Chain Tension and weirdo noises!!

the rear wheel sprockets actually looks fine, i have given it a good spin around and a close looking at and it seems fine from my judgement...

it is possible that the rear sprocket has not worn much , even after 17 years.

The trick is to look for any obvious signs of *scalloping* of the sprocket teeth. The semi-circle between each sprocket tooth is perfectly symetrical on a new sprocket, so if your rear sprocket still looks like this, it *may* not need to be replaced.

I have worn chains out to the point that they jump sprocket teeth (as have probably a few other people out there )......you know when its time to change a rear sprocket then ....

If your rear sprocket shows any sign of wear, even a little bit, you can almost *guarantee* that the front sprocket is also stuffed, so better to replace the lot........the quickest way to wear out a new chain is to use it on old sprockets......

yeah i was just going to replace the lot so i can rest assure that another fault in that department might occur!

Weird noise are normally down to chain alignment rather than tension (it's just that a loose chain masks the problem). I saw a nifty lazer alignment gizmo in a bike mag the other day, you just hold it against the rear-sprocket and see than the chain follows the lazer to the front-sprocket.

anyone interested in a Tech thread on string-lining your wheels ?

Its old-school technology, but is just as applicable today as it was 50 years ago......

have to agree with gos on that stringline works fine &string is a lot cheaper than a laser.