Chainguard
10-26-06, 01:50 PM
#1
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Chainguard
I am trying to locate or build a chainguard for my daughter's bike.
Several months ago I purchased a used 2004 Specialized Hotrock 24 speed girls bike. It was a perfect fit for my daughter, who was very ready to get into serious bicycling. She has thoroughly enjoyed it.
A month ago, she was simply riding down our driveway when she unbalanced herself. Her right foot dropped off the pedal while she was still moving forward. The crank was still turning as this happened, so the outer chainring chewed a large chunk out of her leg. Six stitches later, she does not want to get on the bike without some sort of protection.
Looking at the crankset, it appeared it should have come with a chainguard which would have eliminated this injury if it was installed. The previous owner for some reason removed it.
I looked at the Specialized online archive and discovered the bike indeed should have had a guard. Contacting Specialized was next to useless. I was advised they did not carry spare parts of this type. They couldn't even tell me what the bolt circle was. The archive showed the crank to be 160mm in length, that is it.
I located a possible match on the Sugino website (who at least used to make the Specialized cranks...), and am waiting to see if an e-mail I sent off gets answered.
In the mean time, what would the illustrious gang here on Bike Forums do in the interim, or for a permanent fix? I have thought of some of the bash-guards available, but I would like to have all three chainrings available for my daughter to use.
Several months ago I purchased a used 2004 Specialized Hotrock 24 speed girls bike. It was a perfect fit for my daughter, who was very ready to get into serious bicycling. She has thoroughly enjoyed it.
A month ago, she was simply riding down our driveway when she unbalanced herself. Her right foot dropped off the pedal while she was still moving forward. The crank was still turning as this happened, so the outer chainring chewed a large chunk out of her leg. Six stitches later, she does not want to get on the bike without some sort of protection.
Looking at the crankset, it appeared it should have come with a chainguard which would have eliminated this injury if it was installed. The previous owner for some reason removed it.
I looked at the Specialized online archive and discovered the bike indeed should have had a guard. Contacting Specialized was next to useless. I was advised they did not carry spare parts of this type. They couldn't even tell me what the bolt circle was. The archive showed the crank to be 160mm in length, that is it.
I located a possible match on the Sugino website (who at least used to make the Specialized cranks...), and am waiting to see if an e-mail I sent off gets answered.
In the mean time, what would the illustrious gang here on Bike Forums do in the interim, or for a permanent fix? I have thought of some of the bash-guards available, but I would like to have all three chainrings available for my daughter to use.
10-26-06, 02:14 PM
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Take it to a Specilized LBS and see if they have one in a box of parts. Some shops keep stuff like that around for folks in situations like you.
10-27-06, 01:30 AM
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Can also check out Wald's Chain Guards...they comes in various lengths from 16" to 26" long and are usually chromed. I'm sure you can a length to fit your bike and can be easily modded to fit in the stock location or use the included brackets. Suppose you could even paint it to match the bike. It all depends if you want an aftermarket chain guard or the OEM chain guard.
10-29-06, 05:42 AM
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It won't be difficult to find a chainring/chainguard with approximately the same diameter as you need. The difficulty will be finding one with cutouts for fasteners that match the pattern on your daughter's bike.
I would focus on getting one that will fit and then plan on drilling the holes in the chainring/chainguard to fit your daughter's bike. It won't be difficult to do.
It is a shame that bicycle manufacturers stopped including chainring/chainguards. Without them, the sprocket teeth are exposed and, as you experienced, dangerous. To say the least, they chew up the rider's pants cuffs.
I would focus on getting one that will fit and then plan on drilling the holes in the chainring/chainguard to fit your daughter's bike. It won't be difficult to do.
It is a shame that bicycle manufacturers stopped including chainring/chainguards. Without them, the sprocket teeth are exposed and, as you experienced, dangerous. To say the least, they chew up the rider's pants cuffs.
