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Chain guard...worthless?

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Old 04-09-08, 06:58 PM
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Chain guard...worthless?

Two questions:

Does anyone use a chain guard to help prevent dust getting on their chain? Why shouldn't I?
and
Where can I find a good...or any one for that matter?

I live in a high desert area and my commute involves crossing two arroyos. I unerstand this contraption would not eliminate the need to clean the chain, but commuting daily in these conditions requires a lot of washing.
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Old 04-09-08, 07:33 PM
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Well a chain case would, but I don't see anything short of that helping at all.
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Old 04-09-08, 07:37 PM
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A chainguard is mainly to keep your pants leg clean while riding and to prevent it from being caught in the chain. To prevent dust from accumulating you'd need a full chaincase.



The picture above shows one that is designed to provide a constant oilbath for the chain. The problem is that these really need to be designed for a specific bicycle, and one without a derailleur. There are partial chaincases available from some vendors, but wouldn't provide 100% protection or an oilbath. Here's one from Velo Orange.

Personally I'd avoid the hassle and expense and just use a dry lube such as White Lightning or Pro-Link. You'll have to apply it regularly, but your chain will attract less dust than more viscous lubes.
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Old 04-09-08, 08:51 PM
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Why dont you buy a shaft drive bike?No more chain to worry about.
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Old 04-10-08, 07:37 AM
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Originally Posted by mark9950
Why dont you buy a shaft drive bike?No more chain to worry about.
That's funny.
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Old 04-10-08, 10:34 AM
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Chaincases are of more use keeping the lube from being washed away by rain and splash. The Hebie Chainglider can be fixed to bikes with single chainring/sprocket style transmission (fixed, singlespeed and hub gear).
You could change your lube to a dry wax style to prevent dust gunging up your chain. White Lightening and Pedros are the 2 main contenders.
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Old 04-10-08, 10:44 AM
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Hebie Chainglider as mentioned is great for keeping dust and grime out of your chain as well as keeping clothing out
I offer them for sale in the US, imported from Germany, in 38 or 44 tooth models
https://www.bikefront.com/products/ch...glider_for_38T
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Old 04-10-08, 11:21 AM
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dry wax lube for dusty roads. riding XC in australia taught me that.
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Old 04-10-08, 07:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Wordbiker
Personally I'd avoid the hassle and expense and just use a dry lube such as White Lightning or Pro-Link. You'll have to apply it regularly, but your chain will attract less dust than more viscous lubes.
+1
I ride my Mountainbike in fairly dusty conditions 30 - 50 miles per week in the summer and use White Lightening Epic with no trouble at all.
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