chain tensioner

[noob]

i was fiddling with some stuff on my bike and 5 miles down the road my idler pulley came off... ididnt tighten it down enough. where can iget a new pulley

 

[brobie]

I really like the one that ThatsDax sells. I replaced the one that came with my kit with theirs. It has a ball bearing in it that made things run smoother for me. Some other people remove the tensioner altogether.

 

[OSCAR383]

i made a custom tensioner mount that welded to the bike frame ...... and then didnt even use it

 

[noob]

is there a downside to going without the tensioner??

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

I replace them with a skateboard wheel with ceramic bearings.

 

[Norman]

I'm pretty fond of the skateboard wheel too I thin them on the lathe and cut off the outer rubber or what ever that stuff is then make a little shoulder on each side seems to work very good.
Norman

 

[niinnn]

Rollerblade wheels are also really good as they are already narrower and have a harder compound to the urethane so they last alot longer.

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

I grind the groove the old fashioned (or hard) way- on a bench grinder.

Hey Norman- I never knew there was an "outer tire" on those things and I was grinding the groove into my first one and the "re-tread" flew off like a road gator from a 100mph semi!

 

[niinnn]

You can buy them for downhill bikes but they are a rip off $ and you dont get to make it yourself

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

is there a downside to going without the tensioner??

Yes, you can't adjust the chain very well, or very much. Sometimes these chains stretch a LOT.

 

[OSCAR383]

Ive Kept Mine Pretty Tight With Half Links And I Do A Lot Tire Burning For All The 24 Year Old Kids Standing Out Side The Hardware Store When They Ask "how Much Power Does That Thing Make?"

 

[mralaska]

is there a downside to going without the tensioner??

Compared to the stock chain tensioner, I have found absolutely no downside to going without the tensioner. In my case, the stock chain seemed to be stretching bad the first 100 miles WITH the stock tensioner but immediately quit as soon as I removed the tensioner. I cannot comment on spring loaded tensioners because I have not tried them.

When I was using the stock tensioner without any mods it was a pain to adjust the chain. After adopting the "T-Shirt" solution posted by MotorbikeMike I found it much simpler to drop in 1/8" shims to dial in the chain length and have not had to adjust it in the 200-300 miles since then. Not only that, but my chain has run quieter and I no longer worry about the chain getting thrown from the sprocket.

http://motorbicycling.com/f6/incremental-chain-tensioning-chain-management-265.html

Some guys use nuts, half links, or other stuff for spacers but I found it worth the $3.00 strip of 1/8" flat stock from my friendly neighborhood hardware store and about 5 minutes work with a hacksaw to make the T-Shirts: