While moving components over to my new Blacktacular frame, I noticed that I was using the wrong tensioner bolt and inadequate spacers for for my chainline. My Military Green Big Dummy has the new chainring set up, which unfortunately I goofed and left the old 8253 tensioner bolt in place and not enough spacers to reach a 58mm chainline. With the Blacktacular frame, I’m getting it right.

Fortunately, I already had the spacers and the 8255 tensioner bolt in my bag of Rohloff parts, so I installed them. With the corrected 58mm chainline in place, I also noticed the tensioner jockey wheels were trashed after only a year of use, but operating them at a 54mm chainline certainly didn’t help. I’ve faithfully purchased Rohloff jockey wheels, but its always bugged me that they are expensive, plastic, and take a while to get here in the U.S.

Time for a jockey wheel replacement and here’s my latest workaround. I purchased these 10t jockey wheels on eBay. The wheels are aluminum and have removable dust covers, which is key. I removed the dust covers and drilled through them with a 1/4-inch drill bit. Take care to drill slowly and keep the drill bit straight and center. After you fully penetrate the dust cover, you’ll need to ream the whole out by running the drill bit at angles, which I did in a circular motion. Reaming the dust cover with the 1/4-inch bit will make them large enough to slide over the tensioner’s axle and you’ll only need to do this for the upper pulley. I’m sure Rohloff has a good reason for using different size tensioner axles and the lower axles narrower diameter allows it to work with stock 10t jockey wheels.

After replacing the dust covers on the 10t jockey wheel and installing both on tensioner, its back in business and works great. Not to mention it looks good. After drilling out one set of dust covers, I’ll be able to move these dust covers to my next set of jockey wheels when I wear these ones out, which could be as soon as next year?