do i "need" those horizontal dropout chain tensioners?
02-24-09, 11:48 AM
#1
bikes are sexy
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do i "need" those horizontal dropout chain tensioners?
i've got a single speed mtb, it came with chain tensioners that go in the horizontal drop outs. i cant get the axle straight for the life of me. i got fed up and removed the tensioners. less than a minute later i had it perfectly set up. do i really need them? i think they suck
02-24-09, 11:51 AM
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don't be so angry
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well i have a steelhead with the same setup, and I have to use the "tensioners" because if I don't once I start riding the axle slides. Prolly dont need it if you are running at the front of the slot, otherwise I'd keep em
02-24-09, 11:54 AM
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Dude, they don't suck. But you don't need them. I've got a solid axle on my singlespeed mtb with horizontal dropouts, and I have no problem getting the wheel set up right. Same with my road-bike fixie.
With solid axles at least, it's not difficult to keep the axle from sliding.
With solid axles at least, it's not difficult to keep the axle from sliding.
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02-24-09, 11:57 AM
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Then you have a bigger problem. Tensioners are not wheel axle retention devices and were never desinged for that. No bike that is properly setup should HAVE to use a hack fix like a tensioner to keep the wheel from sliding forward in dropouts.
02-24-09, 11:59 AM
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i've got a single speed mtb, it came with chain tensioners that go in the horizontal drop outs. i cant get the axle straight for the life of me. i got fed up and removed the tensioners. less than a minute later i had it perfectly set up. do i really need them? i think they suck
02-24-09, 12:15 PM
#6
mechanically sound
The bottle opener on the surly tuggnut sure comes in handy during mid-ride refreshers. 
02-24-09, 12:16 PM
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bikes are sexy
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i'll post a picture soon. i have the axle bolts torqued do so hard that i doubt anything short of an earthquake could move them
02-24-09, 12:28 PM
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For years I thought they were neccesarry and I used those cheap bmx ones with 10mm nuts. I'd usually lose one or two a winter to corrosion. Eventually I got a Surly (which is stainless) and it is a heck of a lot easier to use. Although it's a component one can certainly do without, I've found the fine adjustment it offers speeds up disk adjustment after pulling the wheel out.
02-24-09, 02:01 PM
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don't be so angry
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well ya big tough guy thats why I put "tensioners" in quotes cause they're not actually tensioners. Go kick a baby you master artisan you.
02-24-09, 02:28 PM
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i have a quick release SS road bike with forward facing horizontal dropouts.
i dont need chain tugs, but the axle does slip occasionally, usually from bunny hopping. so i use tugs to just make sure it never moves. i reckon id be fine without it, but its nice to have.
i made my chain tug from a old aluminium ruler.
i dont need chain tugs, but the axle does slip occasionally, usually from bunny hopping. so i use tugs to just make sure it never moves. i reckon id be fine without it, but its nice to have.
i made my chain tug from a old aluminium ruler.
