Chainguard for front derailleur
 

As far as I can tell there are two chainguards for bikes with front and rear derailleurs- the hebie chainglider and the SKS 199mm chainboard. Does anyone have experience with both and recommend one?

the thundering silence is probably because nobody here has any experience with either..and that may continue for a lonnnng time. Chaingard? Tuck your pants in your sock. Put on a velcro strap. wear shorts. Even do nothing and chances you won't have a problem. Why are you even looking at them? There may be an actual need for a chainguard but I'm not sure what it is.

I realize that someone having different experiences and opinions than yours probably comes as a shock to you, but some people do have problems and don't want to mess with velcro, tucking pants in, or wearing shorts all the time. No doubt even more stunning to you would be the possibility that someone might like the look of a chainguard on a bike.

I haven't tried either of those products yet. If you do try one, let us know how it goes. I'm interested in putting a chain guard on one of my derailleur bikes.

You ever wear a pair of blue jeans and get the pant leg wrapped up in your chain? Or even just have the pant leg get oil on it from rubbing up against the chain?

Just because you don't need one doesn't mean other people don't need one.

I tried to put the chainboard on my Fire Mountain/Xtracycle with Biopace chainwheels, because of the wider cage required for the bio-pace chainwheels, I had some issues that would have required voiding the warranty. The Pretty One thought that she would like it on her Day6 comfort bike, I installed it with no issues, works great, wife loves it, life is wonderful.

You can get full size chainguards for triple chainsets but only on Euro style comfort/treking/town bikes such as
Koga Miyata Advance.
Ive never seen the chainguards available for retail.

I've got the smallest SKS Chainboard (38T max) on my commuter, no frt derailliuer though. Solid design, stays in place, took some dorking around to mount it so it didn't rub.

The OGK guard works but is expensive. Mounting of any guard requires normally some tweaking because of variations between frames.

I didn't have any serious issues with the triple chainrings on my wife's bike. The one I installed on my wife's bike is rated for 48 teeth. It is the Chainboard brand or model.

Actually in my case the OGK Guard is only about 10 dollars more than what I paid for the Chainboard. I bought the Chainboard at a LBS so I also saved shipping costs.

I used a Kool Stop Chain Disk for a while. It definitely kept my pant leg from snagging. But ultimately it just looked too ugly for me to keep using. It was kind of a pain to install too. There was quite a bit of grinding and filing of plastic to get a proper fit. Definitely not a simple addition.

http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/y...k/KoolStop.jpg

You can also lower the cost by ordering directly from Japan, but it is a hassle. Here, as a supplement, is my coverage as it looked a while ago:

Attachment 149621

In the next round I will likely proceed with something DIY.

hey, i dig the hell outta that.....gotta order one for myself now

The hebie chainglider is not for use with derailleurs. There is, however, a hebie product that I ordered from the UK, that works okay with a front/rear derailleur-- it says that it can be used with a triple. I am not sure this is really true. I only have a double on a vintage mixte bicycle, and it works for me with my 46 tooth larger chain ring set up. I have not tried the sks chainboard, but I have read that people have problems getting into the granny gear with it on a triple. I think the hebie is more attractive/looks more retro and provides better coverage for my chain and chain rings-- it is also light and durable plastic. It would be hard to break. I would never go back to chainguardless riding though. I love just hopping on a going with my pant legs a-flutter.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=149687http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=149688

I am so sick of my pants getting grease on them! Tucking in doesn't always work! I am going to yank the front derallieur (I don't use it anyway) usually I ride in the same gear. I am going to find a chain guard and install it. Eventually going to make my commuter a single-speed anyway. Bicycles have become too impractical and complex.

Is there anybody who actually uses a front derailleur that doesn't look at chainline and trim at least occasionally? I would re-write this question as:

"I would like to be oblivious to part of the critical function of my many speed bike, can someone help me please?"

If chainguards and clean dress pants are your deal, just follow the Dutch and opt for as many speeds as you'd like way out back and no front derailleur at all. Not that there's anything wrong with that, BTW.

I am not sure you completely understand the reality and the need a lot of average commuters have for gears and clean untorn pants...

Once I can afford to, I will build new wheels for my main commuter with a nice 11 speed IGH and full coverage chainguard. However, I am dealing with the 12 speeds and derailleurs that my bike came with. Most bikes in the US come with derailleurs, so a lot of us are trying to deal with that fact.

