Thinning rag joint...?

L

LWalker

New Member
Hey Everyone,

This is my first post on the forum. I'm working on my first build and finally finished it up but realized my chain alignment was really bad and creating this "popping" noise. The only way I can see to bring the drive sprocket and rear sprocket into alignment is to thin the outer rag joint by slicing off a third of the width. Is this a terrible idea? It's honestly the only solution to my problem. If it wouldn't be a catastrophic mistake - has anyone else done this? Whats the best way to go about it - maybe instead of cutting I should try to sand it down? Unfortunately I don't have an orbital sander and would have to do it by hand.
 
To start off, rag joints are pretty dang strong. They're used for steering joints in older cars. The limiting factor is your wheel spokes here. If you look down the edge of your rubber joint it will be divided in thirds or sixths? You could try removing a layer or two with a razor blade. Anyway you choose a CNC sprocket mount adapter has better adjustability and has a less chance of causing problems later on if installed right.
 
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Have you tried flipping the sprocket around? Just wondering.

Nothing wrong with thinning the rag joint. Also, don't over tighten the sprocket.
 
On my black bike I made a thinner inside rag joint to align the sprocket, at my former job we had conveyor belt of several thicknesses so scrap pieces were easy go come by.
 
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