Will the chain simply come off if I don’t use a device?

Is there any combo that’ll run without one??

Possibly not required if you ride smoothly on smoothish trails and have a sufficiently short chain and a short cage rear mech correctly adjusted.

You could always try it for a bit, and if you keep losing the chain, add a guard later? The superstar xc one is quite good value.

The guide can also stop the bottom of your trousers getting sucked into the chain/chainring.

If you use a unramped chainring and shorten the chain its not bad – I have run commuters like this with no chaindropping. its never an issue in gears 3-7 only at the extremes of the casette.

On the road it would be fine. Off road I don’t fancy your chances.

As Teej says, commuters OK, however, in my experience going offroad over anything remotely rough and you’ll lose the chain. I lost mine last night using a bashguard and an N-Gear Jump-stop, but then it was over a decent tree drop thing, so I shouldn’t complain. I am looking for a pukka chain device now though.

Fair enough, though TBH if I needed a device I’d rather use a road double.

This is for this trail crosser I’m building, it’s just that I don’t think I use anything much more than a 34T.

Off road you need a top guide at the very least, but i’ve always found a lower gide is required as well, or you can lose the chain when you back pedal for corners or over really rocky stuff

use the right chainring and right length chain and no device needed on or offroad,why put an ugly heavy device on and just carry it around when it’s not needed? using this for 14 months with no chain issues and it’s a standard length mech

1 x 9 by rOcKeTdOgUk, on Flickr

Try it and see. IMO RD is right – it might have been on my commuter but I would jump off several things on my way home

Back-pedal? WTF

I tried it, chain was always falling off over any kind of rock or jump.

IMO RD is wrong. Give it the berries over some roots eventually you’ll drop that chain. there are some very nice looking, light chain devices. Can’t see why anyone would want to run the risk for no good reason….

As (a few posts) above, if you have rubbing noises on a 3X whatever set up you may need a device, if you don’t then 1x whatever will be no problem, just make sure the chain is relatively tight when in the easiest gear.

HTH.

cookeaa – Member
IMO RD is wrong. Give it the berries over some roots eventually you’ll drop that chain. there are some very nice looking, light chain devices. Can’t see why anyone would want to run the risk for no good reason….

been riding locally (plenty of roots around here) natural Scotland and welsh trail centres, the secret is an unramped long tooth chainring, use a normal ring or even worse a ring designed to shift and it’ll not work

Back-pedal? WTF

for cornering prperly (you know, **** all like riding a motorbike ;). clueless old bugger! 🙄 oh.. and just out of morbid interest, WTF you “jump” off on your commute?

RD is sooooo wrong! 😥

If you do have a problem with jumping- a bash guard and an n-gear jump stop will sort it out for not much dosh. Jump stops are about a tenner or so.

1×9, didn’t need any devices on GT Red route running 1×9 with ramped chainring. Secret is to keep it around the middle gears on the cassette on the rough stuff.

Pulled it off the chainring to the outside giving it the beans from traffic lights in city centre in the 11 tooth gear though!

Have added bash + ngear and seems ok, although did loose it to the inside over some roots in t’pentlands. Need to adjust the N-stop.

No way do I want a chain device on a XC / trail bike, seems very unnecessary / ugly / heavy.

Pauls chain keeper is another option, I got one but my downtube is too big and so it can’t get low enough.

Don’t understand back peddling – why not always forward? Still half a rotation, and you maybe get to put some power down as well…

no it won’t

GW – I always turn the pedals forward to get them in the right position. What do I jump off – a few lumps bumps speedhumps an kerbs I know on the common route home Only tiddly ittle jumps. Ie on leith street there is a large lump in the tarmac pushed up by buses about 10″ high – makes for a nice wee hop

If you need back pedaling when cornering explained then you must crawl round the trails. You only back pedal a quarter of a rotation or so, but it’s not always possible to pedal forwards the necessary amount in time….

If your going quick enough 😉

RD is sooooo wrong!

shucks i must have imagined the last 14 months of trouble free 1 x 9ing then 🙄

Back pedal a ‘tiny bit’. Not knowingly either, just setting the pedals – if the chain isnt sat correctly on the bottom run it can come off.

