DIY V-brake Roller Chain Tensioner Completed! - Update

Here is an update on my November 2009 post on "DIY V-brake Roller Chain Tensioner Completed!". Basically, I have added a "cage" to the roller to ensure that the chain stays on. What I discovered while riding was that there is an enormous amount of pressure exerted on the roller chain and the tensioner's roller.

Whenever the wheel comes in contact with the wooden pallets or other surfaces, the chain gets shaken intensively. This causes the chain to come off the roller and slacked, which is a VERY dangerous situation.

And so, as added security, I attached a soft tin metal plate to wrap around the chain to ensure that the chain will not derail when under heavy pressure. See the following photos of the DIY roller cage.









Up to now, I have had zero incident, where the chain would come off the roller. Lets keep it that way eh? LOL. While I was taking photos of the roller cage to update this blog, I noticed that the nut (or spacer nut?) holding the gear cog in place was completely loose! Unbelievable!





I unscrewed the nut (or is it a spacer) to take a closer look at the gear cog. Believe me, I was thankful that I noticed this now instead of later. A disaster waiting to happen. I am definitely adding this to my safety checklist before riding any bike!


I removed the chain roller so that I could get at the gear cog.


With the chain out of the way, I could tighten the nut holding the gear cog in place.


I took out my "Bike Hand" bicycle tool set to look for a tool to tighten the nut.


Heck... none of the tool could be used... LOL.


In the end, this 20 years old spanner did the job!

DIY V-brake Roller Chain Tensioner Completed!

Today I was on leave. My goal was to go around town hunting for a longer hanger screw that I could use to mount the DIY chain tensioner to my trial bike. In my last post, I wrote about how I made two versions of a roller chain tensioner using V-brake and derailleur parts.

Finally, today, I managed to find a screw that fit the hanger and long enough to be tightened securely onto the hanger. Earlier in the day I tried a couple of hardware shops but could not find even 1 screw that could even fit the hanger.

In the end, almost giving up, I decided to try a motorbike part shop next to one of the hardware shop. Voila! Would you believe it? I found exactly what I needed at the motorbike shop. Why is it that you always find what you need from the most unexpected places. And to top it off, the proprietor was very interested in my bike. He started asking so many questions about trials, to which I explained as best I could... LOL. And during all that time, he helped me mount the chain tensioner onto the hanger... sweet!

After that, I showed him how to start basic trial training on my bike and told him that he could train with any bicycle... LOL. In the end, I gave him my business card and told him that if he really wanted to pursue this sport, to contact me... :-)


The elusive screw that got me running around town... LOL. Using 2 washers as spacers and grip, the V-brake roller chain tensioner was mounted securely on the derailleur hanger.


Another view of the screw securely holding the V-brake chain tensioner.


The V-brake chain tensioner gripping the chain firmly without any slack.


Side view of the DIY V-brake chain tensioner.


The completed DIY V-brake chain tensioner.


The completed DIY V-brake chain tensioner in action... LOL.

Updated Post:

• I have updated the chain tensioner with a "chain guard" for additional security.