[ire]

The races around here are muddy in the early year and I've been having a problem with chain suck on my hardtail, so it got me thinking....Would a dual ring setup shed the mud better and prevent chain suck? I was thinking about getting the Rotor Agilis crank that is setup just for dual ring (its not out yet, but will be soon)

 

[syadasti]

They have dual and triple ring chainguides. e13 just bought the Heim guides (3RS, 2RS, etc):

http://www.sicklines.com/2008/03/19/heim-guides-bought-by-ethirteen-components/

 

[ire]

They have dual and triple ring chainguides. e13 just bought the Heim guides (3RS, 2RS, etc):

http://www.sicklines.com/2008/03/19/heim-guides-bought-by-ethirteen-components/

This is for my XC race rig, when I say dual ring I mean outer and middle ring

 

[Westy]

I'm not sure how dual ring will help with chainsuck in the mud. Chainsuck is usually caused by the chaing not wanting to bend or the chainring wearing. If anything would help it would be using a single ring setup and using a nice beefy single speed style ring up front.

 

[gonefirefightin]

what kind of chain are you using?

 

[sperkins]

I'm not sure how dual ring will help with chainsuck in the mud. Chainsuck is usually caused by the chaing not wanting to bend or the chainring wearing. If anything would help it would be using a single ring setup and using a nice beefy single speed style ring up front.

Yeah I'm pretty sure that the dual ring would not help that much.

 

[ire]

I'm not sure how dual ring will help with chainsuck in the mud. Chainsuck is usually caused by the chaing not wanting to bend or the chainring wearing. If anything would help it would be using a single ring setup and using a nice beefy single speed style ring up front.

My thinking was that mud packed near the bottom bracket, and on the small ring, was catching the chain and pulling it upward

 

[JohnE]

I ran 2x9 for a few years in Germany. All I did was drop the little ring, adjust the front der, and run Ritchey 2x9 shifters. It worked really well in the mud and in the snow.

 

[Sir_Crackien]

the 2x9 setup will not help with chain suck at all. replacing your chain and problem chain rings should solve the problem. also keeping your drivetrain clean will help a ton as well. i have fixed many of chain suck issues on customers bike by just deep cleaning the chain

 

[Westy]

My thinking was that mud packed near the bottom bracket, and on the small ring, was catching the chain and pulling it upward

Chainsuck happens when the loose part of the chain does not release for the chainring. It happens more in muddy conditions because mud is sticky, not because it packs around the small chainring.

 

[SuspectDevice]

2x9 setups are great.
I run all of our team bikes with Middleburn cranks. Either with the 3 bolt Duo spider with a 29/44 setup, the 5x94 bcd spider with a 38/30 or the 5/110x74 spider with a 26x36 setup. I can swap the spiders in about 5 minutes.

Having a better middle range of gears is the biggest benefit we get, as well as just simplified shifting. My team is all 'cross kids, and they don't want to have to deal with silly front shifting.

I run a 3rd eye chainwatcher under the front deraileur as well, that, along with the shortest-possible chain pretty much completely eliminates dropping the chain.
We run downtube front deraileur cable routing so that we can run road deraileurs, which shift a lot better for this application. My favorite is the IRD compact FD, as the cage is better profiled for smaller rings, and it is not as " system-optimized" as the Shimano, Campy and Sram Fd's

Of course, non of that can eliminate breaking chains, which seems to be the problem we've been having this year. I am averaging about 2.5 hours before we see catastrophic failures. Pretty much all brands appear to be equally ****ty at the moment.

2x9 setups certainly do eliminate the majority of chainsuck, for 2 reasons.
1. Most chainsuck happens when upshifting from the granny. The large diameter rings mean more widely distributed pressure on the rings, and hence, less grabbiness.
2. Chainsuck only happens when you are shifting. With a better range of usable gears, you shift a heck of a lot less.

 

[Toshi]

I've definitely had chainsuck that was not associated with shifting...

 

[SuspectDevice]

I've definitely had chainsuck that was not associated with shifting...

In what size chainring?

 

[Toshi]

In what size chainring?

probably 80% granny ring, 20% middle. Granny ring tooth count has varied from 22-26 over the years and bikes.

 

[Lelandjt]

Sounds like 2x9 will reduce 80% of your chainsuck but it will also reduce weight and make your bike look cooler. I think it's great so long as your trails don't have climbs too steep for a 29x34 gear. I like these cranks except I think a 40t big ring would feel better paired with the 29t. That said I still think 22-32-42 11-28 8spd is best.
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=23508&category=377

 

[ire]

I've definitely had chainsuck that was not associated with shifting...

I still need to be more clear......The last two races I competed in were in heavy mud and I was getting chainsuck in the middle ring even though I wasn't shifting. I ended up riding the races entirely in the big ring because I wouldn't get chainsuck in the big ring....this is what led me to believe that packed mud near the middle ring was causing the chain suck. The chain was perfectly clean and lubed when starting the race, and I cleaned it afterwards.

 

[MtnbikeMike]

I still need to be more clear......The last two races I competed in were in heavy mud and I was getting chainsuck in the middle ring even though I wasn't shifting. I ended up riding the races entirely in the big ring because I wouldn't get chainsuck in the big ring....this is what led me to believe that packed mud near the middle ring was causing the chain suck. The chain was perfectly clean and lubed when starting the race, and I cleaned it afterwards.

How old is/are the ring(s)? I tend to get chainsuck in the mud more when rings are worn. Most notably last time I raced Sea Otter in '06 and had to ride the second lap in the big ring. lthumbsdown:

What rings are you using? My Truvativ rings get chainsuck when they get the slightest bit dirty, and they're hardly worn.

Your problem could be an issue of brand or a matter of worn parts.

 

[ire]

How old is/are the ring(s)? I tend to get chainsuck in the mud more when rings are worn. Most notably last time I raced Sea Otter in '06 and had to ride the second lap in the big ring. lthumbsdown:

What rings are you using? My Truvativ rings get chainsuck when they get the slightest bit dirty, and they're hardly worn.

Your problem could be an issue of brand or a matter of worn parts.

2 year old XT cranks, original rings...but they have very minimal use. I only race this bike, train on others. I'll check them for wear (maybe the muddy races have trashed them)