so it just barely clears the pedal-side chain, in order to allow maximum space for the engine-side chain". What do you mean by this and how would you adjust a tire over???

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I guess what I'm trying to say is, when you mount the rear wheel and tire to the bike, instead of having the wheel pointed directly at the seatpost, have it slightly angled towards the pedal side chain. Obviously you would be adjusting this as you tighten down the axle nuts. I hope this makes sense! Let me know if it doesn't. I had to do this with the motorbike fitted with Schwalbe Fat Franks. I was able to use my 415H chain, but with your 2.5" tire, you might have to resort to the 415 chain, but of course this also depends on your bike frame. Post up some pics when you get a chance, Id like see just how wide that tire is!

2door said:

Angling the rear wheel is not a good idea. If the engine is centered in the frame as its supposed to be, angling the rear wheel will throw off your sprocket/chain alignment. That's asking for problems. The drive and driven sprockets should be exactly aligned with each other for proper roller chain performance and to reduce the risk of derailment.

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The angling is so slight, it is harmless. I have had 328 GPS-recorded trouble-free miles since installing these larger tires with absolutely no problems with the chain. While I do agree that any chain on any machine should be aligned well to minimize excessive roller pin wear, ALL chains can tolerate very slight misalignments.