Originally Posted by
cave12man
Seriously guys I can't thank you enough for the help. Seriously awesome info and advice. The more I dig deeper into this stuff the more I realize how much I don't know yet. So great to have a site like this with members like you.
Anyways for the freewheel....since it's not a cassette and the spacer kits won't work, you're talking about a freewheel like
this correct?
Obviously I've never done this before, but how does the freewheel stay in the place you want it to? I'm thinking I'll figure it out once I get there but wanted to ask first in case there was something I'm missing.
Unfortunately I left my rear derailleur at the shop but I'm going back today to talk to them about a possible refund so I'll see if they kept it around. If not I'll look into getting a cheaper tensioner. $50 for the Surly is a little steap.
Funny you said that about the chain becoming slack because I noticed last night when I was taking the wheel on and off, that the chain had become much less tight than when it came back from the shop. And that's only after a week of commuting. Couldn't imagine what it would be like in a few more.
You're welcome.
That is the freewheel you need, yes - and by the way, that particular one is very good, too (great quality for the money).
No tensioner will be as good as even the crappiest deraileur - because deraileurs have better bearings in the pulleys and have limit screws to adjust the chainline with much better precision AND flexibility than chain tensioner.
Yeah, the chain slacks superfast when you have the magic ratio thing. There are people that think magic ratios work - that's because they cycle maybe 2 kilometers a day - to the nearest Starbucks and back to their dorm, I guess.... Oh yeah, and the magic ratio usually forces you into a gear that you don't really like. As your second post indeed suggests.
Good job on removing one chainring and replacing the bolts. I can see that you'll get proficient in this bike mechanics stuff very fast.