Considering fitting a clutch mech to my downhill bike (Orange 224) primarily to reduce chain slap noise as it has a full MRP guide fitted already. Have done a search and it seems there’s no problem with fitting a clutch mech to the 224 in principle, chain growth etc should all be fine but what I’m wondering is how much of the chain guide I need to keep if I fit a NW ring?

Was hoping I could lose the bottom roller and just fit a top guide and bashring, anyone done similar on a full on downhill bike that gets ploughed through rock gardens and rooty sections? How did you get on?

If it’s not a goer I’ll just keep the full chainguide setup and hopefully have a bit less noise but it’d be good to hear your experiences.

It will probably work fine. After breaking several bottom guides on my mrp g2, I’m ditching the bottom guide and going narrow/wide.

If you’re racing, then I think a full guide is essential as it should almost completely remove the possibility of losing the chain. I’ve still lost my chain with a full mrp g2 though, usually resulting in a broken guide.

I’ve got a narrow wide ring and a Blackspire trail guide on the way. The trail guide loses the bottom guide. I have a clutch mech fitted.

The lack of noise is worth it alone, even if you find you still need a bottom roller.

Edit- This is on my Nukeproof mega. Not a downhill bike, but it is my everything bike.

Having stood trackside at downhill races it’s very clear what the noisiest mountain bikes are. You might be fighting a losing battle 😉

I know, but I’m determined to create the world’s first quiet Orange. I’m sure a clutch mech along with a combination of various velcro and rubber products and maybe a squirt of expanding foam should do the job!

How can you make a 224 quiet when the frame’s full of marbles? Give up.

Top guide and n/w ring will work well.

About half the riders at rampage this year went for narrow wide and clutch mechs with no chain guide at all.

I’ve been running hope N/W ring and zee mech for months for uplift days and all sorts! No issues at all.

My demo eats cables

It will serpantly quieten it down, made a big difference noise wise on mine as the chainstay is massive, but the constant chaingrowth and return might make it struggle with no chainguide. I took the cap off the clutch and tightened the wotsit, but down overdo it as it will affect suspension movement.

An X9 Type 2 mech quietened down my Alpine 160 compared to the old Saint mech it had. But then they were never as noisy as a 224/5/Patriot as the swingarm was different.

I’d probably keep the full MRP chain guide and fit a clutch mech if it was for DH but I survived 3 weeks of DH in the Alps with just the Type 2 and a narrow/Wide this year. MOst of the EWS guys still seem to be running chain guides with theirs for the added security

Tom KP

I attempted to use N/W without a clutch mech, or any Chain guide and with an 8 speed cassette/chain the other week on my ancient Stab (less travel and chain grow than a 224 obviously)…
I had decided to try the experiment as my HT had been pretty reliable when run 1×9 clutchless with a N/W ring, and The dream of a quieter bike was very tempting…

The experiment was pretty much a disaster though, I know there are a number of things I added to the mix that essentially prevented it from working but I think in order to go “guideless” you need to be running a narrower chain at least a decent quality 9 speed, the narrower the chain the better the contact with the N/W tooth profiles and I’d say a clutch mech or at least a heavily sprung mech makes more sense too…

My solution on the day was:

Which sort of worked a bit… but not for long…

Weirdly I think FS bikes also work a bit against the N/W & Clutch chain retention method, especially on longer travel, longer chain grow designs (i.e. a 224), simply because the BB and rear axle are constantly changing distance from each other by quite a bit, and as the suspension extends following a hit, and the centres close up again, I reckon you can get quite a bit of slack in the drive still, both top and bottom and a clutch mech is no “Better” at managing this trait that a regular one, for general bounce and chatter clutches do prevent the chain going slack, but after a big compression there’s still a heightened chance of losing the chain IMO as you have that momentary loss of chain tension…

I’d suggest at the very least having a lightweight bash ring and a top guide or roller of some sort to try and stop the chain jumping off the top of the ring, adding a bottom roller for a bit more security if you feel the need, and by then you’ll probably find the noise of the guide is much more noticeable now the chain is chattering less…

just neko mullaly it and run it chainless (and he came 4th to boot)

show em how its done

Patriot with Zee clutch mech and MRP G2 here, and it’s really not noisy at all.

No way I’m taking the chain device off though.

cookeaa – Member
I attempted to use N/W without a clutch mech, or any Chain guide and with an 8 speed cassette/chain

8 speed chain is far too wide to fit snugly onto a narrow/wide chainring.

Got a Zee and Works N/W on my Patriot. The chain still falls off (usually after rolling through compressions) and despite it being quieter, my friends told me they could hear me coming down the trails at BPW from the car park. Going to get a cheapo top guide.

I put a Saint clutch on a 224, it did quieten it a bit but filling the swingarm with expanding foam and padding the underside with velcro is what made the big difference I think- deadened the whole thing and stopped the cables rattling. TBH if I did it over I’d add external cable guides rather than use the internals.

PS, changing cables and hoses is less easy than normal when the swingarm’s full of expanding foam- I had to melt them out using acetone and it also melted the coating on the brake hose 😆

224 has a shitload of chaingrowth so it’s going to give a narrow/wide a hard time- I was always planning to try it without the bottom guide, but never got round to it, sold the bike first.

8 speed chain is far too wide to fit snugly onto a narrow/wide chainring.

I know, and that’s what I said two paragraphs later…