Bye bye bicycle :(

GoldenMotor.com

SeattleMike

New Member
Mar 17, 2008
67
0
0
Seattle, WA
I don't know what I was thinking guys, I went out into my shed last night to get into the engine and fix the broken sprocket thing and it was fine! I could have sworn that the sprocket was broken loose, but it's not. I don't know if it was in my head, I'm probably just remembering it wrong- it happens to me sometimes. So aside from the bad news that I'm wrong about something (should be used to it by now), it's great news that the sprocket is fine.
I also bought new wheels and tires, and fixed the rear sprocket (it was warped from the accident), and got it all hooked up and ready to go.
Now I'm just worried about the frame damage. You can see the damage to the frame in these pics: Tensioner Disaster
My frame was already a little bit bent in that same spot before, and it held up just fine. But this is a bit worse. What do you guys think about the frame?
 

SeattleMike

New Member
Mar 17, 2008
67
0
0
Seattle, WA
I got the bike running, and went on a really fun long ride yesterday. It was supposed to be a quick test ride to see if everything was working after I put on the new tire and everything, but it turned into an hour long ride, that ended in another disaster.
It was a warm beautiful night, and I went exploring through parts of the city I never visited. I rode up to cliffs that overlook the salt water and watched ferries go by, and I went to another part of the city where I saw overlooks of the downtown skyline. It was very cool, on this bike I go exploring and visit places, and talk to people that I never would in my car.
But as I was on my way home, several miles and several hills away, the chain started popping off the rear sprocket. I initially was able to put the chain back on but the master link eventually broke off. I was stuck again! I tried peddling but that was terrible, because I had knee surgery last year and I'm not quite recovered from that and also I'm temporarily anemic from a medical treatment I had to go through recently.
I eventually just put my bike on the front of a city bus, they have bike racks that are really convenient.

So the chain must have stretched or something, because I didn't have the tensioner on and the chain was tight when I left, but by the end of the trip it was very loose. How fast do these chains stretch? And do they stop stretching?
 

paul

Well-Known Member
Dec 23, 2007
5,547
44
48
67
Kalamazoo, MI
i have had that happen but it wasn't from chain stretch. the chain tensioner had moved just a little which would make the chain come off. i took a rock and tapped on the tensioner to get it aligned right again so i could get home and tighten it more
 

Dave31

Active Member
Mar 1, 2008
11,199
47
38
Aztlán, Arizona
Glad to hear your motor is not dead Mike. I had the same problem Mike when I first started riding my MB. I would adjust the chain and it would be okay for a day or two, I would constantly have to adjust it and had it fall off a few times.
After a while it did fine, it's been several years now with the same chain and I check it before every ride. I recently changed rear sprocket, but before that I dont think I had to adjust the chain since December. Don't get discouraged, it will get better.
 

Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Jan 8, 2008
11,837
252
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up north now
Run the stock chain (not tight, but you already know that). After a few hundred miles of stretching and adjusting, it will be broken in. The chain takes a little longer than the engine to break in.