Bicycle Mechanics - World's crappiest chain watcher/keeper, DIY

Too cheap to buy one
Must MacGyver solution
Hope it does not fall


http://i.imgur.com/Z0Ezq.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TGgpU.jpg

update: it fell off

The real 'chain minder' is pretty decent, a Hose clamp in a molded plastic piece.

Or maybe your tape just needs more tape on it..

??? Why do you need it when you have a front derailleur???

The real 'chain minder' is pretty decent, a Hose clamp in a molded plastic piece.


And they only cost around $10.00. I know that's more than a roll of electrical tape but, once in place, they stay put too.

sacrificed a roll of electrical tape to essentially fill up space? was there not some cardboard or somesuch other debris around that could then be wrapped up in electrical tape instead of solid tape all through?

Anyhow, you've got a top swing derailer, and a dremel tool. Find a bottom swing derailer, use your dremel to grind off the outer half of the cage, and the cable routing bits, clamp it to seat tube below the current derailer, use its limit screws to adjust position. best chain keeper ever.

I saw a reflector installed as a chain watcher on a CX bike. It worked.

don't use tape
it falls off from the oil splatter from the chain.

oil dissolves adhesives.

Your derailliuer should do that for you.

Your derailliuer should do that for you.
But sometimes it doesn't.

Dont understand why to use that when if the FD is set up right the chain should not jump off the chainrings ever. Raced since I was 12, retired at 24 and i'm simply old and I never ever gotten this problem with the chain falling off ever!!!

Some mechanics just need find another job and some users dont need to use anything but a fix gear just because are not able to figure it out how a FD and RD works, less how to set them up.

A friend of mine did one like with an old spoon.

??? Why do you need it when you have a front derailleur???
Because a front derailleur can sometime spill a chain to the inside on a fast, high chain tension shift even if it's adjusted properly for most circumstances. A chain watcher is a low cost insurance policy that prevents the damage a spilled chain can do to the frame or even lock up the crank. They are most useful on triple cranks but have a place even on doubles. Most pro team mechanics fit them as a worthwhile safety precaution.

If that's a two chain-ring FD, it shouldn't be dumping the chain. The Second ring isn't a lot smaller than the outer ring. A readjustment of the FD should do the job. In particular, the H & L limit stops, the front to rear orientation of the cage and the cable tension should be increased. The front of that cage looks like it's pushing on the chain now. bk

Because a front derailleur can sometime spill a chain to the inside on a fast, high chain tension shift even if it's adjusted properly for most circumstances. A chain watcher is a low cost insurance policy that prevents the damage a spilled chain can do to the frame or even lock up the crank. They are most useful on triple cranks but have a place even on doubles. Most pro team mechanics fit them as a worthwhile safety precaution.

I agree. I have a very standard setup - Dura-Ace 9 speed 53/39 - correctly adjusted (space from chainrings, cage alignment, tension, hi/lo limits). The chain still jumps off in rare instances, generally going hard up a hill when I've found myself in the big-big combination and I have to downshift to the small ring. The problem is that the chain drop happens at the worst possible time, and while I can avoid the problem by planning ahead, sometimes I lose track of the gearing. Since installing the watcher, I haven't had any chain drops.

I agree with the thread title in that the chain watcher in the OP is likely the world's crappiest.

I also agree with Hillrider's post about real chain watchers and the reason they're sometimes needed.

the first two posts of this thread are amazing! I kind of wish it ended there.