I have a Bianchi Pista '05 and just tightened the chain for the first time since it looked a little slack. Now it is very tight with just a tiny bit of play in it. Took it for a ride and it seems noticably smoother, easier to pedal.
My question, are there any perimeters to chain tension on a track bike or is it just guesswork?
If it is overly tight do I risk it snapping?

thanks in advance for any input!

a little up and down play is desirable, about half an inch total, ie a quarter inch above and below. an overly-tight chain will increase wear in the cog and chainring, and potentially be more liable to explode and kill you (since hey, it's a pista )

You don't want to run it too tight because that is bad for your cog/hub/chainring. It will make things wear faster. If your chain is too loose it can fall off while you are riding causing all sorts of problems. I use chain tensioners and keep the chain tight enough so there is no visible "droop" but loose enough that you can push on it in the middle and get half an inch of up-down motion with out using to much effort. I guess it is a "feel" thing in the sense that there is no tool that I am aware of that you would use to measure chain tension.

keep it lubed

Tacking on to the chain tightness question. If when you pedal back to skid/stop you feel a tiny pause as if the chain is catching up is that chain likely too loose or is that feeling normal? I had that feeling, though the chain did not have excessive droop, an inch of up and down possibly.

not normal at all. an inch is too much, but that shouldn't be creating a lag between backpedaling and the wheel's response. check your cog/lockring/everything. then check them again

I can't feel the chain pulling tight when I slow down/stop but I can feel it when track standing. I don't think your chain is too loose unless you are dropping chains all of the time. I have never dropped a chain on mine so the small amount of play i experience when trackstanding has never really concerned me.

+1

You shouldn't notice any give when riding. With the 1/2" rule there is the slightist play when track standing, but just a little.

Too tight can really screw **** up so leave a little play. If you can lift a link or two of the rear cog, then that is too loose.

Definitely look into getting a chain tensioner. You only need one—on the drive side, and a Surly will fit that bike. I bounce the head of my 15 mm box wrench lightly in the middle of the chain span to check tension. You'll get used to the feel, how much the chain bounces when it's just right. The tensioner will keep it there a lot longer and you won't have to be fooling with it every week.

I'm the same as the above - I've never thrown a chain, and I've never given much thought to chain tension. Not that it's not important at all, but I think this is one of those things that gets overthought. The biggest advantage of working on chain tension like Yoshi's or Sheldon's guides or getting a tensioner is that you adjust it less often.

Or maybe not, on my new bike I just adjusted the tension for the first time after two months of riding, and no particularly scientific or careful setting in the first place.

Can anyone give some wear data on how tension lower than suggested but not low enough to throw a chain affects drivetrain wear? I ran my other bike like this, and had no appreciable wear on the chainring or cog after a couple thousand kms, nor do I on the new bike with a few hundred or maybe a thousand, but I can't compare to anything else.

Thanks for all the feedback on my chainslack/backpedaling question. For the record I had already checked everything, cog, lockring, etc. as eddiebrannan suggested. I then adjusted the wheel position, making sure not to make it too tight and all is well. I was asking my question after the fact, just wanting to make sure.

I wonder if having a shorter chainstay than most affects the feel of a bit of slack more than it would on a longer chainstay. My question was based on what I felt on my 20" Boardwalk (velospace in my sig) and not my regular sized Schwinn conversion which is not pictured anywhere right now b/c it is really not that interesting.

Thanks again all.

I'm about to face this issue too since I got a rear flat and have to take the wheel out.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html#wheel

+1

don't overthink it. a moderate amount of play is fine. you know what too much play is.

when installing a new chain set it tight—it will give as the chain breaks in.

you don't need to adjust it every week. periodically check it, when the opportunity arises

let your bike talk to you. be open, be available, listen. it will tell you everything you need to know

—zen and the art of track bicycle maintenance