Hi
I am planning to convert a 3x9 to a 1x9 without breaking the bank.
Don't have a clutch rear mech and dont want to have to get one .
Not sure If I should get a Chainguide or a Narrow wide ring , or both ? Would a Chainguide alone do the Job ?
This is for a full suss , for general trail center single track stuff , not into bunny hops and jumps.
Cheers
I've tried to lose the chain on my NW, clutch off the rockiest trail I know I failed!
I have a 1*9 on my rigid 29er (so quite bumpy at speed) and I'm yet to lose the chain with a normal mech and n/w ring.
I did the same used the middle ring I had already without a chain guide, lost my chain a few times, bought a chain guide no problems from then on.
Then got a narrow wide chain ring when the original worn out and had the best if both worlds.
What chain guide did you go with Austy ?
1x9 with a N/W on my CX bike, with a quite old and slightly baggy SLX mech, no issues here...
If you can afford to right now I'd go with both for the peace of mind. If you need a new chainring anyway then I'd just get a nw and worst case is that you have to buy a chainguide if it's not performing as you'd like. At worst you've got the potential for a few dropped chains until it arrives, at best you save money knowing you don't need the guide.
N/W ring is the way to go, I normally forget to switch in my clutch mechanism and never drop my chain, even on rough stuff.
Now are you sure you want to go 1x?
I mean really, no pressure, only do it if you want to, we're fine with whatever gearing you choose to run, don't feel you have to.
Hugz.
😉
90 per cent sure , never use the big ring , rarely go onto the granny
The most important bit is the narrow/wide, it gives better retention than a top only guide and pretty much as good as a top-bottom dh guide, for less money and with no drawbacks, it's like voodoo
Clutch mech really doesn't add much to that, it improves retention a wee bit and quietens things down
Top chain device adds a final bit of retention if you want it to be foolproof- I very rarely lose the chain without it but since when it happens it's always at a really annoying time, I've added a tiny one to my enduro bike and it's never lost the chain since. Ace
I wouldn't even bother without at least a chain device, ime you get yards. But narrow/wide is better.
Narrow wide on its own works great. Also see if you can get an oval ring while you are at it.
I went with an e13 xcx guide that was bottom bracket mounted.
On-one/px do a nw for cheap.
I run a 1x9 setup with an On One Ringmaster narrow wide chainring and a non-clutch mech (initially long-cage, now medium-cage), and I've had no bothers with chain dropping. I also don't do much in the way of jumps, etc.
The Ringmaster bolted directly onto my existing cranks (104mm bcd I think), so it was a £20 upgrade, or thereabouts: all I needed to do was remove my triple rings and front mech, and bolt on the narrow-wide chainring.
FWIW, I've found the 1x setup good, although climbing is harder without the granny ring. I'm out the saddle grinding much more, and it's correspondingly hard sometimes to find grip. I've not yet run out of gears at the other end of the spectrum: by the time I'm getting to the small end of the cassette off road I'm usually hanging on for dear life rather than pedaling 🙂
IME a N/W chainring makes a bigger difference than a clutch mech.
I've never used a chain guide so can't comment on whether that would make a difference but since I've only had the chain come off the N/W ring once in three years without using one it would be difficult to prove either way.
Get both. N/W are great but do drop chains a bit, especially if muddy or they are worn. Back them up with a cheap top guide and you should be fine. The cheap on-one N/W mentioned above is good and doesn't need narrow chainring bolts either. Superstar fine too. Also note that some absolute black chainrings don't work very well with kmc chains, so bear that in mind if you are looking at that combo.
Thanks ,
what about these dirt cheap chinese ones , look just like the srams, are they to be avoided ?
How are all the bash guards I'm seeing more expensive than chainrings ?They are just plates that take bolts
Don't know about those. They have a bit of a mud shelf, but then so do most cheap ones. On one, superstar and the blackspire snaggletooth aren't too pricey and work ok.
I've just worn out a Superstar oval 32t NW ring in 4 months.
Not really sure why as I don't do mega mileage.
Had noticed some skipping though.
This is with a Sunrace 11-42 cassette & a KMC X10-sl chain.
All were new & fitted at the same time.
Replaced it with a Works Components one. Much deeper tooth profile.
Only one month in so too early to tell if I'll get the same problem but so far so good.
They all wear out fast. Although I have been buying at the budget end of the market so far, so don't know how the top end ones compare.
What about this ? ,as in the video some sort of narrow wide ring teamed up with an eguide eco which increases the amount of chain wrapped around the ring making it less likely to drop
Clutch helps as the chain wears, if you're a ride to destruction type. Keeps a slack chain under more tension.
NW is the key though. Before NW I needed a guide (and they were generally a bit rubbish, jammed chains and got chain suck). After NW, I've ditched them, though did have clutch also (SRAM so it's always on), but I feel it's the NW that's holding it on.
However NW rings wear also and tend to start dropping and need replacing eventually.
I meant this video in the previous comment
a n/w teamed up with a bionicon C guide eco