Trackstanding and Chain tension
 

ok so here's the deal. I think my tension is too loose, if i tighten it, it binds (which i know i can re-center the chainring) but i feel like the play in my pedals is throwing me off when i'm trackstanding. anyone else experience this? should i just tighten my tension and try to recenter it and stick with a noisy ride?

There should be a happy medium somewhere. Maybe try some tensioners?

Tighten and re-center. It's the right thing to do, your bike deserves it. :)

hey blast, were you just out for a ride this morning on sawyer camp trail, or on your way somewhere?

oh, and what blastradius said.

Also, proper trackstanding technique isn't really affected by chain tension. You find the balance point and any movement you make is simply pushing forward a bit or letting the bike roll back.

Just sayin.

and who cares about the sound, anyway? i'm kind
of used to the rollercoaster-going-uphill rattle.

...not that i wouldn't be stoked to ride at night in silence.

way off the topic, but i was on my way home from the city this morning and had waaaay too much cafeine and i could not trackstand to save my life. my legs were all shaky and i kept falling off. it was awful. just thought id say.

ya but when there's some play and you try to roll around a little there's sudden movement when the tension is too loose...i don't know, but i do know there's a little play and i want to bridge it.

I was heading from my house down to Woodside with a couple of coworkers. They're preparing for a metric century and it's just about 40 miles for that out-and-back. They did OK for not having ridden much this year yet. Were you in a running race?

nope, just a training run, sawyer camp out and back.

So would MJ help with trackstands? Hmm, you may be onto something.

the answer is yes.

definitely yes.

I went to the park (Central Park) yesterday just to practice trackstands. It was pretty uneventful, I can only hold it for less than a minute. But I think I'm getting there. I still can't get the backward pedaling, feels like I'm going to fall right over.