I've been wanting to put a spring-loaded chain tensioner on my cruiser, and I figured that I'd design and fabricate one myself. But I found one on the LiveFast Motors site (great people-customer service-shipping speed). Kudos to LiveFast motors: http://www.livefastmotors.com/
So, I bought one of these tensioners from LiveFast for $35 (with free shipping), and I had it in three days: Arizona to Connecticut.
As seen in the "after" photo below, I swapped the stock tensioner's nylon roller for a 17-tooth, idler sprocket with a bearing ($20 at Tractor Supply). This required drilling a 9/16" hole in the tensioner arm to accomodate the 1/2" bolt that holds the 1/2" bore sprocket/bearing onto the tensioner arm. The idler sprocket is sized for my hefty #41 chain.
Then, I replaced the tensioner's stock fasteners with black, Allen head ones.
Additionally, and most obviously, I "blacked out" the three main parts of the tensioner: I used a tough, thin plastic sheet material that I cut from the cover of a 3-ring binder. I applied an aerosol spray rubber cement (3M Super 77 Multipuropose Adhesive) to each mating surface (metal + sheet plastic), and let each piece "tack up." Then I mated each piece, rubbed them down for adhesion, and then carefully trimmed off the excess sheet plastic from all edges and holes. This is a "finish" that I find is much more durable and better-looking than a spray-painted "black-out." Once the glued-and-tacky plastic surface meets the glued-and-tacky metal surface, they are NOT coming apart or scratching! Ever!
All of this "black-out" activity is an effort to make the tensioner less visually obvious. It DOES have kind of an "Erector Set" look to it in its stock form, and I think that my treatment makes it look more like an exotic mechanical component! I do the same thing with my 56-tooth rear drive sprockets; they look like big' ol shiny pie tins otherwise!
Mechanically, the tensioner works great. And for various reasons, I prefer having the tensioner attached to a seat-stay (as is the typical use of this tensioner) instead of in the usual chain-stay mounting position of most motorized bike chain tensioners.
If anybody has any questions about this project, please don't hesitate to ask.
-Max-M
So, I bought one of these tensioners from LiveFast for $35 (with free shipping), and I had it in three days: Arizona to Connecticut.
As seen in the "after" photo below, I swapped the stock tensioner's nylon roller for a 17-tooth, idler sprocket with a bearing ($20 at Tractor Supply). This required drilling a 9/16" hole in the tensioner arm to accomodate the 1/2" bolt that holds the 1/2" bore sprocket/bearing onto the tensioner arm. The idler sprocket is sized for my hefty #41 chain.
Then, I replaced the tensioner's stock fasteners with black, Allen head ones.
Additionally, and most obviously, I "blacked out" the three main parts of the tensioner: I used a tough, thin plastic sheet material that I cut from the cover of a 3-ring binder. I applied an aerosol spray rubber cement (3M Super 77 Multipuropose Adhesive) to each mating surface (metal + sheet plastic), and let each piece "tack up." Then I mated each piece, rubbed them down for adhesion, and then carefully trimmed off the excess sheet plastic from all edges and holes. This is a "finish" that I find is much more durable and better-looking than a spray-painted "black-out." Once the glued-and-tacky plastic surface meets the glued-and-tacky metal surface, they are NOT coming apart or scratching! Ever!
All of this "black-out" activity is an effort to make the tensioner less visually obvious. It DOES have kind of an "Erector Set" look to it in its stock form, and I think that my treatment makes it look more like an exotic mechanical component! I do the same thing with my 56-tooth rear drive sprockets; they look like big' ol shiny pie tins otherwise!
Mechanically, the tensioner works great. And for various reasons, I prefer having the tensioner attached to a seat-stay (as is the typical use of this tensioner) instead of in the usual chain-stay mounting position of most motorized bike chain tensioners.
If anybody has any questions about this project, please don't hesitate to ask.
-Max-M
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