tahoeeddie

I wanted to ask people out there if they have any opinions one way or another on the usefulness of a chain catcher?
I picked up my bike from the LBS yesterday after having them re-install my power meter magnet for the 3rd time. The mechanic recommended that I install a chain catcher, b/c he thought that the reason the magnet was falling off was b/c my chain was dropping. In fact, my chain was dropping b/c the magnet was falling off.

In any case, it got me wondering if I would like to get one just in case. After I thought about it more, I realized that if my chain dropped, the likelihood that the magnet would break away again would just increase. So I became intrigued a bit.

In normal circumstances, I don't worry too much about dropped chains. It rarely happens to me, and when it does, it's not a big problem to fix (since I don't race; at least not yet).

Do you guys find that it is helpful? Does it work really well? Or is it just $50 down the drain?

Thanks.

Looigi

Essential.

achoo

They work. Not quite "essential", but definitely worth having IMO

Huh? How's the magnet falling off causing your chain to drop?

clausen

Chains bounce off sometimes no matter how good your drive train is setup. Adding a chain catcher just eliminates the hassle. $50 your shop is ripping you off.I have a dog fang $20 on e-bay on one bike and K-edge $18 PBK on another.

Jed19

I totally recommend a chain catcher for anyone who has a carbon frame. I once saw the damage a dropped chain can do on a carbon frame on a fellow's new frame, it was not pretty. And to think a $9 (that is what I paid on PBK for my Dog Fang) contraption could have prevented all that grief.

So, get yourself a chain catcher, and do it fast!

Biscayne05

Yes they work.

antmeeks

I'm kinda on the fence about them...

If your FD is set up correctly, then dropping a chain on the inside should be rare.

Of course, the chain can bounce off on a downshift in the right conditions even if your FD is perfect - and I've had my share of these.

But for me, it's never been a problem to get the chain back on while riding & I've never gotten any frame scratches from it.

That said, I'm not knocking them at all. It just seems like an extra hassle to me... one more thing to adjust.

Jed19

The operative word being "rare". What about the single drop that chews up the BB area of a carbon frame? All it takes is one unfortunate drop, which can result from a myriad of causes. I don't think Andy Schleck's FD was not adjusted properly when he dropped his chain in the Tour. User error, maybe, but definitely not a maladjusted FD.

And the guy I saw drop his FD and got his frame chewed up resulted from hitting a nasty, unseen pothole.

Have you seen that almost all pro bikes now come with a chain catcher? There is a reason, and it's not FD maladjustment by incompetent or drunk mechanics.

bikepro

When I started seeing chain catchers on Tdf bikes I knew it was time for me to get one. If these professional mechanics think they're a good idea, I do as well.

antmeeks

Don't hold back man, tell us how you really feel.

900aero

I use a chain catcher but it didn't prevent an incident of "chain suck" where my dropped chain came around and was wedged between the inner chainwheel and the frame below and behind the BB. Chewed up the paint pretty well - although at least it didn't do any structure damage to the frame. I don't know how I could have prevented this (& its only happened once) but I know that the catcher has saved my chain from dropping on the inside at the top a few times. It also makes it easier to re-mount the chain; which is often done on the move by good riders (ie pros) and perhaps thats the reason they have one. It means they don't have to stop.

coasting 

essential.

cplager

It may not be essential with all bike setups, but it makes a huge difference on my two bikes.

qcpmsame 

I have the K-edge catcher, got it on eBay for $20, works as advertised the two times I had a drop and its worth every cent for the peace of mind. I still check things on the FD/RD adjustment, though, just because I'm paranoid don't mean they aren't out to get me.

Bill

chasm54

Clearly ridiculous to describe it as essential when nearly everyone has managed just fine without them for ever and ever.

According to reports, Andy Schleck was using one when he dropped his chain and lost the famous 39 seconds to Contador, so they aren't foolproof.

I've never used one, and never felt the lack. I rarely drop the chain, and if I do I can almost always get it back on while in motion, simply by shifting back onto the big ring.

coasting 

I have dropped the chain on all three bikes i have owned. on 1, it would have destroyed the frame if it had been carbon. People may well say it is user error, but that is a moot point. Errors are made, even if it is avoidable.

chasm54

Really? And you know this how?

In any event, see 900aeros post above. **** happens, with or without a chain catcher.

coasting 

because it bent the chainstay on my steel bike. there is a massive dent there like it was hit by a meteorite.


i bet you are an anti helmet retro grouch.

antmeeks

What the eff kind of crazy stunt did you do to BEND the chainstay of a steel bike from a chain drop???

I call BS.

You may have nicked it or scratched it, but you definitely did not bend it. Not unless you stomped on it out of frustration afterwards... and that doesn't count.

Jed19

Why on earth would you question someone's direct experience? For your info, chainstays are sometimes deliberately thinned out to elicit certain ride characteristics. And the chain is the hardest part of a bike, as it is mostly steel (harder alloys combos), whereas frame materials on a steel bike are " softer alloys" of some kind. So, it is very possible to bend a chainstay on certain steel bikes from a chain drop.

antmeeks

Ok man, no reason to get your panties all bunched up.

I don't have any idea what kind of dainty rainbow & unicorn steel bikes you're talking about, but in the real world, simple physics do not support your assertion.

*MAYBE* this could happen on an outside drop where the chain gets wedged between the crank arm & chainring and the rider continues to mash on it with all his weight & might.

Otherwise the chain would not have enough inertia, force or leverage to bend something.

But we're not talking about outside drops, only inside, because that's the only kind of drop a catcher can prevent, yes?

cplager

If this had been a thread about helmets, or lights, or gun control, I could see how it could deteriorate this quickly. About chain catchers? Did not see this one coming...

antmeeks

I just thought it's redonkulous that someone claimed an inside-dropped chain could bend their steel chainstay. Couldn't. Let. It. Go.

That & I'm bored at the moment waiting for files to process.

Tycho Brahe 

Not every bike can fit a dog fang. If you tube flares out toward the bottom bracket and you have a clamp-on FD, then you need something like the clamp-on K-Edge, which is around $50.

Nagrom_

You can get knock off K Edge chain catchers on ebay for less than 10 bucks. I use one. It's fine.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/140814143264