What chain device do you run on the front, can you get away without one?

Not going to be used on anything that technical, for a standard XC HT setup.

Ta.

[sure its been asked here before, but could not find anything on the search]

Search for ‘1×9’ and you get this as well as a few other threads.

Basically, you *might* get away with no chain device. But a bashring and a Jump Stop are the best bet.

Bashguard and a Jump stop.

Mine, but I’ve rotated the blackspire stinger onto the top of the chainring instead of under it, so if the chain comes off, it SHOULD pull back on.

It’s enough for the not very rad/sick/gnarly riding that I do

unramped chain ring and shorten the chain helps greatly. I run my commuter 1×9 without any device but with a short chain and a unramped ring and its fine – but I only go as gnarly as dropping off kerbs on it. Never lost the chain tho

Gamut P20.

Poifect.

I’ve got a 1×9 setup on a Trek EX8 with an unramped Middleburn chainring and an MRP Single chaindevice instead of a bashguard.

So far I’ve not lost the chain once – my local spot is Woburn and despite the lack of rocks and associated bumpiness, I’ve taken the bike down the DH runs there with no problems.

to anwswer your question, No I couldn’t possibly get away with one ring up front without one,

Have run loads over the years, and plenty experience of others..

MRP – good, especially Type 1 guides – have bent cranks/rings/spiders and managed to still not lost the chain with these.
E13 SRS – good but nowhere near as strong as they make out, bent/smashed a supercharger, oh, and they don’t clear mud very well at all.
Gamut – nowhere near as strong as E13 bash, lasted a day at Ft Bill! – way better in mud tho.
MR Dirt – just shite!! – avoid
DMR – utter bollox!
E13 LG1 – work well (especially in mud) but a proper hit to the Taco can bend the lower guide and render it useless. the new LG1+ and MRPs copy of it will have the same problem.
AC – work well when niggles with the spring loaded lower mount are dealt with.

“Not going to be used on anything that technical, for a standard XC HT setup”

Then for 99% off the time you can get away with just an unramped chainring.
Even when it does get technical (drops, loads of stairs, roots .. (I’ve not took it anywhere rocky yet) my chain doesn’t come off very often. When it does its usually when chucking over gates or when the chain is being pulled to the extremes of the casette ime

bash guard and an N-gear Jump stop – works perpectly and weighs next to nothing.

Im using just the middle ring from an SLX chainset.

Keva

bashguard, n-gear.

Bash and N Gear here too, never drop a chain now…..

However, from posts on here about it am going to give an unramped chainring a go as mine is due a change anyhow. Would love to do without the bashring as mine is an unsightly looking thing…

Thanks for that, do you have any pics of what the bashguard, n-gear setup would look like?

I’m running an unramped chainring, so might just try it without, guess you just have to watch out freewheeling on the rough stuff 😉

Ski, If you do a search for previous threads on the subject, you should find a photo of this set-up on my Tinbred
– Or look at the threads via my profile for it

Edit – This one: http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/chain-guide-for-1×9-set-up

I used to run a short chain, unramped single ring and a short cage XT rear mech. I also had a Roox chain dog cage. The chain came off once jumping from a high curb! Not in the woods. Quite hard to get hold of the Roox chain cage and very expensive for what it is. If I was going down the that route again I would try the double ring and bash plate, with a jump stop

I am running a standard 32T chainring and had a lot of jumping off problems when I first swicthed from 1 to 9 on the back, despite having a bash ring.

Thanks to advice on here, I fitted a jump stop. Never lost the chain since.

Worth every penny.