squirtdad

If you look at this thread https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=523226

the bike hase an interesting sks chainguard.....not full but pretty good coveage

Lou Guru

I googled chaincases and found that "alibaba(dot)com" had chaincases being sold in quantity. They look like they'd go on roadsters, as they resemble the chain cases of Flying Pigeons, and some with funky paint jobs. (I also found this forum by googling chaincases). The only problem with the site is a) I heard it may be a scam, and b) I think you got to buy in quantities of 10.

graywolf

Alibaba.com is not a scam, it is a site for suppliers to advertise to importers. They are not interested in selling to individuals, container loads are what they are selling. There are several of those types of sites you find when googling roadster bicycles. Of course, if you are in the market for 1260 roadsters (or 10,000 chaincases), they are just where you should be looking.

graywolf

Well, I started this thread more than a year ago, and finally ordered a chaincase from Yellow Jersey yesterday. $50, $62 with shipping, is a lot to me; especially when I cannot even ride the bike into town.

But I have wanted a '50's style roadster, the Denelt is technically a light roadster, since riding my cousins top end Raleigh as a kid. At this point I so not know how nice the chaincase is going to be, Yellow Jersey says it has a nicer finish than the ones for the 28" bicycles. Nor, do I know how much trouble it is going to be to fit it to the Dunelt. I will report back when it arrives.

graywolf

Wow! Quick shipping. Paid for the chaincase on Friday, got it on Monday.

Rather than posting a bunch of photos here, I will just give a link to my Blog, Subject to Change, article: https://graywolfphoto.com/journal/?p=312

But for those who want to know what these look like, but not interested in more here is one photo:



That is the disassembled frame side view. It appears to need two straps to mount it on the bicycle, they did not come with it. I will inquire whether they were supposed to, before proceeding.

graywolf

They said they are supposed to mount to braze-ons. Oh well! I will fabricate straps, and if they move too much, I will epoxy them to the frame.

roofrack

Hi there, I have a road bike with a Nexus 7 fitted with a Chainglider. I live in London and the idea was to make myself a fast, low maintenance commuter. It works fairly well - although in common with some others I've been reading about the back bit eventually came off. However it still protects most of the chain and means I never have to roll up my trouser leg so I really like it. I've had it a little over a year and I had to trim a lot of the plastic to actually make the thing fit - however in the end I think it worked quite well and the 'no visible innards' look works well with a hub gear. Before I found the Chainglider I looked all over the internet including injection moulding factories from China and it seemed that aftermarket chainguard solutions are simply not really sold in either Britain or the USA. However if you can speak Dutch or German you will find a couple at every single online store.

German is Kettenschutz or Kettenkast

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettenschutz

Not a great photo but this is my bike from the wrong side.

https://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s...t=P1020422.jpg

And here's a Dutch site that I may have actually found from another comment on this site.

https://www.scootbike.nl/index.php/co...owse/vmcchk,1/

Incidentally the reason I wanted a chainguard so much was that I read a blog about a chap who bought a tricycle in Alaska and he thought he'd have to replace the fully enclosed chain - took the guard off and the chain was like new underneath. That sounded great to me. Also because the hub gears are a bit of a pain to change a flat tyre with anyway I bought Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres hoping to have less punctures. That was in December 07 and I haven't had one since riding fifty miles a week - so they seem to work too - however I don't think anyone could call them fast. Apologies for digressing and going on but it was a subject I spent some time on a little while ago. Regards.

NormanF

As promised, a picture of my Pashley Guvnor outfitted with a Rudge Withworth full chaincase. It adds to the bike's period look.

Allen

That's awesome.

graywolf

Very cool, Norman.

Now all I have to do is find the time, energy, and parts to mount the chaincase on my Dunelt. I will also need a few dry days for painting it and repainting the mudguards.

