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    Is this good chain tension? Freshly waxed chain Dolan Pre Cursa.

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    13 Comments

    1. nope_yes_nope_yes on

      Hi everyone, I am new to fixed gears and I am asking myself after I installed my freshly waxed chain if I use proper chain tension?

    3. Different-Reporter63 on

      Rotate the crank slowly while checking chain tension, you may find it is tightest in one spot. That is where you set the final tension.

    4. timestamp001 on

      Looks alright, probably won’t make too much noise but if that’s the loosest spot then it might be tighter at another revolution. You can sanity check the chain by just lifting up the bike on it’s side and shaking it about, if the chain doesn’t bounce around too much, let alone look like it’s gonna fall off, it’s good to go.

    6. on_like_d0nkeykng on

      A waxed chain will loosen or create slack after you do a ride. When fitting my waxed chain, I will fit to approximately what you have, jump on, pedal a few strokes and do a hard acceleration after a track stand to really pull the chain. You could go for a quick ride round the block also. Once the chain has been stretched through the wax, I will then reposition the chain and get it to almost exactly where you have it but a shave looser. If when riding it sounds noisy, it’s probably too tight. It should be buttery smooth after a wax

    7. 420Deez on

      dont use this method to test. use the cranks, if they can knock back and forth, ur good. if not, too tight. youll be surprised how loose it can be before the chain can come off. you can try to pull the chain of the chainring to “simulate” it falling off and it shouldn’t be able to come off with your hands.

    8. AppropriateCitron473 on

      Completely fine. But someone will come into this thread with a TurBO TenSION tool and unload on you for the slack. Or some dude who rides fixed daily and/or velodrome will ask “where da track slack at bro”.

    11. murrderrhornets on

      I prefer mine just slightly tighter than this, but I think it will ride fine but have a little bit of play between going forward and backward, but I don’t think it’s loose enough to fall off or cause any issues.

    13. whitewaterbiker on

      There is nothing wrong with that amount of tension. Unless it gets TIGHT at a different point in the crank cycle, this is absolutely appropriate. It is also not too lose, you are not at a high risk of dropping your chain with that amount of tension. You are squarely in a preference zone. This is about what I ride.

      Studies on drive chain efficiency have actually revealed that tighter chains are more efficient due to losses when pedaling does not keep up with forward motion as well, though one may initially assume lower friction losses indicate a loose chain would be ideal for efficiency. This does not pan out in the studies, save maybe excessive tightness to the point of binding.

      Ride it. Figure out what you like the feeling of. The right answer is what you prefer, excluding dangerous settings that would lead to dropped chains, or unnecessary drive chain wear from tight spots so tight that you cannot deflect the chain with light touch at all.

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