Chain catcher.... no more?
 

For a little while there these seemed to have quite a large following. But now you hardly ever hear of them. Yes, I know that a properly adjusted front der pretty much is all you need but I did/do like the additional insurance they add.

Just sayin'

domane comes with it standard. The seat tube has a designated threaded boss for it too.

You always need a chain catcher. You don't want your chain to fall off and get ran over by a car.

Sure is.

The only bike I have that ever occasionally drops a chain is my 2000's era Trek, but it's running a chainset / derailleur combo the frame was not designed for. I could probably get it dialled in better with a little work, but it's pretty rare (usually only when I back off after hitting full watts when taking the town sign sprint... 😅 ).

The newer Shimano groupsets are so good at keeping the chain on I haven't even considered needing one for a long time.

Quote:
Yes, I know that a properly adjusted front der pretty much is all you need
WHAT ???
AM I NOT spposed to buy this magnificent piece of bent ALUminimum ???
K-EDGE Pro Road Braze-on Chain Catcher for $33.99 + tax + shipping ???
how do you expect this guy to pay for the lease of his Tesla S ???

... you know, 'WE' are on the verge of a recession... gotta keep the engine of democracy steamin ahead...

Ride On - without chain drop anxiety !
Yuri

It is standard on my Trek Madone. Does it work? No. :notamused:

My gears go out of whack from time to time and so my chain does sometimes, albeit rarely, drop and the chain catcher, no matter how tight it is, never catches the chain, the chain defeats it. Fortunately, I always put protective film on parts of my bikes where they can get chain damage and that protects the frame.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e922b442fd.png

I uninstalled and binned the stock chain catcher on my Fuji after one time the chain fell and got stuck on the chain catcher bolt. Since GXP requires too much torque to remove it in the field I was in a right pickle.

Wheen the adjustment goes out of whack and the chain drops off, at least it’s easy to get it back on.

I’m too dumb to index my gears and adjust my derailleur’s on my own, so I just let the LBS do it. They’re good at their jobs so I’ve never dropped a chain. Been riding Shimano R7000 for thee years now with no issues at all.

Never had one until I went to 10 speed, it seemed to be more of an issue there. I did not have them on any of my 11 speeds until I got my Domane which it come stock on, but never had an issue on the 11 speeds dropping the chain.

I stil have mine on the two of my 3 bikes that I care to not have the BB shell scratched. I’ve needed it at least a few times while riding. And once while doing maintenance I pulled the chain wrong and it saved my paint.

I have DI2 only and I’m pretty sure they’re all adjusted right.

I used to have one on our 9 speed triple equipped tandem. It caused more problems than it solved so I took it off.

1x

(runs away giggling)

Lots of reasons you don't see them often anymore.
1. Needed them a lot with SRAM because their front shifting has always really sucked. SRAM pushed a lot of 1x because they just can't figure out good front shifting. That push has eliminated many of the opportunities for chains to drop.
2. Clutched rear derails. With 1x and now "gravel" the clutched rear derail has become popular enough that it keeps enough tension on the chain to help eliminate chain drops.
3. Electronic groups. Front electronic shifting, even with SRAM, is better controlled and less prone to dropping. *(Sidenote - also my theory as to why we will eventually see triples come back in some form)
4. The vast majority of chain fall devices are not installed or adjusted correctly. That has almost always led to a situation on the road where someone does drop a chain and ends up with it ground in behind a bolt or chain fall device. In other words because of poor deployment they ended up causing more problems than they solved.

They are still needed in some scenarios. Particularly any cross situation that will get muddy. 1x is not enough. Had a great conversation with a high ranking engineer one time about how he mistakenly left his chain fall device at home and sure enough it ended up muddy and he dropped his chain in the race. "you can't beat mud. You have to have something for it. We even tell the pro mtb teams that."

Also - gravel is stupid. :p

So I can accurately follow the thread, are we talking about the bolt/screw/protrusion on the big chainring/crankarm, the through bolt on the bottom of the FD cage or something else? It shows how behind the times I am. :50:

My 2022 Emonda also came with it standard
The 2022 Supersix Evo we just picked up for my partner does not have one.

I think it's one of those options that's nice if it's there but not worth retrofitting, especially if it involves one of those strange looking contraptions I just googled. Shows a bit of attention to detail from Trek here, the mounting point and tidy design of the adjustable catcher is a nice touch.

I agree. Actually, a properly adjusted FD is far more resistant to chain falling than 1x with un-clutched RD. It's rather easy to have the chain get off the chainring from 1x if you hit washboarded sections of the road or those nasty "noise stripes" at high enough speed when you're at the highest gear when the chain tension is at the least.

To get 1x as resistant to chain fall as 2x with properly adjusted FD, you'll need at least clutched RD. Fortunately, many 1x bikes already come with clutched RD.

I can't say I ever noticed the previous large following. For me it's always been a fairly niche product. I do happen to have one on my current road bike though - as I don't want to risk grinding a carbon frame.

I'll concede on the "large following" remark. But I do agree that the additional peace of mind or possibly avoidance of a chain ruining a $6k frame is probably a warranted OCD move at best.

On my 1x fat bike, when I disengage the clutch in my RD sometimes the chain falls off the single ring up front. With clutch engaged the chain does not fall off so there is no need for a chain catcher. I am debating about whether on an upcoming weekend tour I will bother releasing the clutch for smoother 'road' segments and engaging for rough terrain.

On my 2x road bike, the chain seldom/never falls off.