A yes. A friend has done this to tension his tandem timing chain. I think that even by repositioning the chain-ring you should be able to slightly vary the tension.ironhanglider wrote:Use a 'Ghost Chainring'.
I used one as a chain tensioner with great success on a previous tandem, I have also seen some discussion of using them as a chain tensioner of 'fixies'.
If the chain does lengthen, then you can just use a bigger ring (or two).
Which chain is resistant to any stretch
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby il padrone » Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:02 am
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby ColinOldnCranky » Tue Mar 26, 2013 1:50 am
Thanks. Giraffes are set up to do just that quite easily.il padrone wrote:A yes. A friend has done this to tension his tandem timing chain. I think that even by repositioning the chain-ring you should be able to slightly vary the tension.ironhanglider wrote:Use a 'Ghost Chainring'.
I used one as a chain tensioner with great success on a previous tandem, I have also seen some discussion of using them as a chain tensioner of 'fixies'.
If the chain does lengthen, then you can just use a bigger ring (or two).
In the last five day I have been amking a concerted effort into skills work in the things that work the chain a fair bit. With that I am assessing if I can do that sort of stuff without excessive loading of the chain, so maybe reducing the problem. If I can build the necessary skills to lighten greatly the forces I apply to the pedals then I may be able to live with just adjusting. I am pleased that so far my skills are improving quite a lot and the chain is still staying reasonably tight.
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby il padrone » Tue Mar 26, 2013 11:51 am
OR there is always this different option
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby find_bruce » Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:46 pm
Yeah but then he will be complaining abour tyre wear causing slippage - or does he need a couple of eccentric hubs to go with the eccentric BBil padrone wrote:OR there is always this different option
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby ColinOldnCranky » Tue Mar 26, 2013 6:12 pm
More than half the problem is probably due to a small but inevitable eccentricity on one or both chain wheels. Your adjustable eccentricity solution would be the bees knees.il padrone wrote:Of course, long term your best solution may be to get a unicycle frame made up that includes an eccentric bottom bracket. This enables the routine adjustment of your chain to the required amount of tension.
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby trailgumby » Tue Mar 26, 2013 6:24 pm
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby JonoMarshall » Wed Mar 27, 2013 3:10 pm
Having a shorter chain (microdrive) will result in less slack but if you want a setup that will last a long period of time then go for as long a chain as possible (less wear on individual links over time).
Most chains are rarely produced (as far as I know) to be ultra-strong (and have less-wear) with the exception of BMX products. As always though your drive will only be as strong/wear resistent as your weakest part (most likely your ring/cog).
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby mikesbytes » Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:58 pm
What you need is quality track ringsColinOldnCranky wrote:More than half the problem is probably due to a small but inevitable eccentricity on one or both chain wheels. Your adjustable eccentricity solution would be the bees knees.
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby theprophet » Wed Mar 27, 2013 6:31 pm
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby il padrone » Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:05 pm
http://www.this link is broken/kmc-z8s-silgray-chain-116l/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby ColinOldnCranky » Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:00 pm
You have not grasped a significant bit I suspect.theprophet wrote:My solution is just to replace the chain often with very cheap k mart chains spend $20 on a new chain every month or 2 and it shall be good.
It is not just about the chain. Indeed it is not even mainly about the chain. It is also about the effect that stretching (k-mart?) chains have on the chain wheels which makes changing chains counterproductive. The cheap stretchy chain wears the chain wheels so that changing chains itself introduces a serious problem.
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby il padrone » Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:06 pm
If you monitor the chain wear, such that 12 full links never 'stretch' to more than 12 1/16" you should be able to change to a new chain and repeat, and never significantly wear your chain ring and sprocket. More so if you use a steel chain-ring/sprocket (eg Surly SS chain ring and track cog) and use as large a size as you are comfy with - larger ring & sprocket will wear slower.ColinOldnCranky wrote:It is not just about the chain. Indeed it is not even mainly about the chain. It is also about the effect that stretching (k-mart?) chains have on the chain wheels which makes changing chains counterproductive. The cheap stretchy chain wears the chain wheels so that changing chains itself introduces a serious problem.
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby mikesbytes » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:11 pm
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby ColinOldnCranky » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:58 pm
The enature of the way of using it is about two things other than distance:mikesbytes wrote:How many K's will this unicycle be doing?
First any eccentricity of the rings so that, as the rings are ratated, the chain tension will change. If I then set it so that there is good responsiveness to idling (ie rocking forward and back) then at some point in the rotation, whether or not I am idling, the tension on the chain is excessive by normal standards.
ANd second, even with perfectly setup and matched rings (imposible) I will still get quite a bit of extra tension as I idle.
The sort of riding that is done on a giraffe is mostly about idling and parades. However I have done quite a lot of real rides that range from a couple of kms to around 10km maximum. The last time I did a distance was around 6km broken into two segments. I then rode another four in the afternoon to get home.
Though I have never metered it, I reckon that I have covered anywhere between 100 and 200km but I can't be any more specific than that.
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Re: Which chain is resistant to any stretch
Postby ironhanglider » Tue Apr 02, 2013 10:29 pm
As per St. Sheldon.
That should help a bit.
Since this is similar to a tandem synch chain I expect some other principles will apply too. Such as putting the rings on the inboard side of the spider if there is a choice. Having the chain closer to the tube reduces the tendency of the chain to flex the frame. Bigger rings and dual drive would help too.
Cheers,
Cameron
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