# Alfine+Jabberwocky+tugnut



## cantdecide (Jan 20, 2005)

Hi,

I've been really enjoying my Alfine-equipped Jabberwocky (32x20). It gets me up the steepest of climbs in my home area (south lake tahoe) and is fast enough for commuting to work. 

The set screws/tensioners on the Jabber are pretty wimpy, and my chain has always been on the limp side of things. The driveside set screw is bent and the non drive side always seems to be loose. That said, the rear wheel stays centered and I don't get disc brake rub.

To cure these minor ails, I got the bright idea to try some tugnuts that tighten from the rear. I thought "man, these are the bomb". Chain tension was perfect. 

Well, on the way home from work, the hub spun in the frame and took out the cable and housing . I guess trading the Alfine non-turn washers for the tugnuts was a bad idea! The tugnuts don't have flats to match the alfine axle. 

I trimmed the housing and cable and put it all back together but can't get the drive side Jabber tensioner screw back in its hole.

SO....I've got a tugnut on the drive side (and great chain tension) and the alfine no-turn washer on the non drive side.

Think this will work? It seems like enough to keep the the axle from spinning in the frame and having a repeat of today's cable-thrashing.

Thanks for your thoughts.

-tg


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## Citizen Kane (Aug 12, 2007)

Have a look at this 
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=521068

I would be a little concerned about all that torque twisting the axel, may not be good for long term reliability.


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

You could try drilling a hole in a normal axle tensioner to catch the dropout key so you can put the non-turn washers on the outside of the tensioner.

See if this guy can make you a custom set of his tensioners with the non-turn integrated.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=540625


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## cantdecide (Jan 20, 2005)

Thanks CK and Schmucker.

I ran the Alfine with one no turn washer and that lasted about two days... the cone nuts managed to loosen themselves in this arrangement.

I'm back to stock with both no turn washers in place. I still can't get the chain as tight as I could with the tug nuts... but maybe that's not a big deal,

Love the mod, CK.

And Schmucker, having that craftsman build me an integrated no turn washer with a tug would be great. I'm still contemplating how I could add the tug nut to my axle with the no turns in place.

thanks for the help,

Tom


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## pursuiter (May 28, 2008)

cantdecide said:


> ...I still can't get the chain as tight as I could with the tug nuts... but maybe that's not a big deal....


And perhaps even the opposite, good thing the chain isn't too tight. I don't run my chain so tight there's no slack, even on a fixed gear. On an IGH a tight chain can be hard on the cog side bearings. In the old days, a sure method of destroying a Sturmy Archer 3 speed hub was to run the chain too tight.

I'm running my Jabber/Alfine with the stock Shimano torque washers and stock Vassago 4mm dropout screws, no issues. My chain does have a little slack in it as mentioned above.


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## cantdecide (Jan 20, 2005)

Thanks for the info Pursuiter. This is my first foray into a single speed style chainline after 20+ years of MTB riding and wrenching. Any rule of thumb for how deflection at the middle of the chain I should expect?

Vassago sent me new set screws and their cool brake line braze on holders to replace the zip ties I had on the bike. They did this after I simply left a voicemail with my need for a set screw and my address. Very cool!

-Tom


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## pursuiter (May 28, 2008)

- Important to make the front ring concentric on the spyder. I do this by loosening the chainring bolts slightly and then tighening the chain by sliding the rear wheel back. With a little dorking around, I can make the chainring close to circular. This is important because if the chainring isn't in the center of the spyder, the chain's tension will vary as the cranks are rotated. 

- Once the frt chainring is centered, I set the chain tension "just right" not too tight, not too loose. For me this is loose enough to have > 3/4" deflection. I have found when I run a chain too tight, it just makes extra chain wear until the chain slackens. If the chain is too tight, there's extra friction in the drivetrain.


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