I am going to get on my soapbox here, gang. Please feel free to knock me off my high horse. I know I can count on you.

I ride my bike with a club and friends who are all fairly "serious" recreational cyclists. Many of these men and women spend thousands of dollars on a new bike every few years. I understand this.

However VERY few use a chain catcher.

For those who don't know, a chain catcher is a small device that prevents the chain from dropping off the small chainring and into the gap between the chainring and the seat tube. They are simple and come in two varieties, the "dog fang" one and the "fork shaped" one. They are so simple to install that even I can do it. I have a dog fang on my Habanero and a K-edge fork shaped one on the other two road bikes. They work. Even if the chain somehow drops, it does NOT get stuck between the chainring and the frame.

When I mention this to my friends, most of them say "oh, I almost never drop my chain, I don't need one."

That said, on any given ride there is almost always one or two short stops where someone drops their chain. And I roll my eyes.

On yesterday's ride, one of the riders dropped her chain and was clueless about it, and kept pedaling, her chain got so jammed that it may have damaged the carbon fiber in the seat tube when it was pulled out.

Comments?