GW – I always turn the pedals forward to get them in the right position.

even while braking? over rough ground? say.. between tight switchbacks with drops? or when leaning over into a turn to your fotward foot side?.. I’d bend pedals axles every ride if I employed your rule.
strictly speaking you should be back pedalling (by tiny amounts) all the way down a rough trail.. and every time you are airborn.. but I know you have no idea what I’m on about here 🙄

RD – aw Shucks indeed.. read that ^^ too

What do I jump off – a few lumps bumps speedhumps an kerbs I know on the common route home Only tiddly ittle jumps. Ie on leith street there is a large lump in the tarmac pushed up by buses about 10″ high – makes for a nice wee hop

Aaarggg !! It’s my own fault, I did ask 😉

I really don’t get why pedalling backwards is easier / better than pedalling forwards to get eh pedals in the right position.

Oh – and you did ask

FFS ! Read what i wrote again then

You say what not why

Half rotation forward or back – wahts the differnce?

do you get it yet?
if not, tomorrow (on your commute?) find a grippy corner you can really lean into that turns whichever side your forward foot is and try switching your feet by pedalling forwards as you lean in… go on, I dare you!!

Ps. it’s also much faster to drop your outside foot by pedalling backwards through tight successive corners.

No problem – tight chain, good chainline and short cage

To drop your trailing foot through a corner, you either pedal forward 3/4 turn, or backward 1/4 turn. The latter is three times faster and better. But you risk unhooking the chain if it’s rough enough to bounce the derailler around. It’s normally ok if it stays hooked on at the top of the chainring as it goes straight back on when you pedal forward again.

I tried with no guide on my XC bike but it would unhook fairly often. A 50g top guide has solved the problem. You might get away with it on a road bike. I reckon the tight chain on a short cage might be the key.

To drop your trailing foot through a corner, you either pedal forward 3/4 turn, or backward 1/4 turn. The latter is three times faster and better.

it’s way faster than 3X.
I happily ride switch so it’s always massively faster both ways.

I should practise switch until it feels natural. I see the advantage. I’m lazy 😉

entirely upto you..
pretty much no top Professional DHers ride switch (not when racing anyway). make of that what you will 8)

I set my Ragley 1×9. It works well nowmbut itmtook a while and some v ery frustrating rides to get it sorted.
Various set ups I have tried:
11-34t cassette and RaceFace 32t chainring: fail
11-34t and Surly non-ramped chainring: fail
11-34t and Surly chainring plus Jump-Stop: qualified success.

It now drops it’s chain off the inside of the top of the chainring about as frequently as my other (FS bikes with bashring) bikes.

With a 12-36 9 speed cassette it’s great.

36t blackspire unramped front with a Blackspire Ring God, 12-36 rear cassette, long cage xt mech, tight-ish chain and it barely drops. Thats off road on some very rocky trails paing little attention to what gear I’m in.

GW, the op is using 1 x 9 on a CX bike not a DH one, he’s not doing drops between switchbacks or trying to bend axles etc, I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick here

IME of 1×9 .. using a shortened chain AND a long-toothed, unramped chain-ring … I would still lose the chain frequently.

Not saying it can’t be done, but you’ll need to get lucky setting it up .. and bear in mind it only takes 1 drop to scar the heck out of your cranks or chainstay – I speak from experience!

Almost the same setup as bonesetter here, (XT short mech rather than SRAM)
Very, very occasional chain dropping, certainly not enough to be a nuisance.

Oh, forgot to say, I also use a BB which can be adjusted laterally and then fixed which allows tweaking of chainline, so if chain’s dropping in, move chianring in and visa versa. This makes for zero dropping off

My only 1 ring set up was always dropping off! Frequently, when shifting up (to a smaller sprocket) the movement sets up a “ripple” along the chain which would drop it straight off the ring – really annoying! Sorted with this…….

Which is now surplus and for sale 😀

Its when you lose the chain and kneecap youself on the shifter/stem

then a chainguide is worth it 🙂