It should be
tight as it can be without binding
. If the chain is too loose, it can fall off, which is quite dangerous on a fixed gear. Set the rear axle so that the chain pulls taut at the tightest part of the cranks' rotation. One at a time, loosen up each of the stack bolts, and tighten it back just finger tight.
How do I know if my bike chain is too loose?
How do you put a chain on a motorized bicycle?
How does the clutch work on a motorized bike?
What happens if bike chain is tight?
When a motorcycle chain is too tight,
it'll put stress on several components of the bike and cause the sprockets to wear faster, make the engine work harder, and cause the suspension to be tight and uncomfortable
. Ultimately, a tight chain on a motorcycle may break leaving you with no power.
How do you tension a bike chain?
How do you fix a chain tension?
Why does my bicycle chain keep slipping?
Most of the time, a skipping chain is caused by
cable stretch
. In the first half dozen rides on a new bike your shift cables stretch the most. They can also stretch over time as you ride. Hippley explains, “It takes cable tension to open a derailleur, which shifts your chain between gears.
How do you put a motor on a bike?
How do you fix a slipping clutch on a motorized bike?
How do you remove a clutch on a motorized bike?
What happens if your chain is too loose?
The major symptoms of a loose chain include chain teeth skipping over the sprockets, uneven transmission of power to the wheel leading to jerky wheel movements, chain lash and the chain slapping the swindle arm, and in the final case, chain coming off the sprocket.
How tight should my mountain bike chain be?
How tight should a mountain bike chain be? It should be
tight enough that it can move around half an inch upward and downward
. But sometimes your chain still slacks, even if you already tightened it. This happens if the chain has expanded.
What would a loose drive chain cause?
In extreme cases, a loose chain can jump off the sprocket and become wedged in the rear wheel. This could cause
serious loss of control and result in a crash
.
How do you tighten a Shimano chain?
How do I keep my chain from slipping?
Why does my bike chain slip when I pedal hard single speed?
The most common reason for the chain slipping is that
the cable is stretched
, then the solution is to tighten the shift cable. If the problem is that the chain is too long they will need to shorten the bike chain. If there is any damage to the sprocket, derailleur, chain, or cable you will need to replace it.
How slack should a bike chain be?
The chain should be
tight enough that it only allows you to move it up and down about half an inch
. If there is no slack in the chain then it is too tight. And if there is too much slack then you need to tighten that chain.
