Whats a chain stay protector?

toon_mad

toon_mad

toon_mad

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Ok, so i was coming back from my bike ride on my specialized sirrus 2009, riding on the road as usual. on the other side of the road was some tramp looking fellow on a rubbish bike, kept staring at me so i stared back and then he turned round. So in the heat of the moment i thought, riiiit, im going to put this i 24th gear which i havnt done yet, and i was approaching a down hill. so i gradually upped the gears then my bloody chain came off, and i thought brilliant - all i need. i thought id lower the gears abit then it clicked back in place, looked behind and this rogue was right behind me, 2nd attempt i got into 24th ad blitzed down the road - was well chuffed when i looked back and he was at the top of the hill turning back round :D:D:D


To cut the long story short, is it the chain stay protector thing that kept the chain on? ive not ridden for over 5 years, and the gadgets have changed a lot. does this mean my chain will never come off, or if it does -will click back on? :confused:
 
Isn't a chain stay protector the thing you wrap round the frame to stop the chain from scratching it?
 
A chainstay protector goes along the top of chainstay, the part of the frame which runs from the bottom bracket (where your crankset is (where you pedal)) to the rear dropout where your wheel is.

It stops the chain making a noise bouncing off the frame, it doesn't stop the chain coming off. Ill adjusted gears or bad shifting technique will cause you to drop the chain on the road.
 
You are mistaking a chain stay protector (wraps round the chainstay...funnily enough) with a chain device - as found on DH bikes.
 
how did the chain come off (i couldnt pedal) - then i lowered the gears and it snapped back in place?

ive never had bikes years and years ago do this :confused:


PS, i musnt be shifting properly, a few times ive changed gear - seemed ok then 15-20 seconds later it can change into another gear again by itself. is there a proper technique? i assumed just gently shifting it would do the trick
 
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Sounds like you mis-shifted which stopped the cranks from turning as the chain couldn't move, but by shifting again it allowed the chain to move and you to pedal.
 
A Chainstay protector, as already mentioned - it stops noise and damage when the chain hit's the chainstay.

Ned_Overends_Specialized_S-Works_Epic_Iceman_chainstay_protector.jpg



A chain catcher fits between the frame and the crank, it's stop the chain slipping off the bottom chainring.
An example

chain_catcher_3.jpg
 
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Yeah that is part of it, it's the twisty looking mechanism at the back that is bolted onto the frame. It shifts the chain around on the cassette. There should be 2 screws marked H and L. One stops the mech moving too far left (L) and one stops it moving too far right (H)

Bike shop could do it for you in 2 minutes, but tbh this sort of thing is quite simple once you've got your head round it and it's well worth knowing yourself. Indexing gears is easy too... that's making sure they all line up and run silently instead of grinding along.

If it was me I'd take the gear cable out and just push the mech to either side with my fingers and set the screws by sight. You'll have to redo the indexing if you do that, but that is also a great thing to be able to do yourself, but maybe a bit confusing at first.

look here
http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=64
 
i think it must have got jammed, i thought it came off - my bad :D

any tips to avoid this in the future, or just be careful with shifting gears?
 
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