I finally realized I was setting chain tension wrong on every single speed hub I built
For about four years I ran chain tension tight enough that you could pluck it like a guitar string, because a guy at a shop in Boise told me loose chains drop off. Last Tuesday a customer brought back a rear hub I built in March with the bearings chewed up, and that is when it clicked. So which is it: do you run it tight to be safe, or loose and trust the dropouts? Curious what number you all aim for when you push down on the chain.
So a chain that loose doesn't just fall off the ring when you hit a bump mid-climb? I ran mine tight for years too and never chewed a hub, so maybe the real problem was something else in that build. Loose is fine on a bench, but out on the road I would rather trust the dropouts than a chain flopping around.