I FINALLY finished my commuter bike. It sat chained to a fence for a full autumn, winter, and part of spring. It had been weathered by years of use and passers-by harvesting it’s removable parts.
It’s a single speed, and can handle most hills with the exception of Spring Hill, especially on Porter and Lowell Street; I’m forced to climb those every day. I could use Cedar Street to avoid the hill, but that requires going the wrong way down a one-way street. As tempting as it is, I don’t do bad bicycle etiquete.
Below shows the chain; I’m wondering about its tension. By looking at the position of the stabilizer arm, can anyone tell if it’s too tight? The chain needs replacing regardless, but I want to install the new chain at the right tension the first time.
On the rear, I installed a 20-tooth Surley cog; it’s diameter is approximately 3.25 inches. It has a tall tooth profile to prevent chain skip; I haven’t had a single chain skip since I installed it. I HATE chain skips.
The front isn’t worth photographing – it’s just a jerry-rigged chain ring. I couldn’t use the single-speed crankset I bought since I ruined the threads beyond repair. Until I get a better chainring, I broke down a three-ring cog that came with the bike. Can anyone recommend what size/brand chainring that would compliment the rear cog?
