Make:

• DIY Halloween - The Classics :: Fog Chiller
• BUG on Arduino action
• NoiseBridge: new SF hacker space
• Pedal powered tank
• BASE jumping with accelerometers
• Self-disinfecting toilet brush

Aww man the link's down!

Got it bookmarked though, looks pretty interesting. Might have to give this a shot before I buy a tensioner when I build my single speed.

Or you could just use an old rear derailer....

You could use an old rear derailer, but that would involve a slew of unnecessary springs, pivots, screws and such. I trust I need not argue inherent desirabiltiy of simplicity in bicycles to someone with the handle "fixedgear".

My favorite chain tensioner is this.
Though, you would need to cut either the frame or the chain ring to get it on. And it might get in the way of your foot, but still it is cool.

First I'd like to state the posted hack is really sweet.

Still, if it was me I'd probably go with fixedgear's suggestion. I suspect an old derailer'd be more tolerant of delta in chain line or run (think wreck or hitting a log with the chainring.) And on a flip-flop (if you're into that) it'd probably let you get away with a wider tooth spread, with less adjustment hassle.

Yeah, a recycled der'r's ugly, inefficient and heavier, but if you're into purity go with a fixed-gear setup with horizontal(ish) dropouts and lose the tensioner completely.

To opposite_george, that's actually my blog there, sorry the serveur crashed yesterday. I prefer horz. drop-outs to a spoon haha. But most trials frames use vertical drop-outs, so I was pretty screwed.

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