Originally Posted by fixedpip
Could be wrong but these have the Truvativ cranks that are on the KHS, Bianchi etc right? Someone mentioned that these have a 44mm chain line where as track hubs have 42mm chainline. With a lot of these cheaper fixies they have converted road cranks so the chainline is not perfect.
Yes. It says "
Truvativ Touro" on the crank arms. Does that mean 44mm and 42mm from the center of the frame to the the chainring or cog? Oooh, that would be bad. I did read Sheldon's article on chainlines and he said that it should be no more than 1mm off.
All I can do to fix that are spacers? Is this where dishing a wheel differently comes in because if so, I'm screwed and have no idea about such things at all. I'd like to learn as soon as possible, but the easy way of learning would be preferred.
Originally Posted by fixedpip
Is the cog further in than the chainring?
If anything, by looking with my naked eye, I'd have to guess that the cog is a little further
out than the chainring.
Originally Posted by fixedpip
Some suggestions to fixing this:
i) Putting a spacer behind the cog. Not recommended but you can do it. BB spacers work.
If my problem does turn out to be that the cog is a little further
out than the chainring, how would I address that? I'd have to take the spacer out from the left side, replace it with a slightly thinner spacer setup and then add a thin spacer to the right side of the hub. Right? What's a "BB spacer"? Bottom bracket? I don't think I'd be ready to push that out, as a beginner, to line up the chainring with a cog that's a little further out.
Originally Posted by fixedpip
ii) Switching cog. Some cogs esp the Surly cogs seem to have really thin shoulders so they don't line up on some hub/crank combinations. Love EAI cogs but they're pricey.
I don't have any idea what kind of cog I have. I'm sure it's cheap, though.
Originally Posted by fixedpip
iii) Changing chains as you suggest. Some chains are just quieter than others. But if your chainline is off it probably won't help much.
I know. I really need to measure the chainline, otherwise this is all nothing but talk and guessing. I will consider getting a new chain probably anyway, though, becuase of what I've mentioned about the chain links seeming to not even be in line. I'll try to get that video so you can see what I'm talking about. I'm pretty sure (but I haven't measured this either and will when I buy a ruler today) that my drive train is 3/32". Can you please suggest a reliable, quiet, not too expensive chain? Thanks.
Originally Posted by fixedpip
iv) Oil the chain. Just for a craic to see if it helps.
I did oil the chain when I first got the bike. I've only had it for exactly 2 weeks today. I've put maybe 75 miles on it so far. I need to read Sheldon's page on chain maintenance so I will know how to properly care for my chain and how often to do what. I know. I know. It's just all so much to take in at once. I don't know any of this stuff.
Originally Posted by fixedpip
v) Ride it for a while and let it bed in. Normally find it takes a little while for components to get settled.
This is what I was hoping for in the first place. How long should a it take to "bed in"? (I guess I should probably ask in miles, but even my distance of riding on the bike is just guesswork because I don't have a odometer on the bike. My 75 miles is a big guess.)
Originally Posted by fixedpip
Okay. Thanks.
Originally Posted by fixedpip
I would do iv & v and ride it for a little while longer to see if it gets better before messing around with chains/cogs etc.
Okay. Thanks so much for your help. I'll keep posting back to this thread, especially after measuring my chainline, to let you guys know what's going on. Thanks again.
Ryan