Slack chain, if I tighten it what will happen...

[mightyquin]

..to the brakes?

Probably a really silly question! I've just got a s/h Paddy Wagon. The chain is quite slack (moves about 2in) but seems OK in use so far.

Before I try to tighten it, having read up on what to do etc., if I move the wheel back isn't it going to affect where the brakes sit on the rims currently? They seem perfectly fine at the moment. Or do I then have to readjust the brake blocks position after moving the wheel back a bit, and if so is that as simple as it sounds?

I don't want to mess things up before I've had a chance to ride the bike a bit, and I'm going to go along to a bike service workshop/lesson to give it a general once over (the brake cables need tightening up a little too I think).

Another thing, I noticed that the distance between the rear tyre and bottom fork bars is greater on one side (left side if sitting on the bike) than the other, like it was mounted off centre, although the wheel is centered at the top/between the brakes. Is it just the design of the frame?

 

[Roadrunner78]

Without looking it sounds like the wheel went off centre resulting in a slack chain. Put it back in place and the brakes will be fine as they will be where they would've been before it slipped. Brake adjustment is just aligning with the rim, loosten the allen key bolt, align and hold tight as you tighten again.

You may get uneven brake wear as is.

 

[colinr]

As you don't have chain tugs, make sure that when you pull the wheel back it sits centrally (judging by eye is fine).
If the brakes end up off centre, you can just rotate the whole caliper. Then do what Roadrunner said to adjust the pads.

 

[Rob3rt]

Sounds like the wheel is not in the dropouts straight and the brakes are either not as perfectly set up as you thought, or they have been set up to accomodate the poorly seated wheel.

Loosen the wheel nuts and slam the wheel up to the front of the dropout. Is it then straight in relation to the frame?

With this confirmed, put your hand between the seat tube and the wheel and push the wheel backwards to tension the chain, keeping the wheels as straight as you can, with the other hand, tighten the wheel nuts.

For peace of mind, follow a basic brake setup procedure to ensure the brakes are set up correctly. You should be able to find lots of guides re. brake setup online, if you know the brand of the brakes manufacturers might have the manuals on their websites. Shimano certianly have the manuals up online.

 

[mightyquin]

Thanks for the advice. I found the brake instructions online so that's a great help.

I've signed up for cycle maintenance workshop at my local Evans store next week - they charge you a tenner but give it back to you to spend in store on parts/accessories, and you take your own bike to work on. Sounds like a great idea, they cover brakes, chains, gears (!), tyres/punctures, so I'm going to resist touching the bike until then.

I'll post a 'review' of the night in case anyone else might be interested.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

in summary, yes, as you move the wheel to compensate for chain 'stretch' you will, at some point, have to adjust your brakes.

in itself this is a splendid argument for going fixed over ss and binning the back brake, or fitting a rear coaster/hub brake if the idea of only one brake does not appeal.

but then i have a thing about hub brakes.

 

[Rob3rt]

Some guidance is always reassuring when tinkering with things. Enjoy your course, Im going to book onto the gear indexing one at some point.

Are you running fixed or single speed, if you are not running fixed, dont even think about ditching the rear brake. I see way too many idiots riding "fixies" that arent fixed at all, but a SS bike without a rear brake. If I see anyone without a rear brake suddenly freewheel I will give them a wide berth (sometimes it may be uncalled for, as in Gregs case but most of the people I see just dont have a clue and its best not to get to close to people like that).

If it is running fixed, going without a back brake isnt for everyone but it is legal and safe to do so with due care (roadies use the front brakes most of the time anyway, with fixed riding leg braking and paying attention to the road ahead allows you to minimise the use of brakes at all, adjusting speed using your legs), I dont have a rear brake, but then again I can see some situations where it may be of some substantial use, especially for people who commute and ride in all weathers, if you loose the front under braking your done for, in the really wet a rear brake would be handy. I'd advise running one for a while at least, if your bike has the capacity, which the Paddywagon does, nice bike btw.

I wouldnt have thought the chain should stretch so much so much that you are moving your wheel to the extent that you must re-align the brakes dramatically if at all (but I might be wrong). If the chain is stretched that bad, the chain likely needs replacing. Most of the time, the dropouts arent quite parallel and the wheel gradually moves forward in the dropouts, test this by marking the dropout after tensioning the chain and then observing over time how the nut moves forward. Chain tug's can prevent this best, but unless wheel slipping is a major issue I'd go for tensioning the chain every now and then rather than running ugly chain tugs.

 

[mightyquin]

The bike is set up as a single speed - the previous owner fitted new wheels at some point (Mavics) and there's no fixed cog on the hub. I will try fixed at some point, just to see, but I think I'm more comfortable with riding SS for now, given my use for the bike.

I'm not sure if the chain has worn slack, slipped, or was set up that way (as it's running fine, and the brakes look perfectly positioned as is) but the course on Monday covers chain wear/setup so I'll leave well enough alone until then.

The coaster brake is an interesting idea - I hired a bike in Amsterdam a few years back, it was surprisingly easy to get used to.

 

[DTD]

Perhaps when you go on your course at Evans they can give you a go on a chair wear tool to see if it's stretched?


Went on an Edinburgh Cycle Co-op course which gave me a bit of confidence to do some basic maintenance.

I have a Globe Roll which is set up as a single speed. Every month or two the back wheel gets adjusted (I often use it as an excuse to take it off and give the bike a good clean).

 

[mightyquin]

The course covers chain wear so I think they will. I might just ask if they can sell me a new chain and show me how to fit it.

The advice above was correct, the wheel had slipped on one side. I've adjusted that so the wheel sits centrally now, but don't want to tackle the overall chain tension thing until Monday night, as I want to ride the bike there.

Was out on it today, first proper ride on a single speed. The gearing seems about right (42/16 I think), it was tough going up hill at one point, but I need to get fitter! If I'd been riding a geared bike I'd probably have been through them all, very refreshing going single! So far, so good, I'm glad I didn't listen to the guy in Cycle Surgery who told me not to touch a SS bike.

 

[mightyquin]

Bilmey, that was easy! Chain adjusted correctly now, only needed a few mm's movement in the drop outs, brakes fine etc etc, and yes the wheel was slightly off centre. Apparently the chain is fine too, lots of life left in it. Chain tugs seem a good idea, but I'll leave it as is and see how I get on.