Outside Chainring Pins
 

I just got a 52T chainring for my comopact crankset but it doesn't have the outside anti-chain-dropping pin that's usually behind the crankarm. There is a small hole that seems like it should be where the pin would be though. Should I take it to my LBS so that they can put a pin in? Can this even be done? Or should I just htfu and ride without the pin?

Thanks ahead of time.

You could presumably put a thin bolt through there and secure it with a nut.

Some cranks come with the anti-drop pin built into the crank arm itself and don''t need one on the chainring. If your crank doesn't have one, I'd fit a small bolt throught the hole in the chainring and add a nut to keep it in place. I have no idea how big the hole in your chainring is but I expect a 4 mm or 5 mm or a #6 or #8 bolt will work.

FWIW can't think of a single time that pin has ever been "used" on my bikes...

Mine either but what's the harm in having one? A mis-adjusted high limit screw could make you very glad it's there.

I find it slightly amusing that there's concern over this anti jamming pin but when others and I extole the virtue of dork discs for the rear wheels I get accused of being a fud, fred or a worry wart...... :D I suspect not by the sort of folks that post here in agreement with adding the stud or a suitable substitute. Bbut there's lots that seem to suggest that if we are negligent enough to allow our derrailleurs to get out of adjustment then we are somehow not worthy of bike ownership.

Anyhow, yeah, put a little bolt and nut in there like everyone is suggesting. It's super cheap insurance against a dropped chain.

And just to stir the pot if you put a value on this pin then you should be sporting a anti jam guard on the rear wheel too for exactly the same reasons.

It's like those awful-looking spoke protectors - shouldn't be necessary if you know how to adjust a derailleur's limit screw.

Adding components to make up for lack of mechanical competence seems to be approaching the problem arse-backwards, IMO...

BTW, I deliberately tore out one of those pins once, as it offended me.

The dork disk (or chain-drop pin) isn't always there just to protect you against mechanical incompetence. It can also protect you against unforeseen outside things like something on the road getting thrown up into your chain and knocking it into the spokes or off of the big chainring.

I once had a rear derailleur completely destroyed when a small piece of wire on the road got picked up by the front wheel and went through the chain and rd. Nobody, no matter how good a mechanic you are, is immune to that sort of thing.

FWIW as I said, even if it's not worth much. If you're more comfortable with a spoke protector or the pin on the ring, by all means do something about it...I know what I'd do for me, if anyone else ever asks me about the spoke protectors I tell 'em what they're there for (not just a misadjustment of the low limit screw, but trail debris as well), let them make up their own minds. Can't say I've had a large chainring not come with one of those pins.

Now reflectors, those I might just remove from your mountain bike for you without asking permission :innocent: (as long as all the rider is doing is trail riding of course).

You'll have to use a bolt with an extremely small, thin head. I recently tried to add one to a large chainring that had a hole drilled for it. It took me a while to find something small enough and for which I could find a matching nut. If the head is too big, the chain can catch on it when in the middle ring.

A couple of minutes with a flat file will thin out the head of any bolt but you make a good point to minimize the protrusion of the bolt head into the gap between the chainrings.