Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Chain tugs / tensioners

Seems like no one agrees on what exactly to call them. But I'm looking for a chain tug designed for a track end. The Surly chain tensioner looks like it might be a little to fancy for my bike, and the Primo tugs that I've seen are pretty bulky. My goal is to find something relatively low-profile that won't add another pound (exaggerating, of course) to my bike.

Anyone have any recommendations?

By the way, I just joined. This is by far the best bike forum that I've visited.

what kind of frame? I run the Tuggnut on my DeBernardi. They're like peas and carrots.

']They're like peas and carrots.
thanks, mr. gump.

No Sir, we are not relations...

By the way, I just joined. This is by far the best bike forum that I've visited.

Yeah, just wait til the shrapnel starts flying on some thread. You'll be dressing like [165]'s avatar :D

how 'bout these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42319&item=3695807642&rd=1

those actually did not fit my DeBernardi

how 'bout these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42319&item=3695807642&rd=1

I put em on my C-Dale messenger frame. I had to Dremel the tips of the
drop out as the drop outs are 6mm and needed to be 5mm. They work very
well.

I'd go for the surley's. Can't beat a built in bottle opener.

I bought a set of KORE steel Chain Tensioners and they dont fit my Fuji Track Bike. They are too long and dont actually "tension" anything. bahhhh.... time to bring them back to my LBS.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42319&item=3695807642&rd=1

I second jitensha and veni: had these on a Fuji and they were great. They likely won't fit trackends that are really thick, though. For Surly, Campy, and similar trackends they will be fine.

']what kind of frame? I run the Tuggnut on my DeBernardi. It's a 2002 Bianchi Pista. I'm not really positive that I'll even use a chain tug. I'm actually more concerned about damaging my track end (or at least the paint on it) by adjusting the tension every few weeks than I am about losing tension.



Yeah, just wait til the shrapnel starts flying on some thread. You'll be dressing like [165]'s avatar :D Shapnel's fine by me. It's still better than another forum I went to where Tuesdays and Thursdays were "hey doods, what kind of messanger bag should I by? kthnxs" and Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were "So, like, if I ride fixed, I can't stop pedaling?" Same annoying questions constantly from people that wouldn't bother to skim back just a few days.

Any idea how much the Surly Tuggnuts run for? And if I ride a fixed gear, is it true that I, like, can't stop pedaling? ;)

It's a 2002 Bianchi Pista. I'm not really positive that I'll even use a chain tug. I'm actually more concerned about damaging my track end (or at least the paint on it) by adjusting the tension every few weeks than I am about losing tension.


Shapnel's fine by me. It's still better than another forum I went to where Tuesdays and Thursdays were "hey doods, what kind of messanger bag should I by? kthnxs" and Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were "So, like, if I ride fixed, I can't stop pedaling?" Same annoying questions constantly from people that wouldn't bother to skim back just a few days.

Any idea how much the Surly Tuggnuts run for? And if I ride a fixed gear, is it true that I, like, can't stop pedaling? ;)

Just remember that the Surly tugnuts don't come in pairs. You only get one. Whatever you decide though
i suggest you stay away from those ManOwar machined aluminum ones. I had one brake on me.

And, of course, you can stop pedaling on a fixxie. At least this is how I stop.

Just remember that the Surly tugnuts don't come in pairs. You only get one. Whatever you decide though
i suggest you stay away from those ManOwar machined aluminum ones. I had one brake on me.

And, of course, you can stop pedaling on a fixxie. At least this is how I stop.
As much as it kills me and my symmetry obsession, I think I'd only get one chain tug. And that's funny, that's how I stop, too.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. (Feel free to add more, of course.)

There are a slew of tensioners at www.danscomp.com, but they are for BMX and most may be beefier than you indicated wanting in your original post. Worth checking out, though.

"There are a slew of tensioners at www.danscomp.com, but they are for BMX and most may be beefier than you indicated wanting in your original post. Worth checking out, though."


I agree, and also reccomend the Redline tensioners. I have them and they work great! Lot cheaper than the sruly stuff.

Also, I don't really like the two screw tensioners. The single screw works a lot better for me.

I see people with tensioners, but I still don't get it... what problem are they trying to solve? Seems like all the screws could do would be to prevent the chain from getting any tenser.
--orange

i use the primo chain tensioners on my iro. i like them quite a bit. the redline ones are super nice too.

wheel slippage under loading (i.e. - skidding, skipping, and even the ever so common "bolts too loose" syndrome)

I got those MKS tensioners off ebay. They didn't work on my fuji b/c the wheel was too far back in the drops. I tried removing a link from the chain, but then the wheel hit the seat tube. I'm gonna get a half link, then everything should be fine. But I think its bad design on fuji's part to create a geometry in which you can't use all of the dropout space.

tim

I've been looking for the Redline tensioners for a little while now, since I've seen people mention them a good deal (both here and on roadbikereview). But information on them is pretty much impossible to come by, unless they go by another name, maybe.

