Excessive chain slap
I've had my '07 Rockhopper for about a month and a half now, and I've got a quick question.
A few weeks ago, while trying to power through a rocky section that I had no business in as a relative newbie, I managed to smack the rear derailleur hanger on a rock and it bent enough to prevent shifting. I promptly took it to my LBS (Agee's in Richmond), and they put a new hanger on it.
Now, whenever I hit any sort of a root or small jump, or even if I hit a steep section at high speed, the chain excessively slaps the bottom third of the rear triangle, chipping paint and making a rather loud noise. I didn't notice it doing this before the RD hanger repair, although my skill level and subsequently the amount of things that I hit at high speed has increased since then. Is there a way to adjust the tension in the chain that I can perform myself instead of taking it back for another tune-up? It seems to me that more tension would reduce the amount of play in the chain and that would reduce the distance that it travelled when I hop over a root. Or is this just a characteristic of the Rockhopper frame, because I've eyeballed a few other bikes, and the bottom of the rear triangle is much closer to the top half of the chain than most others I've seen.
On a positive note, I'm having a blast. The James River Park System trails in Richmond are awesome, and I'm getting better every day. I also have lots of bruises and scrapes from learning clipless :) I'd just like to fix this small problem as its ruining the paint down there and the noise is really noticable, as the guys that I ride with have told me. Thanks in advance for any ideas.
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