Clamp on chain catcher options

TommyEss

Hello,

Essentially I'm looking at putting a chain catcher on my best bike. Had a few close calls and would like the extra piece of mind.

The bike has a band-on Dura Ace 7900 FD and matching compact chainset.

Like a lot of carbon frames, the bottom bracket area is pretty bulbous - I've already tried a dog fang and it was nowhere near close to fitting.

I also had a quick look at the K-edge, as they now offer a band-on option as well, but at £45 they can whistle!

I've seen the Speed Park version on ebay, but the shipping estimates mean it might be a bit tight before my upcoming trip to Spain.

Those seem to be the only band-on options available. But I got thinking - what if I bought a band-on adapter and a token bolt on chain catcher and mounted it right below my FD band?

One of these -

and one of these -

Would that work? Am I missing something obvious?

They're around £9 each on Wiggle, so about the same as the SpeedPark option once you factor in postage, and a handy returns policy if it doesn't work, to boot!

Cheers

Tom

me-109

I don't think the clamp-on adaptor is threaded so you will need a nut for the chain catcher bolt - which will require some shaped spacer to fill the gap behind the clamp where the FD would sit.

Sited below the FD, the chain catcher may not sit in the right place relative to the rings to actually provide any benefit.

They clamp-on adaptor will doubtless come sealed in a bag. Once you've taken it out of the bag to try, it's 'used' and the returns policy may be invalid - they sent the right item ordered and it doesn't actually have anything wrong with it. They may still honour the return, just be aware that they may not.

g00se

I've heard of folks using large cable ties - and using the 'head' of the tie like the 'fang' of the dogfang.

TommyEss

Hi there,

Good point about the lack of threads, they're normally part of the braze on mech's body, aren't they?

I'm a bit less concerned about the siting height as the 34t ring will sit a bit lower than the 39t anyway, so should be a case of split the difference.

Agreed on the returns issue - it's more that I trust Wiggle to deliver the damn things full stop! It's tricky because I'm looking to do non-standard install, so it could well be bodge-central with all sorts of washers and grommets to space bits out.

Re. the cable tie option - yes, I've seen pictures of this done over on WeightWeenies, but I'm not convinced. I've also seen a dogfang bodge with a cable tie, which might be a better starting point since I already have all those parts!

Thanks again for the help!

sungod

deleted

me-109

You could try mounting the clamp-on adaptor upside-down, so the 'bottom' of this butts up against the bottom of the FD clamp. That would put the clamp bolt under the FD mechanism and give you something to hang the dogfang off. Now the front of the clamp around the mounting bolt may be too rounded to allow it to fit there, but the back looks smooth so it should fit flush against that, even if you need a longer bolt with a nut to hold it all together.

Wouldn't weightweenies just adjust the FD clearances to reduce the potential to drop a chain to the inside? ;-)

BigLee1

I`ve used a butchered reflector bracket cable tied to my mtb`s. It works fine keeping the chain where its supposed to be. Take the reflector off and trim the plastic arm down to whatever length is needed then pop it on your seat tube affixed with said cable tie