Chain guard
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Chain guard
I have a Sun Easy 1 recumbent that I have been riding for about 10 years. I am in a colder climate now and when wearing sweatpants I am getting oil on my pant leg. Is there a chain guard made for this bike? If not any ideas what to use?
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Thread moved from Mechanics to Recumbents.
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pants clips solution
Simplest solution is to buy a pair of "bicycle trouser clips" aka "bicycle pants clips" That will hold your sweatpants close to your leg so it never brushes up against the chain or chainring. Lots of sources from Amazon to eBay with varying prices from as little as $2,57 a pair with 3 week shipping from China to $7.35 for the same clips by a US seller with 4 day shipping, https://www.ebay.com/itm/315182598415 https://www.ebay.com/itm/364685744230 You really only need to use the right clip.
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They also make fabric straps that attach around your ankle with velcro for <$10.
If that's too expensive, you can use a rubber band, although a rubber band won't have the reflectiveness of a strap. Or, if you don't have a rubber band, just tuck your pant leg into your sock.
PS. Have you already figured out that you can tuck the shoelaces in your right foot into your shoe?
It generally doesn't work well to use a chainguard on a multi-chainring crankset. A chainguard will interfere with shifting and stick out into the pedal arm's path
If that's too expensive, you can use a rubber band, although a rubber band won't have the reflectiveness of a strap. Or, if you don't have a rubber band, just tuck your pant leg into your sock.
PS. Have you already figured out that you can tuck the shoelaces in your right foot into your shoe?
It generally doesn't work well to use a chainguard on a multi-chainring crankset. A chainguard will interfere with shifting and stick out into the pedal arm's path
#5
On derailleur bikes it's generally easier to fit the chainguard to yourself than the bike - get some cheap gaiters. Or you could try a different chain lubrication approach: wax lube is said by it's users to stay cleaner longer, so touching the chain won't stain your leg - the chain will last longer too, if they're to be believed.
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It's best to keep the pant legs and shoelaces away from the chainring by way of clips/straps. Getting caught in the chain is no fun.
#8
It seems to me it wouldn't be as simple as that - swbs and tadpoles normally have an idler under the seat for the top chain run, with the tubing being anchored to that, but this being a lwb with low bbkt the seat isn't in the right place - you'd need to fit a bracket near the midpoint of the chain run, that stops the tubing from being dragged forward, while deflecting freely as the chain shifts to each sprocket and chainring without rubbing excessively. There is some drag on the chain with this sort of arrangement, you really want to keep it as low as you reasonably can.
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Chainguards typically don't work well for multiple-chainring systems, for the reaso that they need to be pretty wide to allow for 2-3 chainrings of side movement. Thus, floating chain tubes are often used. Tour-Easys and clones typically have a small frame tube where the seat tube would normally go, and this can be used t mount an after-market idler as a chain-management device. This would be the obvious place to attach a chain tube. Lateral movement to the cassette wouldn't matter, and if attached to the idler, the tube could be free to move at the opposite end to account for the chainring. OP could obviously fabricate his own chainguard. I am not aware of any commercial offerings that would work.