how cruical is chain alignment?

[kenni]

ok its my first singlespeed and ive got the chainline near as damn it straight but its not perfect
what will happen if i leave it and does it need to be perfect

ta

[fishcreek]

not really important. drivetrain will wear fast or worse chain will skip. it will be either busted knees, concussion, tooth loss, sprained ankles, road rash, crushed nuts or all of the above. j/k. keep your chain line straight.

[fritzaholic]

Try finding some small spacers and toying with them, move the CL in small increments. That will help.
Are you running a Converted Cassette hub or a SS specific hub? Cassette hubs are easy to get straight, with the spacers...

[CHUM]

just imagine every sensitive part of your body simultaneously (and at the speed of light) slamming into your handlebar/fork stanchion/stem when you throw your chain....all the while clipped in and ending in a slow speed 1/2 crash/endo on your side.....if you're lucky....

it feels like someone tieing one end of a rope to your seatpost and the other end to "immovable-stationary-object" of your choice......it's sudden and sucky....






or....as stated above.....you wear your chain/ring/cog out quicker......but why risk it?

[Schmucker]

Get it as good as you can. The longer your chainstays the less important. Run a 1/8th chain and that should help. I try not to have it more than 0.5mm off.

[Treybiker]

Just get it close to where the chain line is parallel to the chainring. If its off a tad, no big. Remember that the middle chainring on a mountain bike with gears works from one extreem to the other (as in chain line on a 9 speed cassette).

[mpbspt]

Measure the center of your chainring from the center of your seat tube up in front and try to match that value with the distance of your cog from the center of your rear dropouts. The closer you get - the less premature wear and tear and risk of derailment - and no one likes anything with the word premature in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fritzaholic]

Measure the center of your chainring from the center of your seat tube up in front and try to match that value with the distance of your cog from the center of your rear dropouts. The closer you get - the less premature wear and tear and risk of derailment - and no one likes anything with the word premature in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or just put the chain on, stand behind your bike in the workstand, and look at it to make sure it's not "bending".

[kenni]

thanks guys thats really helpful

by the way ive just got back from a 90 minuite ride and it did seem ok

and im loving the Spot (on the flat)

[mpbspt]

Or just put the chain on, stand behind your bike in the workstand, and look at it to make sure it's not "bending".

If you do this use your dominant eye - in other words use monocular vision to properly assess the chain line.