Chainglider feedback

[julk]

Hi all,
I have had a chainglider on my Rohloff Thorn for nearly 9 years.
I fitted it on a Rohloff 99 chain with some Rohloff chain oil added.
I do between 1 and 2 thousand miles a year now, it was more in the past.
I decided today was the time to take the chainglider off and have a good look at the chain/sprocket and see what replacement/cleaning/oiling/adjustment was needed.

On removing the chainglider I was amazed at the excellent condition the transmission was in.
Checking the chain with a Rohloff chain checker showed hardly any wear, the A side (0.75mm) only just went in a fraction.
The chain was pretty clean and evenly lubricated, the up/down slack was 25mm at mid point.
There was hardly any dirt inside the chainglider, only by the chainring which is a thin stainless one.
The rear sprocket looked in good condition.

I oiled the chain with Rohloff chain oil again and refitted the chainglider.
I suspect this combination will see me out…
Julian.

[John Saxby]

I suspect this combination will see me out…

+1  👍

Thanks, Julian

[martinf]

Checking for chain lubrication once every nine years - is that a record ?

I try and check the condition of the chain at least once a year on the family bikes fitted with Chaingliders.

Very often it is just:

- remove Chainglider,
- quick visual check,
- refit Chainglider without doing anything else.

[Andre Jute]

I really don't know what is happening to cycling. Once upon a time cycling was a necessity for hard men with gnarly hands riding to work, now respectable cyclists use German portmanteau words like Chainglider, and check their chain every year or nine -- and get away with it!

I ask you: What will it all come to?

[steve216c]

I am in to almost 5000km of Chainglider ownership. Mine has been off a a couple of times for tyre changes and other maintenance. But I’m convinced the glider has slowed wear and chain maintenance and well worth the minor purchase cost.

I know there are a few Chainglider dislikes (haters is perhaps too extreme) in the forum. I cannot speak for them. But I am a convert.  I rarely clean my bike. So if you see the dried mess on my chainglider from the last couple of weeks, you can see how much grime has been kept away from the chain. And keeping the crud out means longer gaps between lubrication intervals and less friction on the chain which stays clean.

[Matt2matt2002]

Snap, Steve.
Mine has been on for 7+ years and all of my tours.
So, 14,000 miles / 22.000+Km
Within the last six months one of the 'tags/clips' at the front part has malfunctioned. This leaves a small gap. The issue is solved with a small piece of black gorilla tape.
Given the length of service over some demanding rides/ weather/ winters, I don't count this against the Chainglider.

[PH]

I know there are a few Chainglider dislikes (haters is perhaps too extreme) in the forum. I cannot speak for them. But I am a convert. 

I have no like for them - aesthetics, complicates wheel removal, simply doesn't address any issue I've had.
But that's on my bike, I have no dislike about whatever anyone else does to theirs.
Where it gets complicated is where people are advocating without appreciating their opinions might not be the only ones, but hey-ho such is life.

[Captain Bubble]

I am in to almost 5000km of Chainglider ownership. Mine has been off a a couple of times for tyre changes and other maintenance. But I’m convinced the glider has slowed wear and chain maintenance and well worth the minor purchase cost.

I know there are a few Chainglider dislikes (haters is perhaps too extreme) in the forum. I cannot speak for them. But I am a convert.  I rarely clean my bike. So if you see the dried mess on my chainglider from the last couple of weeks, you can see how much grime has been kept away from the chain. And keeping the crud out means longer gaps between lubrication intervals and less friction on the chain which stays clean.

Me too. Wouldn't ride without one on the bike that it is currently on. Had a rocky start with it though, but persevered and now I take it for granted. The few disadvantages far out weigh the many and compelling advantages of fitting one. Two thumbs up from me.

[martinf]

I've gone from sceptic to fan. I now have Chaingliders on 6 of the 12 family bikes.

I've noticed that sometimes I don't choose my Raven Sport Tour because of the weather or the type of route because I want to try and keep the chain clean. So I will probably go through the hassle of fitting a Chainglider to this bike, where I will have to change the chainring and cut the rear section of a Chainglider to fit the seatstay.

The other 5 bikes can't be fitted with a Chainglider - 3 Bromptons, my old derailleur lightweight (hardly ever used now) and one of the visitor bikes that has vertical dropouts and hence needs a chain tensioner. The latter is a nuisance, because on that bike a Chainglider would have the added bonus of keeping chain lube off ordinary clothing and preventing loose clothing from catching between chainring and chain.

Not for everyone :

- It will only fit hub gear or single-speed bikes with a specific range of chainring/sprocket sizes. And on some frames it will interfere with the seatstay.
- Some chainrings (notably the excellent Thorn ones) will rub. This may or may not reduce to an acceptable level after the ring/Chainglider wear together. On my old utility bike with 1/8" TA chainring I stopped noticing the rubbing noise after a few hundred kms, and there was no significant friction from the beginning.
- If used in very dirty/wet conditions, some muck and water will still get in. IMO the Chainglider is still very useful in these conditions as it allows much longer maintenance intervals. 
- Aesthetics. People have different criteria concerning this. I quite like the look, and prefer it to seeing a dirty chain that would make me feel guilty about not cleaning it. Then again, the questionable aesthetics of cable ties, bolt on light brackets and so on don't bother me when these items serve a purpose. 

[Matt2matt2002]

An observation on this thread progress:
Genuinely impressed with the way folks state their case/ opinion and leave it there.
None of the typical 'Facebook' rants & raves.
Makes membership of this Forum a pleasure.

Best

Matt

[John Saxby]

One other thing 'bout my 'glider, let me call it an asset:  I was rereading my journal of my ride through the Rockies & Cascadia to the western ocean in 2016, and I noticed that on several occasions, my 'glider became a conversation piece, along with the Rohloff.  That led to enjoyable moments.  I had to explain to some folks, tho', that I wasn't avant-garde, just an OWF -- that plastic thingy kept me chain clean, it wasn't a carbon belt.

Cheers,  J.

[geocycle]

I had a chain glider on my old raven tour. It worked pretty well although mud and water did get in. I removed it each year for cleaning. I couldn’t get it to run smoothly on my raven sport tour which has much tighter clearances so it was discarded. There are times I miss it on muddy tracks but in general the periodic change of the transmission is not that expensive or difficult.

[ourclarioncall]

An observation on this thread progress:
Genuinely impressed with the way folks state their case/ opinion and leave it there.
None of the typical 'Facebook' rants & raves.
Makes membership of this Forum a pleasure.

Best

Matt

Yes, this is a great forum. I think i may have given up on Facebook for life. Might go back but at this point in my life it’s not good for my health ☺️ Still have an account which is handy for other things, but deleted all my friends and said farewell.

il say it again, well done chaps, THIS IS A GREAT FORUM 🙂

[in4]

A very positive move re Facebook. Empowering I guess, not being a user of it. Always thought it was a partly useful thing but also the repository of the unappealing. Here is a great place to learn, enjoy, exchange, partially vent one’s spleen, all founded upon our shared enjoyment  of Thorn bikes and riding them. Exiting pulpit now 😉

[martinf]

Update to my May 2021 post:

8 of the family bikes now have a Chainglider fitted - I converted my old derailleur lightweight with an S5/2 five-speed hub gear and put a Chainglider on it. I'm using it a little more often now.

So I now have 3 Brompton folders and 1 bike with vertical dropouts remaining without Chaingliders.