To clarify, are these (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=56188&item=3695318982&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW#ebayphotohosting) the Redline chain tensioners that you're referring to?

thanks 165.

I skid. I have never found the chain too tight afterwards, or after any amount of riding. If anything, my chain gets slightly loose and I have to adjust to increase the tension. Again, since the "tensioner" is actually a "tension increase preventer"... and assuming your bolts are tight... what good is it? Are some of y'all finding your chain getting tighter if you don't use tensioners?!?

as the rear hub is loaded via pedaling forces, if the bolts on the axle are too loose, the wheel slips/pulls forward. To prevent this, either torque the bolts properly or use chain tugs/tensioners. These devices work to pull to wheel rearward and keep the chain from becoming so slack that it dismounts either the front ring or rear cog. With fixed gear applications, this can be a pretty serious type of failure.

thanks 165.

I skid. I have never found the chain too tight afterwards, or after any amount of riding. If anything, my chain gets slightly loose and I have to adjust to increase the tension. Again, since the "tensioner" is actually a "tension increase preventer"... and assuming your bolts are tight... what good is it? Are some of y'all finding your chain getting tighter if you don't use tensioners?!?

To me chain tensioners are "chain tension decrease preventers" as well wheel aligners and preventers of wheel misalignement. All the other people I know that use them have the same perception.

thanks 165.

I skid. I have never found the chain too tight afterwards, or after any amount of riding. If anything, my chain gets slightly loose and I have to adjust to increase the tension. Again, since the "tensioner" is actually a "tension increase preventer"... and assuming your bolts are tight... what good is it? Are some of y'all finding your chain getting tighter if you don't use tensioners?!?


The chain tugs prevent the wheel from slipping forward, i.e. which would make the chain looser, not tighter. They are tension decrease preventers. Take a look at a pic of a chain tug not mounted to a bike. The ring goes around the axle with the bar flush with the back of the track end. the screw pulls the ring (and axle with it) towards the back of the track end. Now the back wheel can't side forward as the force of pedaling, skidding, etc would cause, because the axle is held a set distance from the back of the track end.
That said, assuming your bolts are tight, there really isn't much of a use for a tensioner as a 'tension decrease preventer'. Some people find they make adjusting chain tension easier or provide bottle opening abilities though.

ah, I was not picturing the mechanism correctly. I see how it might be useful when removing the wheel, the rings would put the axle right back where it was.

Now that I see it the right way around, though, I wonder how much additional help two little bolts are going to be when you already have big 15mm nuts on a big axle.

thanks strongbad, I mean bombusben

thanks 165.

I skid. I have never found the chain too tight afterwards, or after any amount of riding. If anything, my chain gets slightly loose and I have to adjust to increase the tension. Again, since the "tensioner" is actually a "tension increase preventer"... and assuming your bolts are tight... what good is it? Are some of y'all finding your chain getting tighter if you don't use tensioners?!?

I think you might be confusing the limit screws found on older road bike dropouts with tensioners used on BMX and track bikes, where the dropouts open rearward. By pulling the axle of the rear wheel away from the front chainring with the tensioner (whose set screws are braced against the end of the dropout) you are able to set/maintain a desired tension on the chain that will not be compromised by loading the drivetrain thru braking, skidding, or just riding hard.

...better late than never.

I've been looking for the Redline tensioners for a little while now, since I've seen people mention them a good deal (both here and on roadbikereview). But information on them is pretty much impossible to come by, unless they go by another name, maybe.

To clarify, are these (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=56188&item=3695318982&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW#ebayphotohosting) the Redline chain tensioners that you're referring to?




Bingo, But you should be able to buy them from Danscomp.com or any other good BMX site. Redline doesn't have them on their website, but they exist!

Do they make them for road frame/conversion fixies? If so, where do I get those?

Do they make them for road frame/conversion fixies? If so, where do I get those?
As far as I know, no. They would basically have to work backwards - pushing instead of pulling - for that to work. I would imagine it's probably even less of an issue on conversions than on track bikes just due to the nature of the horizontal drop outs.

I splurged on some MKS NJS tensioners today (only $5 more than the BMX ones I had before). Mounted them on my IRO. They fit perfectly! And, oh my god, are they good looking, nice and small and easy to deal with. I had those ManOwar two screw tensioners before and boy did they suck. Anyway, if they fit your frame they are sweet.