So what are you 1×11 (or 1×10 with NW rings/clutchy mechs) types doing for bash protection?

Living in the Peak, riding a bike with a relatively low BB and liking techy riding, I spend a fair amount of time grinding bits off my (plastic) bashguard. About to change from 2×9 to 1×11 and don’t want to either destroy my ring/chain, or leave big scrapes on the landscape.

MRP AMG looks worth a punt, or I could just continue running a bash ring, although that might cause mud clearance issues in winter?

Anything cheaper/lighter/better? Is there actually a need for a top guide still?

Cheers.

Blackspire Bruiser
Nice 😀

MRP AMG. The chunks taken out of it prove it’s doing some protecting.

Definite need for the top guide too.

I did run a bash, but dislike the way thick mud packed down between the bash, chainring and chain.

I’ve always wondered why more people don’t run a bash of some sort on single ring set ups. I tried it briefly without but, after a couple of bent chainrings and a few snapped chains from damage, stuck on an MRP AMG.

I tried a Blackspire something or other first, but the top guide was absolutely awful (flexing all over the place and didn’t really fit a 32-tooth shimano ring) and refused to keep the chain on.

The other option I considered was a bashring and one of the little Hope top guides. This works out at about the same weight and would have been cheaper, given that I already had a bash, but as I was by that point paranoid about losing chains, I wanted a ‘proper’ guide. (I still feel the need for one.) The MRP has been fine so far.

Do you have iscg mounts? Lots of stress on a taco, I used to have a BB mounted one but it always rotated. Costs you ground clearance too.

For whatever it’s worth, I just don’t bother, chain does leave some marks but I’ve never had any problems with damage etc and it protects the chainring well.

Hi Joh, good to see you at the weekend. I am using MRP XCG on both my bikes, one is ISCG, the other BB mounted. Both work really well, and have taken a few hits, they are fairly light and do not have the top guide. Cheap too (£30)
Paul.

It’s a Cotic Rocket, so yes I’ve got ISCG tabs.

Blackspire thing looks good (much nicer price too!), but then it’s down to the need or not for a top guide.

I’ve been riding my Soda with a clutchy mech and NW ring, no guide and that’s been fine, but there’s no suspension action to take into account, and ultimately I’m going slower, even if it feels rougher!

I guess it depends what you’ll use the bike for. I don’t mind the chain dropping off occasionally when I’m riding for fun, but I really don’t want it happening if I’m racing.

I’m running the Wolftooth direct mount and a WT bash ring. It works a treat.

I have the Blackspire Bruiser on my Rocket. No problems with it yet.

There’s not a lot of meat on a 30t 104 BCD NW ring, so I was running a bash with my Wolftooth one (Wolftooth themselves were recommending you run a bash with their 30t rings). My XX1 30t ring is bash-less, but I’ve had a fair few thumps off rocks (and a snapped chain), so I’m now thinking about going for some sort of protection.