[BikeGeek]

I added a half-link last night and got rid of the tensioner and everything just fits. However, I'm hitting a tight spot when I pedal. I know it's normal, but it's a bit tighter than I like to run things. I've tried the method detailed over at Sheldon's page for trying to even everything out, but it didn't work too well. Any thoughts? Should I just ride and let things settle in?

 

[wooglin]

I think the suggestion on Sheldon's site was loosen the chainring bolts and try to recenter the ring. You might also rotate the ring on the spider to see if you get a better fit that way. Usually a combination of both yeilds the best results.

 

[phlegm]

Try filing your dropouts a bit.

 

[peter6061]

Hey, BG, what kind of frame and rear hub are we talking about?

What gear ratio are you running? (What are the front CR and rear cog sizes?)

 

[BikeGeek]

It's an XT cassette hub, 32x17, on a voodoo hardtail. I played around with Sheldon's loosen-the-bolts-and-tap technique and did get it to work a little bit. I guess I'll continue to see if I can adjust it a bit more. Good call on filing. I may file the axel a bit instead of the dropout though.


edit: I guess I could suck it up and go to a 16 in the rear.

 

[peter6061]

It's an XT cassette hub, 32x17, on a voodoo hardtail. I played around with Sheldon's loosen-the-bolts-and-tap technique and did get it to work a little bit. I guess I'll continue to see if I can adjust it a bit more. Good call on filing. I may file the axel a bit instead of the dropout though.

That's where I was going... I rode my old SS for years with a filed axle on the rear. It worked great. If you're looking for more on the gear ratio, this might help...
http://www.teambigtime.com/software/ssConvert.htm
I just calculated that you could run a 40/21 and get about the same gear ratio (1.9:1) with no tensioner (based on my educated guess that your voodoo has a 16.8" chainstay). Otherwise, XT axles are cheap, just file it and be happy.