There is something about a full chaincase that says, "This bicycle is intended for serious everyday utilitarian use, it is not a weekend toy".

qmsdc15

An accessory that adds weight, noise and makes fixing a flat difficult hardy says utility to me, but you won't have to roll your pants leg up, that's a plus.

bwkelly

Chaincases aren't that heavy. I have yet to see one made out of armor plate. Mine makes a little noise at times, but not nearly enough to keep me from riding due to the annoyance. The chaincase on my bike has a removable piece on the rear that allows me to take off my rear wheel easily enough. And yes, I don't have to roll my pant leg up. They're not for everyone, but neither is criticizing other people's choice of bicycle accessories.

chicbicyclist

Mine is made out of vinyl and canvas so it's both not heavy and do not make any noise.

It also easily snaps on and off without the use of any tools.



As for flats, I've successfully patched two flats without taking the wheel off

qmsdc15

It looks great. I'm not criticizing anybody's choice of accessories, just suggesting that chain guards are not widely used specifically because they add very little utility to a bicycle.

graywolf

You obviously do not clean and grease your own chain, or you only ride in good weather.You should be able to leave your utility bike leaning against the side of the building in all weather, jump on it and go where you are going and back with only a squirt of oil in the proper holes about once a week. Or at least that is what I consider a utility bicycle. And besides, the chaincase does not rattle as much as that pretty chrome bullet on the tip of the front fender. As for fixing a flat, not something I do very often, most utility cyclist do not have glue on tires that you have to demount he wheel to fix.

I always wonder why someone who does not like chaincases, fenders, lights, kickstands, saddlebags, etc on their bike even bothers to read threads about them. I guess they just like sneering at people who think differently than they do. While I sometimes sneer at folks who who wear spandex (because they sneer at people like me), I do not do that on the road bike forum. Of course, you probably do not think you are supposed to wear a suit and tie on a bicycle either. If you look at some of the sites about bicycling in Amsterdam, you may see what utility cycling is all about.

qmsdc15

Dude, I'm not sneering at you. If I owned a nice pair of pants, I might see it differently.

Clean and grease chain? No way, Jose. White Lightning baby, my chain is shiny silver not typical black gunky mess. You still wouldn't want to rub your dress pants up against it.

bwkelly

I don't want to rub any of my pants against my chain, hence the chaincase. I don't have enough money to replace grease-stained pants, dress pants or otherwise. Have you ever owned a bicycle with a chaincase and found it lacking? Do you have any practical experience with them to back your opinions? If you do, and please share if you do, I would have much greater respect for your input.

qmsdc15

OK, I was sneering at him. But I wasn't sneering at chaincases. I'm sure they have functionality for some bikers, hence utilitarian. I guess I was reacting to the idea that graywolf was excited about making his bike look utilitarian which to me is putting the cart in front of the horse.

I don't have a car and I do not use public transportation. There are only two freight bikers in Washington DC. I'm one of them. No, I have never used a bike with a chain case. Take your "respect for my input" and shove it down your trouser leg, I don't need it.

qmsdc15

Don't put grease on your chain!

bwkelly

Okay, you got me there. I should have said "oil" or "lubricate". I don't put grease on my chain either.

I wasn't questioning your knowledge as a whole. You obviously know far more than I do in many areas. I was just questioning your knowledge in one particular area. I apologize if the tone of my previous message led you to believe I was questioning anything else. That's great you're a freight biker. We need more people like you.

Let me share my experience. I am also car-free, and have been for three years. I only use public transportation on the weekend to see my in-laws in Seoul. I currently reside in a semi-rural area in South Korea. I have attached a picture of a stretch of my daily commute. As you can see, it's a dirt road, and a poorly maintained one at that. I could ride on main roads, but South Korean traffic rules would probably hold me accountable if a car hit me, even if the accident wasn't my fault.

How does this relate to chaincases? Well, in the summer it rains here, a lot. My commute gets pretty muddy. A chaincase keeps a lot of grit off my chain. In the dry months it keeps most of the fine, talc-like road dust away, and also the Gobi desert dust that is increasingly blowing in from China. During certain months of the year, if I leave my bike outside, there's a fine layer of dust on it when I come back. I don't have to clean the chain as often as I would without one. I still lightly oil it on a regular basis, but my chaincase allows me to devote my free time to things other than bicycle maintenance. I don't especially enjoy cleaning chains.

