Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - chain popping off

my chain popped off as i descended the williamsburg bridge into nyc today..

OUCH.

now, why does this seem to happen sometimes without any correlation to the tightness of my chain?? how can i get this to NEVER happen again?

mc

Have a look at your chainring and rear gear, if the teeth are worn or broken off in a certain area it can cause the chain to slip off. Assuming you are on fairly new gears, it just comes down to tension. For track racing, I usually hang the bike by the back wheel and tighten at that point. Too much slack and it will slip off, not enough and it's inefficient and hard on equipment.

Mike

..any brakes?

I had this problem a few times this summer.. couple times b/c of tension..once b/c of a busted link... no brakes...but luckily it was never a bad situation...

Are you using non-pinned/ramped chainring? I had the same issue on my bike, but adding a chain tug on the drivetrain side remedied that. I am thinking a combination of torque and frame flex (that what I surmised was my issue) may be the culprit.

..any brakes?

I had this problem a few times this summer.. couple times b/c of tension..once b/c of a busted link... no brakes...but luckily it was never a bad situation...

no brakes.. eek. i did a fred flintstone.

mc