[*BCM*] bike questions

[Ari Pollak]

A chainring guard. I had one on my old mountain/hybrid bike and it did a
great job of keeping my pants and/or shoelaces out of the chain/teeth
without having to wear velcro ankle straps if I didn't feel like it. An
entire chainguard seems like overkill. I don't mean something as heavy
duty as to prevent teeth from wearing down on rocks though, just something
flimsy to keep stuff out of the chainring. This hybrid has a guard:
http://www.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/2004/citybike/large/7200fxe.jpg (I
should note that bike isn't actually listed on Trek's main site yet, but
International Bike carries it)
But most of the more aggressive Trek and Specialized hybrid models do not.

Tom Revay said:
> Do you mean a chain-RING guard, or chain guard?
>
> A chainring guard is a round piece of metal that is on the outside of the
> chainring.  It keeps the chain from falling off if it's overshifted to the
> outside (a situation that can be remedied by a simple adjustment to the
> front derailer).  Mountain bikes have also had these devices attached to
> keep the chainring from being damaged by a log or a rock ridden over and
> scraped.  The Specialized Rock Ring is an example of one of these
> products.
>
> Here's a picture of a chainring with a guard:
> http://www.rivbike.com/images/QB3.jpg
>
> That bike, by the way, is the Rivendell Quickbeam, which has a two cogs on
> the rear hub, one on each side in a flip-flop arrangement, and two
> chainrings in front.  The bike has no gear-changing devices, though.  If
> you want to change gears, you can either remove the rear wheel and flip
> it, or you can use your fingers to pull the chain onto a different front
> chainring.  That process is illustrated at
> http://www.rivbike.com/html/101_quickbeam.html
>
> Chainguards are something different.  These wrap around the chain along
> it's upward (forward) path, and partly or fully around the chainrings.
> This bike has one:
>
> http://www.kogausa.com/StreetLiner(M)specs.htm
>
> If your bike has a front derailer, it'd be difficult, although not
> impossible to put a changuard on it.  That Koga-Miyata, in particular, is
> spec'd at 24 speeds, which ordinarily implies that it has three chainrings
> in front, and an 8-cog cassette on the rear hub.  That they managed to put
> a full chainguard on such a bike is nifty, IMO.
>
> Chainguards keep your trousers from contacting the chain.  They also help
> keep the chain a little cleaner, though I think a full-sized front fender
> would do nearly as well.
>
> ...................................Tom
>
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