A few new things for the fixie (not that I've had a chance to ride it for the past 3 weeks).
First, a Surly Chain Tensioner.
This bike is a conversion (meaning it didn't have fork ends for the rear wheel, just horizontal drop-outs) and the first time I asked a bike mechanic about using one of these Surly's, he said that it wouldn't work on horizontal drop outs, they had to be used on rear fork ends. Well, I went and bought one anyway and what do you know, it worked (so far). I guess the real test will be when I actually take the bike out for a spin with this on it. The reason that I wanted one, is because I don't have brakes on this bike and rely heavily on skidding to stop. Skidding by the way is by far the funnest way to slow down a bike!! The problem is that after a hard day of riding (and skidding) the rear wheel has moved forward and my chain tension is saggy. Gross. This should help that out so I can skid happy and skid often.
Second, is an aggressive rear wheel.
I actually bought this rear wheel in conjunction with a Schwable snow stud front, but ended up returning the front for a 26" Schwable tire and bought another one for my commuter bike. I decided against using the fixie for commuting in the snow, as it's still too new (to me) for mucking up. I've ridden to work a few times with the fat rear tire and haven't found it too bad. It was also only $6, so I can skid this to the threads and not feel bad. Man is skidding ever fun!!
First, a Surly Chain Tensioner.
This bike is a conversion (meaning it didn't have fork ends for the rear wheel, just horizontal drop-outs) and the first time I asked a bike mechanic about using one of these Surly's, he said that it wouldn't work on horizontal drop outs, they had to be used on rear fork ends. Well, I went and bought one anyway and what do you know, it worked (so far). I guess the real test will be when I actually take the bike out for a spin with this on it. The reason that I wanted one, is because I don't have brakes on this bike and rely heavily on skidding to stop. Skidding by the way is by far the funnest way to slow down a bike!! The problem is that after a hard day of riding (and skidding) the rear wheel has moved forward and my chain tension is saggy. Gross. This should help that out so I can skid happy and skid often.Second, is an aggressive rear wheel.
I actually bought this rear wheel in conjunction with a Schwable snow stud front, but ended up returning the front for a 26" Schwable tire and bought another one for my commuter bike. I decided against using the fixie for commuting in the snow, as it's still too new (to me) for mucking up. I've ridden to work a few times with the fat rear tire and haven't found it too bad. It was also only $6, so I can skid this to the threads and not feel bad. Man is skidding ever fun!!
2 comments:
Hi Jerome,
I realize that this post is quite old but I hope you can help me: I got the exact same problem that you describe (riding a fixie, horizontal dropouts, wheel keeps slippin forward). Did the Surly chain tensioner work for you? I am thinking of buying one. Thanks a lot for a reply and greetings from Germany
Sales
Hello to you! The Surly tug nut works very well. It's well made, finished nicely and is very effective. It has to axle holes to allow a broader range of adjustment for different length of dropout slots. I'd say you can't go wrong if you buy one.
Cheers!
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