Chris Ioakimedes wrote:
Another way to take up slack in a tandem chain is to put a slightly larger chainring in the chain between the two cranksets. It can float there and take up a little slack. +++++++++ One of my buddies, an incredibly good bike painter in his day, built a tandem w/o eccentric, using the chainwheel in the center to take up slack. Good news: It really looks neat, to see a chainwheel just idling along, going neither fore nor aft. Bad news: Start torquing, and watch it pop out and go rolling down the highway along side. Quite the sight, and "exsightment"
Right after that time trial, we cut out the front bb, and brazed in a new one with eccentric... They wanted to be able to ride aggressively, and it didn't work for that.
Your mileage may vary.
harvey sachs
mcLean va