Originally Posted by
Captain Blight
Man, you got to be some special kind of effete to need one a them to keep your fingers clean. Looks like it doesn't do anything the top of my left sock can't do lighter and cheaper.
I suspect that's not the point, however.
The intended function of the portacatena was to expedite wheel changes in races: the rider would press the relase button on the shift lever and shift the chain all the way off the freewheel and onto the portacatena device mounted on the dropout. Your team support would them quickly remove the wheel, replace it with a good one and give you a push to start you rolling. The rider would then shift the chain off the portacatena and back onto the freewheel and resume the race.
The idea was good in principle, but it meant sacrificing a cog on the freewheel to make room for the portacatena. Most racers preferred to have the additional cog over the time saving during wheel changes that the portacatena offered, so it never really caught on.