thanks for the info i think ill steer clear from the tensioner idea
I bought the one from pirate , but with add on sprocket.
With the supplied spring , it was garbage , the spring is way too weak.
Found a different spring , much much stronger , and its working now , but it still jumps off the odd time. Kinda thinking to switch from the toothed idler , to the smooth might help , i think the teeth are to long and making it jump off.
Well we shall see if i can work the bugs out but for the cost , atm Im really not impressed.
For whatever reason if i try to shorten the chain to the point that a tension er is not needed , the chain ends up too short (cant reconnect)or too long(jumps off).
there are some really decent looking ones on ebay recently durable looking hand made
How do you get the groove in the skate board wheel? Thx!All the reasons you just described are exactly why I stay away from the spring loaded tensioner set up, my chains never come off and the only time I have ever had a chain come off was when I was dabling with the spring loaded set up, a fixed, adjustable Idler/Tensioner set up works the best on these bikes IMHO, I have zero issues with mine.
If you want to make one heck of a good one use a skateboard wheel and groove out the center 5/16" deep for the chain to ride down in and with the good double bearings that are in the skateboard wheels you'll have an almost bullet proof Idler/Tensioner.
I included a pic of one that I made for one of my bikes, it works great, very simple to do, with very easy to find parts & pieces.
Peace
How do you get the groove in the skate board wheel? Thx!
If you have access to a lathe................
One thing I didn't see mentioned, or I missed it, is that you need to check the construction of the skate board wheel you plan to use. Some of the cheaper ones are a plastic wheel coated with a rubber layer; sort of like a re-tread tire. If you try to use those the rubber will fly off, just like a re-tread and you'll be left with a plastic wheel, or back to square one.
The pricier wheels are solid, one piece and preferably made of polyurathane.
Ask Bike Guy Joe about cutting into a two layered wheel
If you happen to know anyone in the elevator repair business you might be able to scrounge an elevator guide wheel. I scored a couple of these from a mechanic who serviced elevators in the building where I used to work. These were originally three inches in diameter, I cut them down to two inches and grooved them on a lathe. They have 5/16" bearings, both sides and never show any signs of wear after several hundred miles.
Tom