They work great with a fairly tight chain, they don't like much slop. Had mine for 3 yrs, only problem is the pivot hole is slightly elongated from wear, the wheel is still like new. It also makes the chain much quieter. They look much better, and buff out nice, plus the safety factor is a huge plus, if you've ever had a stock tensioner sucked into the spokes at speed, you'll know what I'm talking about. These are the best tensioners on the market.