I will agree that sometimes the cart gets put in front of the horse. They are turning into somewhat of a fashion accessory. When I go back to the US I'll probably be guilty of this as well. I have an old Raleigh waiting for me, more out of nostalgia for my time here than anything else. I won't have a daily commute that approaches the one I have now. Also, I won't have to worry about the problem of rampant Chinese dust, so its chaincase won't be as necessary. It will still do the same basic job of keeping the chain clean, however, so it won't be completely impractical.

Anyhow, I've written too much and have said all that I want to say on the subject. I'm tired of sitting in front of a computer and am going to go ride my bike instead. This thread has strayed off-topic enough.

qmsdc15

I'm not sure you've strayed from the topic. You aren't answering "Where can I get one?" but "Why?" which maybe of interest to some who read this thread, if they get past my snarky posts. Haha

Oil vs. wax is the subject of another thread, several probably. I use White Lightning, a wax based lube that cleans and lubes. It just takes a couple minutes to apply. True believers in wax chain prep lower their chains into melted paraffin. (Use a double boiler to melt the wax.) Wax based lube or plain old wax might work for you even with the chaincase. The advantage is that dirt does not stick to your chain as much.

I wish my commute looked like that. Enjoy the ride!

graywolf

Well, as the OP, I think why is OK.

I actually use a Teflon spray lube on my chains.

I am 65 and disabled and the local town has a helmet law that I am ethically opposed to which limits my actual use of my bicycles.

In my working days I cycle commuted in Detroit, Tampa, and Charlotte well into my 50's. Although I have to admit that I usually worked in construction and the jobs were mostly too far for a bicycle to be sensible. But I used the bike whenever I had a fixed location job.

In college everyone knew me, I was "the guy with icicles in his beard". I pushed bicycles so hard that campus security started using them.

In high school my 3 speed gave me the mobility that other pre-car teens did not have, but I certainly was not considered "cool".

At nine or ten my grandfather bought me a bicycle, insisting that it had to be a real bicycle like he had in the old country. Black! So I wound up with a Black 26" Dunelt 3 speed when my contemporaries were riding 24" paperboy style bicycles. I could reach the pedals, but it was so big the only way to get off until I learned the flying dismount was to bring it to a stop and fall off. Needless to say I usually veered onto someone's lawn first.

I think, I can hold up my head in any group of utilitarian bicyclists. And, I still say a untility bicycle should require less effort to keep up than a car. An occasional wipe down with a rag and a few squirts of oil as I said in my previous post.

Also the bicycle that the chaincase will be fitted to is a classic three speed, in fact, a black Dunelt like the one I had as a kid only with the larger sized frame. I primarily use it as a park bike, a leasurely ride in the park pretending to be an older gentleman back in maybe the 1930's takes me away from the mundane world of today for an hour or so. It also gets me some much needed exercise. So to me the look of the chaincase is just as important as its function. One of the rewards I get for letting other people tell me what to do for 60+ years is now only having to please myself. Anyway, I think "I like the looks" is reason enough. If a better reason is needed, a chain in a full chaincase typically will last about 5 years with just the factory lubrication.

However, I ask again why does someone come into a thread titled "Full Chaincase" and say people are stupid for wanting one?

qmsdc15

Haha, my grandfather made me get a black 3spd instead of the oh-so-cool Schwinn Stingray that I really wanted. Granddad knew best.

"However, I ask again why does someone come into a thread titled 'Full Chaincase' and say people are stupid for wanting one?" ~graywolf

Sorry, I missed it the first time you asked. I was not ignoring your question, but I don't understand it. No one said you were stupid. You are a little thin-skinned for an old coot.

I have no problem with enhancements to the aesthetics of one's bicycle. I simply disagreed that a chaincase says "Utility bike". To me it says "Classic and Vintage". My sincerest apologies for having an opinion different from your own.

A guy on a Raleigh 3spd with a long gray beard smoked me this morning on a group ride I joined for "Bike to Work Day".

bwkelly

Graywolf, do you have any pictures of your Dunelt with the chainguard yet? Did you make straps to get around the lack of braze-ons? Just curious for future reference.

graywolf

Unfortunately, I have too many projects at the moment with higher priority. Rest assured I will report my success, or failure, here "real soon now".