Chainline

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139NI

Senior Member
Am thinking about replacing square taper with fitting shimano hollow tech 2.

What is chain line, how can I tell if I got a 56mm or 51mm chain line ?
 
You can check your existing chainline very easily.

It is the horizontal distance from the centre of the BB shell to a spot in the middle of the two chainrings (or the middle ring for trebles).

Most bikes these days have a 50-51mm chainline so HT II doesn't have differing chainlines - but you do have to measure the BB shell width (68mm or 73mm and buy the appropriate BB)
 
OP
OP
1

139NI

Senior Member
You can check your existing chainline very easily.

It is the horizontal distance from the centre of the BB shell to a spot in the middle of the two chainrings (or the middle ring for trebles).

Most bikes these days have a 50-51mm chainline so HT II doesn't have differing chainlines - but you do have to measure the BB shell width (68mm or 73mm and buy the appropriate BB)

I have a 68mm bb shell.
What are the consequences of getting 'chain line' alignment wrong by a few millimetres anyway?
 
I have a 68mm bb shell.
What are the consequences of getting 'chain line' alignment wrong by a few millimetres anyway?

Nothing major - the angle of the chain on the outer sprockets will be slightly better/worse.

I assume you have 130mm gap between rear dropouts.
 

Citius

Guest
Chainline is only a consideration on single speed. On everything else, it really doesn't matter, like Joe says...
 

RecordAceFromNew

Swinging Member
Location
West London
It does matter for derailleur setups. A potential consequence of getting the wrong chainline by mix and match is the front mech no longer works properly (due to clash with frame or run out of reach). Front mechs are designed to work best with chainsets having the chainline they are designed for, there are exceptions but most road double are 43.5mm, road triple 45mm and mtb/hybrid 47.5mm or 50mm.

For road HT2 chainsets there is not much you can do to adjust the chainline. For mtb ones they come with spacers which allow a little flexibility.
 
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