How often do you have to adjust your chain?

[Deleted member 1258]

On my singlespeed I have to tighten the chain by loosening the QR then sitting on the ground behind the bike, putting my feet on the pedals and going HEAVE and then tightening the QR somehow.

I know when it's time to tighten the chain because I start wondering why pedaling is such an effort, and it's usually because the rear wheel has shifted against the rear stays

I don't let it get that bad, I can normally tell when the wheel has shifted, the bike tends to be reluctant to travel in a straight line.

 

[swee'pea99]

Mostly its down to me leaning hard on the pedals, have to sometimes, this is about half a mile from work on the way home and is steeper than it looks on the map http://goo.gl/maps/148BL

I sometimes do this one on a Sunday, another good climb http://goo.gl/maps/YY8q7

Hmmm. Snap. This every day. And back, from t'other side:

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I bought a new chain shortly before Christmas. I use a half link and they, so I'm told, are a little more prone to stretch. I probably got 1100 miles out of the old one. Maybe.
I read that between the rear sprocket and the chainwheel a half inch of movement up and down was correctly tensioned.
It's well dodgy having your chain unship on a fixed.

I've yet to unship a chain on a fixed, I've broken one, most entertaining and I wasn't going fast, but I've not unshiped one, I've had my Pearson just over 6 years and about 20000 miles and I was on fixed in the late 1980's early 1990's.

 

[swee'pea99]

It happens to me every couple of months. That's what alerts me to the fact that my chain's a bit loose...

(Maybe if I tightened every 100-120 miles I wouldn't have a problem. But I'm still a bit thrown by the idea that a chain can either stretch or wear that much that quickly. Assuming (as I am) that the wheel isn't shifting.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I don't let it get that bad, I can normally tell when the wheel has shifted, the bike tends to be reluctant to travel in a straight line.

My frame is a bit bent so it's always a bit like that

 

[totallyfixed]

Before you tighten a chain on a fixed rotate the cranks while tapping the chain with a spanner midway between chain ring and sprocket, at the tightest point [chain rings are not by and large, perfectly round], stop, undo the nuts, stand behind the wheel and pull back until there is only a small amount of play up and down, for me usually about 1cm either way and re-tighten..
My chain is re-tensioned every 2 to 3 weeks sometimes more sometimes less depending on the power put through the cranks = hills. I change the chain every 1000 - 1500 miles, again depending on the type of miles and time of year.
Apologies to those for whom this was egg sucking.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Before you tighten a chain on a fixed rotate the cranks while tapping the chain with a spanner midway between chain ring and sprocket, at the tightest point [chain rings are not by and large, perfectly round], stop, undo the nuts, stand behind the wheel and pull back until there is only a small amount of play up and down, for me usually about 1cm either way and re-tighten..
My chain is re-tensioned every 2 to 3 weeks sometimes more sometimes less depending on the power put through the cranks = hills. I change the chain every 1000 - 1500 miles, again depending on the type of miles and time of year.
Apologies to those for whom this was egg sucking.

I normally turn the cranks checking the chain every quarter of a turn.

 

[swee'pea99]

Before you tighten a chain on a fixed rotate the cranks while tapping the chain with a spanner midway between chain ring and sprocket, at the tightest point [chain rings are not by and large, perfectly round], stop, undo the nuts, stand behind the wheel and pull back until there is only a small amount of play up and down, for me usually about 1cm either way and re-tighten..
My chain is re-tensioned every 2 to 3 weeks sometimes more sometimes less depending on the power put through the cranks = hills. I change the chain every 1000 - 1500 miles, again depending on the type of miles and time of year.
Apologies to those for whom this was egg sucking.

Thanks. Between this and the daily hill-climbs, sounds like my experience is pretty much in line with expectations. I'll just have to resign myself to more frequent tightenings.

 

[fossyant]

KMC chains seem less prone to need adjusting (510HX). I found Izzumi chains needed doing very often. Probably adjust mine maybe once a month.

 

[RedRider]

Thanks. Between this and the daily hill-climbs, sounds like my experience is pretty much in line with expectations. I'll just have to resign myself to more frequent tightenings.

Aye, assuming a rough location from your posts in the 'working horse' thread you must be going up and down from the moment you leave your house.
My perception is chains need adjusting more in the early weeks of their lives but not sure whether this tallies with others' experience.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

KMC chains seem less prone to need adjusting (510HX). I found Izzumi chains needed doing very often. Probably adjust mine maybe once a month.

I usually buy the cheapy from the LBS near work, I normally get about twelve months from a chain so I tend to try and spend as little as possible on them, I've tried more expensive chains but found they didn't last any longer.

 

[fossyant]

I run mine for 12 months then change chain and sprocket.

 

[swee'pea99]

I run mine for 12 months then change chain and sprocket.

Do you change because they're worn out, or because 'their time's up'? Must admit I seldom check chains and I must have been riding the same sprocket for five years+ without giving it a second thought.

 

[fossyant]

Do you change because they're worn out, or because 'their time's up'? Must admit I seldom check chains and I must have been riding the same sprocket for five years+ without giving it a second thought.

I just decide to change. Don't bother with the chain tool on the fixed. Have noticed that over a year of commuting, the rear sprocket won't accept a new chain, so do both for less than £30

It's just good practice. It's not exactly expensive either. I was changing chains twice and one sprocket per year when using Izumi, but KMC chains are great and dead cheap.

 

[totallyfixed]

It's fine to keep the same sprocket and chain for longer than normal periods however, the danger is in wearing the chainring. Having said that, the cost of a new chainring, chain and sprocket once per year or even longer depending of course on your mileage, probably compares favourably with changing the chain 4 or 5 times and the sprocket a couple of times in the same period

.
Edit, fossy beat me to it.