1 x 9 setups

[Tetra]

Homemade Inner Chainguide...

I couldnt find what I was looking for online, so made this myself. I was so so chuffed with the result that I now manufacture them. Been using the lightweight version for a season now with no loss of chain. I ride a 1x9 11-32 / 32, lightweight Ellsworth setup and mainly aggressive XC with some DH elements.

http://www.raidiumchainguide.co.uk

This might look like a shameless plug, and it is... but relevant, right?!

 

[Mark S]

Also known as a Widgit in Australia.

 

[Australia]

I think that the Radium is just the inside bit, byo ring and bash guard

at $40 shipped it might make sense to try out a 1*9 set up if you already have a ring and bash guard lying around the garage

 

[0psi]

I'm using an XCX atm and love it but I do recommend using an E*13 giude ring with it as it makes it work a fair bit better and it's easier to set up as it's stepped to fine tune chain-line, especially handy if you are converting triple cranks to run 1x9.

With the cage in the perfect position the granny tabs on my cranks rub the back plate of the guide so I've had to put a spacer between the guide and BB to move the guide back a smidge. So now I get a bit too much rub on the CG cage when using the smallest cogs, which will be fixed with wonderous guide ring.

Not sure if the MRP or Renthal rings are stepped or not.

 

[Mark S]

I could be wrong but I thought that the Widgit was the inside and outside. I seem to recall that part of the advertising was "no chainguide required".

 

[utty]

I could be wrong but I thought that the Widgit was the inside and outside. I seem to recall that part of the advertising was "no chainguide required".

Your right Mark. The widgit has both inner and outer plates. While they are thin they do cope with a bit of abuse. Mine have anyway!

 

[DiscoDan]

To throw my few cents in:

The 1 x 9 I'm using is currently running a single top guide but has thrown the chain a few times on rough descents. I've bought a e13 LS1 with the bottom guide wheel and will fit that up shortly to see if that fixes the issue

I also put a Surly 36t chainring on yesterday (had it lying around) to replace the 40t that was on it. The ratios were really good with a 11-32 cluster, I was able to climb heartbreak hill at Manly Dam which I use as a good test and still had plenty of speed on the fast bits. The only problem was it's a single speed chainring so it actually thicker than the gap in a 9 speed chain. Instant chain-suck hell so now I'm sourcing another 36t chainring

 

[Gripo]

Widgit - replaced the rivets.......

Your right Mark. The widgit has both inner and outer plates. While they are thin they do cope with a bit of abuse. Mine have anyway!

I replaced the rivets that hold the Widgit together with 10x3mm screws with nyloc nuts.

This shoulld help if I need to remove the bashguides out on trail and bend them.

 

[RichJS]

Also known as a Widgit in Australia.

Nothing like a widgit.

The raidium is just a bash ring with a 64 tooth BCD. You need a separate 94BCD middle ring, and a 94BCD bash ring. As such, the smallest chain ring you can use is 32t (though maybe you can find a 31t.)

The widget is a single device that bolts onto the 64BCD (granny ring) holes, and the chainring and inner and outer guide plates are all part of the all-in-one device. If you want, you can chop off the spider of your cranks just past the 64BCD holes. The small BCD enables it to have smaller tooth counts - it comes in 32, 30 and 28t.

Replacing the rivets with bolts is a nifty idea.

 

[RichJS]

The only problem was it's a single speed chainring so it actually thicker than the gap in a 9 speed chain.

The problem wasn't it being an "SS" chainring as such - rather, it sounds like it's a 1/8" chainring and you have a 3/32" chain. All chains for geared drivetrains have a 3/32" internal width. I love SRAM 8-speed chains, and am dreaming of a day when SRAMano make an 8-speed drivetrain with XTR/XX tech.. mid-weight, medium-high cost, long-life, less-precise tuning required. Perhaps aimed at the serious Tourer/Commuter market?

Anyway, either a 1/8" chain or a 3/32" chainring will fix it for you. Using a wider chain on a narrower cog is OK.

 

[HerdingCats]

Chainline and wet lube

I ride a TREK Fuel converted to 1x9 (XT crank, 32t and XT RD). I don't run a chain guide, using an old Deore FD to keep the chain on. It works a treat both on and off road.

Prior to my commute yesterday in Sydney rain, I slapped on wet lube, forgetting to wipe it down afterwards. At least 1/2 dozen times the chain slipped off, when I was in the 34 at the back.

I couldn't tie it down to any single cause - the chain is in reasonable condition, no bent teeth on the chain ring, RD in good order. The only explanation I could land on was that with the extra lube and the extreme chain line (34 at the rear to the middle ring), if the chain didn't catch cleanly it slipped off the chain ring.

Any other ideas about this?

For the ride home I cleaned off the excess wet lube and had no problems.

Thanks,

a

PS: Please, no bagging me for using the 34T on a commute - I don't rely on it as much as I used to!

 

[Josh Seksy]

I ride a TREK Fuel converted to 1x9 (XT crank, 32t and XT RD). I don't run a chain guide, using an old Deore FD to keep the chain on. It works a treat both on and off road.

Prior to my commute yesterday in Sydney rain, I slapped on wet lube, forgetting to wipe it down afterwards. At least 1/2 dozen times the chain slipped off, when I was in the 34 at the back.

I couldn't tie it down to any single cause - the chain is in reasonable condition, no bent teeth on the chain ring, RD in good order. The only explanation I could land on was that with the extra lube and the extreme chain line (34 at the rear to the middle ring), if the chain didn't catch cleanly it slipped off the chain ring.

Any other ideas about this?

For the ride home I cleaned off the excess wet lube and had no problems.

Thanks,

a

PS: Please, no bagging me for using the 34T on a commute - I don't rely on it as much as I used to!

I've actually had similar problems on the road bike, arguably it was with a complete (2 x 10) setup, I had issues dropping the chain during a crit, and the only thing I could put it down on was not wiping lube off.

Just double check your gears are nicely tuned, check the front chainring is spaced correctly, so you don't get dramatic chain line cross over.

 

[Winno]

On the Bullit, for riding at Daisy Hill in Brisbane (a good mix of single track, down hills AND lots of climbs), I run a 29 front (w eThirteen) and 11-34 rear.

I know the 29 is low but I like to spin when climbing hills, and I get to use the whole cassette. Most of the time I'm in the middle of the block though which is ideal for my chainline. And I get no rubbing on the CG when at the extremes - nice n quiet. It also means that I can use a short cage der. and I get super snappy shifts.

I rarely use the 11 at the back, even when I commuted on the bikeway with it for a few months, before the Chameleon came along.

 

[HerdingCats]

Just double check your gears are nicely tuned, check the front chainring is spaced correctly, so you don't get dramatic chain line cross over.

Thanks, sage advice.