The chain on your bike is a very important piece of equipment, especially if you are riding a fixed gear bike. If you are riding a fixie, the chain not only allows you to make the bicyicle move, but it is also the means for making the bicycle stop…seeing as how a lot of people ride with no brakes on fixeds. But think about this…if your chain breaks on your fixe, then what? How are you going to stop and avoid traffic? Thats why I always say its a good idea to have a front brake. But anyways, its important to have your chain installed on your bike correctly so as to prevent situations like that from happening. So…too loose or too tight? Well there is definitely problems with both of these extremes. If your chain is too tight, the chain will bind and make it extra hard to pedal, and perhaps break…however if your chain is too loose, this poses a good risk of the chain actually falling off and putting you in the same dangerous situation…so what is a good rule of thumb for tightening a chain? Here is one: have about 1″ of slack in the middle of the run. Another way to accomplish this would be to put the chain on as loosely as possible, flip the bike over horizontally and spin the wheels to ensure that the chain remains on and does not come off. Take good care of your chain, its very important to the safety and working order of the bicycle. Check out some of the lateset eBay auctons for bicycle chains on sale below.
