loose chain?

fixed said:

I'm a newbie to cycling in general and I've recently been riding my fix really hard. When I got it the chain was pretty tight but now there is a fair bit of slack in it. I have noticed some decrease in performance but it could be my imagination. Whats the deal? Is this normal on fixed gears, is it normal on for all bikes, do I need to do something about it? Any advice would be appreciated.

http://www.bicyclinglife.com/HowTo/ChangeAChain.htm

It might not be chain wear - it could be the wheel moving forward in the
trackends or horizontal dropouts. Check for chain wear first and if it's fine
then just tighten the chain by moving the wheel back. You don't want the
chain too tight though otherwise it will wear out quicker.
If you've never done it before it might pay to take it to someone who has
and get them to show you.

hippy

fixed said:

I'm a newbie to cycling in general and I've recently been riding my fix really hard. When I got it the chain was pretty tight but now there is a fair bit of slack in it. I have noticed some decrease in performance but it could be my imagination. Whats the deal? Is this normal on fixed gears, is it normal on for all bikes, do I need to do something about it? Any advice would be appreciated.

Yeah if you're still baffled by the loose chain....Relax!
It's completely normal for chains to stretch the more you ride.
Although it can be a case of the wheel not being tightened enough like
the other guy stated.
If your stretching chains out every month to the point you have to take out links, you should get off the bike and be a punter😄
Have you checked out www.kingzoftheroad.com so fresh!

chain stretch is a myth...it is not truly possible to stretch the chain. chain wear however is a possibility...the bushings themselves may be worn down (most often due to lack of lubrication/dusty,gritty conditions) causing more play than normal...the sad thing is if you have reached the point where you are able to easily detect a good bit of chainplay over the starting point you have most likely already damaged your cog and chainring in which case you would either have to live with it or replace the entire drivetrain...or the wheel could just be slipping forward. 😉