Thinking of running 9spd, what do I need to keep the chain on the chainring?

I presume you mean 1×9?

Wouldn't a normal front mech do?

if you want to drop a load of weight you could do what i did which was to buy a ti bashring off the guy that does them on here, and an nstop

£30 all in, and looks tidier than the other ways imho

if you want to drop a load of weight you could do what i did which was to buy a ti bashring off the guy that does them on here, and an nstop

Exactly! The Nstop is amazing.
Forget about light weight – it's all about simplicity.

E13 xcx chain guide
pimp

Nstop? Can anyone enlighten me?

Loddrik I can do the bash as well cheaply.
For 9 speed you need;
9 speed chain, 9 speed cassette, 9 speed shifter, chainring up front, and you can either use;
a tensioned front mech,
top cage chainguide like E13 XCX
bash and nstop
full on chainguide like E-13 LG1+