Surly Tuggnut on SimpleOne?

[tc]

Has anyone used a Surly Tuggnut tensioner?  If not, what gadget or method have you found useful that requires only 2 hands to properly tension a single speed chain?  I watched this pretty good video by Park Tool.Being new to setting up a single speed, getting tension right was a bit of a four-handed chore.  Hoping the Tuggnut or something similar will help.  Thanks for any wisdom!

Tom

[Deacon Patrick]

Hey Tom,

I do it all the time in the field as a two hand job. Ride to the trail in high, shift to low, ride up, shift to high, ride down then home. Wind, snow, rain, or shine, 110˚F or -20˚F, it’s a two hand job, so I’m confused how it’s a four hand job. Some of those conditions nobody is dumb enough to ride with me, so it has to be a two hand job. Grin.

I stand behind the bike, use my knees to position/hold the rear wheel (maybe that’s the bit you’re missing?) tighten the allen bolt on each side, using my knees to “square” the wheel/tire in the chain stays after one side is tight.

Does that help, or confuse?

With abandon,
Patrick

[Philip Williamson]

I don't (and wouldn't) use a tug nut with a fixed gear. 

I think I use my knees, like Patrick, as the two extra hands. Easiest with a QR and no fenders, but still easy enough. I do a think where I half-snug the left nut, then push the wheel toward the chain to center the wheel and tension the chain. Then I snug the right nut, and full-snug the left nut. 

Philip

Santa Rosa, CA

[christian poppell]

I second the Phillip method of tightening the chain. It's even possible to get the chain too tight! Do it a few times and you'll get a feel for it. One additional thing I do is to put a toe strap through the front wheel and frame to keep it from flopping around. This way you can push forward on the bike to lift it onto the front wheel. Hope that helps!

[jandrews_nyc]

The OP's query is an interesting one though...When is it advisable to use a chain tensioning adjuster device on the rear dropouts/trackends of a single speed bike...(not fixed gear)?

Is the general assumption that good quality QR skewers and bolt-on's alike are both strong enough to really keep the tension of the chain correct?

I remember seeing someone's Simpleone on this list who used the MKS adjusters in the dropouts.

I tried something similar with my QB/SO when adding an Origin8 derailleur hanger/tension adjuster to make it a multispeed bike but I found that since the dropouts aren't horizontal and are pitched up at an angle, the whole thing didn't work out all that well for that application.

[tc]

Thanks guys - I knew there’d be some sage advice from you who’ve done it a zillion times. I’ll try the knee method, though it seems a device like the Tuggnut would still be useful for fine-tuning.

Also, I need to check, but it seems like the inner face of the flanged Allen bolt should be grooved or etched or something to keep help that sucker from slipping in the slot.

Tom

[Brad]

I used to have a Quickbeam and I used the same technique that Philip describes (except backward). My process:

Make sure both nuts are loose.

Stand behind the bike and grab the front of the rear wheel with your left hand.

Gently pull the wheel back and to the right (push it up against the right chainstay.

Tighten the right track nut.

Pull the wheel so it's centered between the chainstays and tighten the left track nut.

The chain should have a little slack so when the wheel gets pulled left, the chain gets pulled to the proper tension.

Give both nuts one more good tightening. 

The chain should move up and down about a half inch when the tension is right.

Once you get a feel for the process, you should be able to get in right in one or two tries. I'm pretty sure I got this technique from Sheldon Brown (as will almost everything I know about bikes!)

Like everyone else said, you shouldn't need chain tensioners with a freewheel.

Brad

Queens

[Eric Daume]

Sheldon has a method for this:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/no-derailers.html

Start by installing the wheel at approximately the correct position and tightening the axle nuts. They don't need to be super tight at this stage, but should more than finger tight. Check the chain tension and wheel alignment.

Most likely, the chain will be a bit loose, but perhaps the wheel is correctly aligned. Loosen the right-side axle nut and push the tire to the side so that the right end of the axle moves to the rear, then tighten the axle nut you loosened.

Now the chain tension should be better, but the wheel is no longer centered between the chainstays. Loosen the left-side axle nut and re-center the wheel in the frame. This will tighten the chain a little bit more. Repeat as needed. The key is to keep one or the other of the axle nuts tight at all times, and "walk" the wheel forward and back. This takes a bit of practice and getting used to how much axle movement is needed to adjust a given amount of chain droop, but it isn't really hard as long as you keep one side secured at all times.

Eric

Plain City, OH

who has no bolt on fixed gear wheels

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[tc]

Oh man, this is more great info - Can’t wait to try it out. Thanks!

Tom

[Bill Lindsay]

Amplifying what Phil said, I do not think of the Tuggnut as a tension adjuster.  I think of the Tuggnut as a slip-prevention device.  The OP shows a photo of a White Industries Dos Eno Freewheel on the bike, and what appear to be Phil allen head axle nuts.  In order to use both gears, you need a way to make the chain loose so you can switch the chain to the other gear.  A Tuggnut would be an impediment for that use-case. 

Bill Lindsay
El Cerrito, CA

[Wally Estrella]

PW also sells the 'chrome dome'.  These have a larger diameter to get more surface bite to prevent slipping forward.

[tc]

I guess PW doesn't sell'em any more, but I've seen resellers that have them.  Thanks for the tip, Wally!