too loose or too tight?

[mealexme]

for a chain, which is better? too tight or too loose?

i just tightened mine a bit too tight (about 2 or 3 mm too tight) and cba to faf around with it again. is that too tight? or can it be left as is, and what's better, a little too loose or a little too tight?

[Susieque]

Think maybe you mean 'which is less harmful' rather than 'which is better' Alex!

In my limited knowledge/experience I would imagine neither too loose or too tight is definitely not 'better'!!!!!

[mealexme]

yes that's exactly what i ment. which is the lesser of the two evils?

[Guest akey]

You need to move the rear wheel and check the tension at a number of places, as the chain will often be tighter in some spots than others.

The Tiger hated tight chains, it would feel awful and it wasnt just me, it was often talked about on the tiger forums, so for that bike slightly to loose would have been better.

The chain should be something like 25-35mm at its tightest spot - or whatever the manual tells you, but there will always be a tollerance so make sure you are inside the tollorance if you are over the top figure in the manual then loosen it off.

To tight will cause premature wear, and in extreame cases can damage the gearbox output seals or bearing.

[mealexme]

does that mean I have to change it again then? :'(

Not fun with basic tools lol. Using some mole grips as I dont have the right sized spanner lol.

M'kay, thanks

[uk190]

too loose and you run the risk of the chain jumping of the sprocket.

too tight and it could actually turn your rear suspension into a "rigid" by stopping the swing arm from moving upwards.

or snap the chain.

get it sorted sooner than rather than later....

Mole Grips ?????

FFS. go borrow the correct tools. including a torgue wrench if possible. the last thing you need is a rear wheel coming loose.

if in doubt, get help.

[whitedevil]

Neither is good but a few mm either way wont matter, saying that the tolerance is usually something like 25-35mm so i would just set it to 30mm or a little tighter.

[Boro Jake]

Mole Grips = why run the risk of rounding off nuts thus spending more money on drilling them out!

Setting your chain tention is one of the most easiest jobs to do... i always keep 1 inch of play with mine.

[megawatt]

Too loose is a lot safer than too tight, it would have to be mega loose to jump off the sprockets!!! Get yerself the correct tools for the job and do it properly or it will hurt you!!!