Today I received an email from a visitor to my bike commuting tips webpage. "I go to college by cycling over 5 miles every single day. One thing that has annoyed me is protecting the side of my trousers from getting totally ruined by oil."
I replied with suggestions that this young bike commuter 1) roll up pant leg; 2) wear shorts and change; or 3) use an ankle strap, such as my favorite, the Jandd Reflective Ankle Strap.
A better solution for commuters is a chainguard, which once was standard equipment on most bikes. But then bikes became toys and recreational devices rather than utilitarian vehicles, and the chainguard disappeared, along with fenders, lights, bells, and kickstands. Fortunately, the trend in the bike industry looks better. Breezer Bikes was the first bike manufacturer to dedicate their entire line to commuting. Many other companies, such as Specialized and Trek have introduced commuting model bikes.
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site
Thursday, November 16, 2006
In praise of chainguards
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8 comments:
If anybody knows of a retail source for new after-market, that is, non-OEM, plastic chain guards, please post it. Thanks!
Pimp your ride with a metal chain guard:
http://www.megalowrider.com/
Be smart; use a plain old binder clip from office supply.
SKS makes an aftermarket chain guard: http://www.sks-germany.com/sks.php?l=en&a=range&r=chainguards
Just another great advantage to internally geared hubs on commuter bikes: you can use a full chainguard.
Hebie makes chain guards and fully enclosed chain cases. Find them here: http://www.hebie.de/Chainguards.6.0.html?&L=1
The best solution for me is the Leg Shield. It is a leg strap that fits tightly from ankle to right below the knee. It allows me to commute to work in any pants I want and keeps me a little warmer. I think it is far superior to the existing bike leg straps or clips because once I put it on there is no chance of getting chain grease on my pants or getting the pants stuck in the gears. I messed up a pair of cargo pants without this.
It is on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Leg-Shield-Revolutionary-Bicycle-Strap/dp/B006J0PHAI/ref=sr_1_20?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1324073135&sr=1-20
Anyone know of a replacement metal chain guard that will fit a Halfords Apollo Code Hybrid? It threw off the chain and broke the plastic one that came fitted.
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