Outer Chain guard on Speed P8 fell off
 

Was riding my Speed P8 for errand work and next thing I know the chain falls off on a normal shift and the plastic outer chain guard fell the heck off the bike. Every one of the 5 securing points broke. Visual inspection revealed that two of the screws were missing and a couple more loose.

Check your chainring guards on yer dahons.

Took mine to the shop where I bought it and they said it'd be good to go in a week and they'd go over the whole bike. I'm traveling for a week or so, so that is perfect. Besides, it's not like I don't have other bikes to ride.

John

Is this the same Speed P8 where a whole lot of other bolts were loose as well?

No, that was my Mu P8 I bought at the sporting goods store.

John

Ahh, ok, thanks for the heads up. I guess its not a bad idea to check all the bolts every once in a while :)

meh, it's not really necessary. all it does is protect your pants.

I haven't had the chain jump in quite a while, in fact, when it did jump off the chainring I couldn't get it to jump back on without lifting it with a stick.

After it fell off I was 5 or 6 miles from home. I had several chain drops to the outside in that distance. That's why they have that inner guard as well.

John

Wrong - chain guard is absolutely necessary to prevent chain drop. Especially as the chain wears. Yours sounds like it doesn't have a derailer - right? In that case no biggie. With derailer - don't leave home without one. :)

RD or FD?

with FD there's no need.
with RD only in a 1x# setup, not especially necessary.
folders have a tight chainline, yes, but really not that necessary if you use a flexible 8/9/10sp chain.

just keep the chain within 12-1/16", at the correct length (big big +2links) and it's very unlikely to fall off.

That wasn't like Basil Fawlty hitting his car with a big stick because it wouldn't start?

"RIGHT, I warned you about this, you're going to get what's coming to you!!"

Exactly the same thing happened to me. IMHO it's crazy how flimsy that plastic ring is. And my chain has fallen out a couple of times in 6 km since then.

Looking on the Dahon forum, it's not an uncommon question to ask for replacements, usually with unsatisfactory answers.

My Dahon dealer will be selling me one for AUD$10, which is cool, but I'm afraid it will break again. My other LBSes did not know where to get replacements.

Am I right to assume that the chain guard is required to avoid the chain falling off? Or is it there to protect my pants from chain oil?

My chain guard broke off my Speed P8 also. Inquired with Thor about replacement, and he may have some coming in soon. No FD but even so my chain dropped within a few miles after riding without the guard. In higher gears the chain deflects to the outside quite a bit. I think the ring is necessary.

FWIW, my 2004 Speed P8 has alloy inside and outside chain guards. I bought the bike used, but I believe the chain guards are original equipment.