It is a sound that is like nothing else. Hollow yet high-pitched, but somehow dull and sad if I may anthropomorphize it. It is the sound of destruction either imminent or immediate if your luck has run out that day. Upon hearing it you tense up and stop to check it out or at least scan to see everything is at least rolling appropriately if at least parts are not falling off behind you. This really could and does occur with any conveyance, be it automobiles, boats, airplanes, spaceships and of course bicycles. I plan to take a couple of minutes to discuss a simple device to mitigate if not prevent such catastrophes that I have long been a fan of. Also, the music selection for this episode pairs well with things breaking.
Pissed Jeans: Why Love Now – Peavey amps were the long-time choice of broke punkers back in the 80’s (me included). They were, durable (heavy), loud as hell, and cheap. Collectively Peavey was never spoken highly of because of their tone. This has become a long running joke in music circles. Maybe this has finally dissipated with modern players like Josh Homme and others singing their praises. As mentioned, in punk and hardcore circles they always were around, where players used what they had (and could afford) to make their own sound. This DIY/make do approach certainly shaped Pissed Jeans guitarist Brad Fry’s sound wherein he has used a Peavey Renown combo for all their recorded output to get his distinct jagged tone. These are as far from dulcet guitar tones as one can get, sounding like the verge of implosion at any given second. Despite this inherent nastiness, Why Love Now is easily their most accessible record, with the track The Bar is Low, being an extraordinarily catchy garage rave up. Regardless of any toe-tapping good times, Pissed Jeans cynicism and funny sarcasm remain intact addressing modern life desperation/irreverence. I have zero issues recommending all their catalog, but this album is an excellent point of entry.
Made to be broken, but more often just made to be worn out. Bash guards are designed to protect the chainring and the bottom of a mountain bike’s frame from impact damage. Even though they’ve been around since the 80’s, it was in the early 00’s that bash guards came into their own. I felt it worthwhile to speak about these simple and effective devices that can save your bike and your ride that are not brought up very often. I much prefer to avoid problems than manage them and so bash guards are not unlike the body armor I wear, but for your bike.
The earliest bash guards were outer large chain rings on triple ring cranksets where the teeth had been machined/filed off. These were not incredibly robust but served the basic purpose. Eventually companies began selling these outright and you’d see them often on trials mountain bikes.
It was with these early designs that the concept of chain guides arrived and were quickly embraced by downhill and slalom racers. This group could not afford to drop a chain which would otherwise mean their race was all but done. You could technically just have the chain guide without a bash guard/guide plate, however the most popular were the dual guide plate and chain tensioner models from manufacturers like Mr. Dirt and MRP.
These guides made their way onto Freeride bikes, but the durability and actual chain retention was suspect. As Freeride was more about riding ultra challenging lines on unforgiving terrain than high speed, chain guides fell out of favor with these riders. In fact, when I went to ride with Freeride Tours in BC in the early 00s, they made a point about not running chain guides on your bike for their trips. One rider as I recalled ignored the warning and his guide was demolished on the first day.
Bash guards in contrast were simple affairs and there was very little that could go wrong with them. Most were alloy and bolted right on to your cranks where the outer larger ring would normally be. They did a great job of protecting your chain, chainring and bottom of your frame, but when the stars lined up, they would allow you the ability to slide across rocks, roots, and logs seamlessly. I had begun using them in the late 90s/early 00s and had them on every bike and nearly everyone I rode with had some form of them.
Bash guards began to dip in popularity with advent of single chainring or 1x drivetrains that debuted in the early 2010s. These ushered in chainrings whose teeth design held the chain on without any additional guides. Most riders I came across stopped using bash guards at this point, because they no longer thought it was necessary, wanted to save weight, and/or figured if the manufacturers weren’t promoting them so why should they care. Cue record scratch sound. I saw plenty of broken chains, bent/broken chainrings and dinged/cracked down tubes at this time. Bash guards that bolted onto cranksets dropped off in popularity; however, a new breed of guards that basically were a chain guide minus the tension arm came into style. Clam shell bash guards simply mount onto ISCG 05* frame mounts and are in fact more robust than their crankset-mounted progenitors. I currently run this style on my bikes, and the addition of a simple top guide makes chain retention a snap.
*International Standard Chain Guide mount developed for bicycles in 2005
I’d have thought crankset-mounted bash guards were all, but dead however two factors have kept them going if not revived their corpse. First are e-bikes. E-bikes work best when you are constantly spinning at 70-80 rpms. Sudden disruptions of this, e.g. bashing into a log or rock you are attempting to traverse can at the least cause additional motor strain and wear or at worst stop you all together. As such certain e-bikes ship with these bash guard’s built-in or included. If not, then the down tube area ahead of the motor mounts are reinforced to do the same thing. A more surprising second factor in bringing back bash guards was seeing that all (except the XX SL series) of the cranksets that are shipped with SRAM’s Transmission drivetrains have them built in.
Outside of pure XC bike, you can find a way to run a bash guard on just about any mountain bike. All enduro, park, and nearly every trail bike has ISCG mounts, or there are adapters to add crankset mounted guard. It’s simple idea for some peace of mind that just can’t be beat. (sorry)