That said, I can see the chainline and trim on my front derailleur even with my chainguard installed since it has a little bit of a cutout there. My mixte is a heck of a lot lighter and more nimble than a dutch bike for the mega hills I need to climb in Seattle. I still want to do so with a little style, hence the chainguard. I think if you ride indexed, you are less likely to pay attention to the status of your trim and chainline than if you have a little chainguard installed.

I have a Raleigh 3 speed DL-1, and I fully intend one of these days to fully enclose the chain like it was meant to be. My three speed, is still more of a toodling down the MUP kind of bike than a hill climbing get around town beast.

This is a funny subject for me, because I ride 3 of my bikes a lot.

1973 Raleigh Competition: Even with my iPod going, I'll hear a little something going wrong and I have to look down to see if I have the front or rear derailleur a little off. Soon as I see it, I know what to correct.

1994 Motiv Sonora MTB with Gore Ride-On cables: Mostly perfect, 24 speeds and I can see what gear I'm in by looking at the indicators. If something's wrong or feels wrong, maintenance is overdue, usually. Usually a new chain or cassette is needed.

2001 Titanium Spectrum with 2009 SRAM components: Just like my '73(even though it's 20 speeds instead of 10), always checking for what gear I'm in and if I need to trim something (even though I can only trim the front in the big ring).

I like all 3 bikes, but it seems like full circle. Hard-Easy-Hard.

A bike tech told me it is hard to find chain guards for all bicycles, if not impossible. He suggested if it is shorts weather, then wear shorts or roll your pants up or use a clip or strap. The reason he gave was many chain guards break and bike manufacturers don't always carry replacements. Also, to design a chain guard to fit all bicycles is impossible due to the varying types of bikes our there with multiple gears etc. That's why my next commuter bike will come with fenders and a chain guard and be designed to accommodate both.

Thanks so much, everyone! I did go ahead and order the SKS chainboard. It's a risk of my $25, I know, because it may or may not work with my particular combination of frame and derailleur. I'm up for the risk, though! If it doesn't work I'll probably try the hebie or OGK. Once I have a working chainguard I'll post pictures.

I just bought a second bike which came fully chain-guarded, and to me it's a huge difference. I immediately resolved to get a chainguard for my first bike. I know there are those out there who consider them unnecessary and detrimental to the bike, but it just comes down to individual needs. I ride in San Francisco up some impressive hills, and need a full gear range for my commuter bike. I also often jump off my bike and into meetings with funders and executives. I also like to wear skirts and wide-leg trousers, and I find changing at work impractical. The combination of all that spells, to me: A front derailleur and a chainguard if possible.

This is pretty cool I have actually thought about putting one on my Lht, but I didnt think they really had them, I figured it would keep my chain cleaner, and my pants safer, easyer for quick short rides, maybe someday i will get one, thanks for starting this thread.

http://www.sks-germany.com/images/pr...2290500400.jpg

I have the chainboard on my Winter bike, a Kona Lanai. Fitting it t was,... a bit tedious. I fitted it for chain protection only. I added a cowl to the left side of the front ring, to get better protection from road spray from the front wheel, which is running Cascadia fenders by the way. It has pretty much been a success, haven't had to clean the chain yet, and only lubed it, twice? It is almost a certainty you will need to do some trimming for a perfect fit.

My son's 24" bike came (2nd hand) w/ a 2-piece chainguard (that was aftermarket), one piece bracketed to the seat tube that hangs over the chainring (top only, not front or side), and one piece hanging over the straight run of chain from chainring to freewheel. Can't remember if that's also bracketed to the seattube or to the seatstay. They wobble, occasionally need to get off the bike and push them back where they belong. They would drive me crazy. But I'm glad he has them, for pants cuff protection purposes. Although this is the first week since like September he's been commuting in sneakers rather than wellies, so his cuffs have been safe to this point just via his footwear.

edit: I think there are just 2 periods of a month, maybe 6 weeks out of the year, in between pants-tucked-into-boots and shorts-and-sandals for him (and vice versa). That's when the chainguard is handy.

If I ever find a chain guard that will fit on my bike, I'll tear the front derailler and 2 of the chainrings off. I almost never use them anyway. I'm on the middle ring almost always, never the little one, the big one only if I'm on a descent and trying to keep ahead of traffic.