Just asking for a bit of advice before dismantling my drivetrain.

I’m wanting to run a 1×10 setup with a 34 front chainring and an 11/34 (or even 11/36)cassette. Would I be able to run it without a chaindevice or bashguard or will I be putting the chain back on after every bumpy section of trail? I’ve seen examples of single chainring setups, without any guards and they look so much better.

Cheers.

well ive been using the new clutch tension thingy xt mech and havent heard a single chain noise so can verify it seems to be doing a decent job. im still using a silent guide which is now the noisiest thing on the bike… however id never go without at least a bash as id rather be smacking that on rocks than my chain and chainring.

without a clutchy thingy, hmm i suspect youd be stopping often to fit chain, and possibly bending a chainring when you clamber rocks or just hit em!

so in summary, get a clutchy wotsit mech, and at least a bash to catch rare errant chains / bash things

Bashguard as much to protect your calf as for anything else.

good point!

If you’ve a bike with a lowish BB then you can take my word as read that replacing an otherwise perfect chainring at £30+ a pop because the teeth have bent on a rock/log/flying flint is a false economy when you consider that there are some cheap and effective bashguards out there.

If weight is an issue then a worn 44T ring with the teeth filed off gives some protection, to the chain, middle ring and your calf.

how would a chainring bend with the chain on though?

Thanks for the advice on this. I’ll look into the xt mech with clutch part as I’ll be upgrading my old mech . I suppose the bashguard does offer some bike and limb protection! I have a gamut guard already, so I may stick with it for now.

how would a chainring bend with the chain on though?

No idea to be honest. But it’s happened to me in the past. My guess is that debris got in between the chain and the ring and simply crushed a couple of the teeth. Since I’ve run a bashguard I’ve never had a repeat.

if you hit a rock (or even log hard enough) it’ll bend your teeth sideways, a chain is only going to prevent some of that. plus a rock impact on a chain feels to me like a cruel thing to put it through and may contribute to a link failure? ideally i would use a taco bash as its small and light but frame warranties dont often cover tab breakages due to heavily smacked Tacos and the tabs are often only lightly tacked on to prevent further frame damage from forces transmitted directly up from the taco.