milesf

Hey, I recently got my first trail bike, a Cannondale Trail 6 (I know it isn't much, but it was a present, and I am pretty new to the sport). I have liked the bike except for the 2x8 drivetrain, mainly the fact that since the derailleur had no clutch, I would have massive amounts of chain slap (making any bumpy riding sound janky and mess with the frame), and more importantly the fact that I was constantly dropping chains (from the front cassette outwards towards the pedals). I am pretty sure that the chain dropping could be stopped with either a derailleur or some weird chain guide that isn't made for a 1x, but I am assuming that upgrading the derailer would solve two problems with one stone. I was wondering if yall had any ideas for potential upgrades that wouldn't cost a ton. My requirements are that it would work with the parts I have now(all stock) or the additional part replacements needed to make it work would be pretty cheap. I think the derailleur that I have now is a Shimano Acera.

veganbikes

I mean there really isn't much worth upgrading on that, that will make a huge difference without costing more than you would want to spend on that bike. If you are dropping chains you might need to bring the bike in for service or learn how to shift properly (which can be the cause of dropped chains if everything is properly adjusted)

If you are desperate to spend money on that bike in terms of drivetrain, getting Microshift Advent rear derailleur and shifter would give you a clutch for not a ton of money. You could also get a bolt on chain keeper/catcher, K-Edge is what I have on my ti road bike but you might find one that works for 2x MTB. Though honestly I would save your money towards a proper mountain bike. That bike was designed for someone who rides trails once in a blue moon or in many cases wants the look of a mountain bike without needing performance or durability thereof. It is not a terrible bike it just isn't an ideal mountain bike for someone who wants to really hit the trails.

I will say from my time with Microshift Advent which is limited in riding, it is actually reasonable and on a cheap trail bike would be ideal vs. the cheaper Shimano stuff. It turns what would be a bike I wouldn't recommend into one I would as it has a lot of the modern elements in a low cost package.

Have fun riding out there and maybe we might see each other one day. I am just getting back into mountain biking myself (though have ridden road and gravel for many years).

mack_turtle

I'd look into the kits from Box and Microshift. they have clutched detailers much cheaper than some of the others. you'll need to get a new shifter, cassettes, chain, and derailer at the same time, but it would be the only way to make the upgrade and worth the trouble to do so.

freeranger

My old (ancient?) mtn.bike has a 3x8 drivetrain, using an old Alivio rear der. Can't remember the last time I dropped a chain. Yes, it does get some chain slap. To protect the chain stay, I cut a length of old innertube, then slit it lengthwise, wrapped it around the chainstay and wrapped elec.tape around it to hold it in place. Has worked fine for years. If you want something fancier, Lizard Skins makes a chainstay protector (my wife's mtn.bike has one). Sounds like maybe the front der.stop may not be adjusted correctly if dropping the chain outwards toward the pedal. Might just need a drivetrain tuning to solve dropping the chain.

Kapusta

Couple of things that might help short of a new RD:

1- Make sure the chain is no longer than it needs to be (Big/Big Plus One...... Google it). Less chain slack, fewer problems. Price: Free

2- Make sure you are in your big ring whenever things get rough. Again, less chain slack, fewer problems. Price: Free

3- What kind of crankset is this? If a bash guard can be mounted on the outside, that will help a lot. Price $20-$25 shipped through BBG Bashguards (Google it)

I rode 2x8 and 2x9 for almost 20 years with no clutch, and seldom lost a chain doing the above three things.

Darth Lefty 

You should check adjustment on your front shifter and derailleur. It's not supposed to drop. You can go ahead and blame it though, because front shifting sucks. The front derailleur and shifter together have six adjustments (height, angle, low limit, high limit, cable length, indexing). If you get it perfect it only rubs the chain about half the time, only grinds badly going to the big ring and only drops occasionally going to the small ring.

To get your bike to a clutch RD you need to change both the RD and shifter. That's irritating, and entirely a marketing decision by Shimano, I'm sorry to tell you. There is no clutch derailleur with the old 7-8-9 speed shifting leverage. You need a 10/11 speed RD. Then you can use a SRAM 1:1 shifter with it. This is a hack and not guaranteed to work, but it's the cheapest. A little safer is to go full 10 speed with all Shimano RD, cassette, shifter, chain.

Going to 1x is a swell idea but you'd likely also have to replace your crankset with one that can carry an appropriate chain ring; the one you have appears to be riveted together and swaged onto the crank arm. That's another hundred bucks or more, unless you want to try Amazon china-direct parts. If you are feeling that ambitious I'd advise you to start saving up $1000-1500 for a higher class of bike, because you are going to want to do the fork next, and by the time you do the entire drivetrain and the fork you are back up to the MSRP of your bike.

DMC707

Take it back to the dealer it came from (if local) , maybe they can adjust it for you for free - a lot of new bikes sold come with a complimentary adjustment or 2 to account for minor cable stretching . Leave the mechanics $5 to go in the beer fund jar anyway if its a cool shop

if thats not the case and the original dealer is no longer around, any dealer could square it away for a nominal fee. I started mountain biking yearsago on a machine far more basic than your ‘Dale (Bridgestone mb-6) and it did not have the issues you are describing unless it was out of adjustment