Chain Monkey

Stovepipes · 11 Feb 2016 at 14:15

What do we think about this. It's not an absolute necessity but I quite like the idea and am seriously considering purchasing one, especially as I never seem to quite get the chain adjustment just right.

Kreeeee · 11 Feb 2016 at 14:17

I just use a metal ruler, it's really simple to use and costs nothing.

wazza300 · 11 Feb 2016 at 14:19

Wiggle it up and down with my fingers,bout half inch to an inch up and down and job done

Kreeeee · 11 Feb 2016 at 14:22

Also, you'll never get rid of all slack so I'm a bit confused about that part in the instructions.

Stovepipes · 11 Feb 2016 at 15:10

Kreeeee said:
Also, you'll never get rid of all slack so I'm a bit confused about that part in the instructions.

Looks like it means til the nut is tight and won't move without force, then when you release the chain monkey you're chain should have the ideal amount of tension.

tom_e · 11 Feb 2016 at 15:21

I poke it, does it move roughly an inch sorted.

4T5 · 11 Feb 2016 at 16:53

wazza300 said:
Wiggle it up and down with my fingers,bout half inch to an inch up and down and job done

This does me perfectly, Why buy something you don't need ?

Terrier_Jimlad · 11 Feb 2016 at 17:53

Same as above, quite easy to determine the slackness and adjust without silly gadgets

No disrespect intended, but if you cant determine the slackness and adjust it yourself, should you really be un-tightening/tightening nuts on the swingarm? Probably not

Stovepipes · 11 Feb 2016 at 20:32

Ok so the consensus seems to be this is a must buy item

Stovepipes · 11 Feb 2016 at 20:33

Terrier_Jimlad said:
Same as above, quite easy to determine the slackness and adjust without silly gadgets

No disrespect intended, but if you cant determine the slackness and adjust it yourself, should you really be un-tightening/tightening nuts on the swingarm? Probably not

I just take enough slack out of the chain that it's within the limits but to actually get it to 30mm seems a bit beyond me

ConTRo13R · 12 Feb 2016 at 07:09

A pretty cool gimmick/gadget you have to admit. But the instructional video doesnt take into account tight spots which wouldnt ever allow you to 'remove all slack' if the price is right i would actually buy this

Dogbreath · 12 Feb 2016 at 07:31

wazza300 said:
Wiggle it up and down with my fingers,bout half inch to an inch up and down and job done

Yep, this looks like far more of a faff than just doing it the normal way.

Stovepipes · 13 Feb 2016 at 16:29

Dogbreath said:
Yep, this looks like far more of a faff than just doing it the normal way.

It actually looks much easier imo it's just that it's not really worth the price.

Stovepipes · 13 Feb 2016 at 16:31

ConTRo13R said:
A pretty cool gimmick/gadget you have to admit. But the instructional video doesnt take into account tight spots which wouldnt ever allow you to 'remove all slack' if the price is right i would actually buy this

It does mention the tight spot and says place the chain monkey on that location.

Kreeeee · 13 Feb 2016 at 19:37

So it's no easier than doing it normally then.

Craig321 · 13 Feb 2016 at 19:38

I was tempted by one at first glance a while back, but then 2 seconds of though and I have the same opinion as all the posts above - a bit pointless!

The only benefit I'd have is easier measuring - my steel ruler doesn't fit amazingly under my swingarm, so it can be awkward to get a good reading.

Dogbreath · 13 Feb 2016 at 19:59

Stovepipes said:
It actually looks much easier imo it's just that it's not really worth the price.

How is it easier than just waggling the the chain up and down end eyeballing it? It doesn't need to be set to the nearest mm.

Once you've tensioned the chain a few times you quickly learn how much you need to turn the adjusters to get it right and you can get it done in one or two iterations.

Stovepipes · 13 Feb 2016 at 23:03

Dogbreath said:
How is it easier than just waggling the the chain up and down end eyeballing it? It doesn't need to be set to the nearest mm.

Once you've tensioned the chain a few times you quickly learn how much you need to turn the adjusters to get it right and you can get it done in one or two iterations.

Well I measure I don't eyeball it so easier for me plus while It doesn't need to be mm perfect but I try and get it there and usually fail.

This would make the whole process quicker and accurate.

Kreeeee · 13 Feb 2016 at 23:37

All your posts in this thread show that you're smitten with the idea of it so why not just get one instead of asking for opinions you're not interested in hearing.

Stovepipes · 14 Feb 2016 at 07:11

Kreeeee said:
All your posts in this thread show that you're smitten with the idea of it so why not just get one instead of asking for opinions you're not interested in hearing.

How have you come to the conclusion that I'm not interested in hearing opinions?
I've realised that my chain doesn't need to be that accurate & that I don't need to spend the money to get it there, that doesn't mean that I don't recognise that this seems to be a good working product, If I had it I'd happily use it.