Conference noted::bicycle

    
    Bert, does your MTB have elevated chain-stays?

    Ref.2195.1
    
    John,
    
    	My MTB has no elevated chain-stays unfortunately
    	Otherwise I didn't have this problem.
    	And to buy a new bike is to expensive for me at
    	the moment.
    
    Bert
    

    The only time I have chain-suck is when the lube on the chain
    washes off (that takes about an hour and a half of riding thru
    the mud and beaver damms this time of year!).   Keep it oiled.
    Also, you may have too many links in your chain... This causes
    slack which exaserbates the problem.  When you run in the little
    chain ring, don't run in the smallest of the freewheel chains.
    
    My personal humble opinion (ie: Fat City biggot!) is that elevated
    chain stays will only help prevent the paint from chipping - they
    won't prevent the chain from leaping off the ring, nor will they
    help you win any sprints or races!
    
    mark

Mark;

Is that your way of saying   "...buy a Wicked" ????   

R

    try this put your chain in the largest rings front and back, this means
    high front low rear. Push on the top of thechain towards the chain stay
    tube  your chain should deflect 1/2" to 1" if longer than that reduce
    your chain lenght.
    
    Also when you ride in the mud your chain will get heavier (but you know
    that) what I do is I keep on the larger chain ring and top 2 lowest 
    in the rear, this keeps the deraileur tension on. Never use the lowest
    chainring and highest rear gear combination.
    
    Chain does not suck while you are pedalling.
    
    Good Luck
    Ed

    For us non MTB types:  What's chain suck ?  Is it like Wheel suck :-)

    
    Re.6
    
>>    For us non MTB types:  What's chain suck ?  Is it like Wheel suck :-)
    
	You get your face covered in oil instead of mud...
    
    Graham.
    

    chain suck is when your chain refuses to go straight from the bottom of
    your chain ring to your deraileur.  Instead a few links decide to stay
    engaged to the chainring and follow upwards.  If the chain ring is
    small,as often happens when riding in the muck, the chain ends up
    jamming between the rings and the chainstay.
    
    ed

    
    
    Ditto on the replies that say your chain might be too long,
    and to keep is lubricated. Other things that cause chainsuck:
    1) biopace chain rings (My opinion) due to the uneveness of 
    of the slack on the chain through the pedal cycle and 2) bad
    shifting on a hill (watch that shifting to a smaller chainring
    on the front shifter during hill climbs), 3) a derailleur
    that won't take up the slack ( a malfunctioning or cheap derailleur). 
    My 1987 Stumpjumper came with a chainstay mounted U-brake. Shimano
    makes a device for it called a Sharks-tooth that fits onto the 
    brake and DRAMATICALLY cut down on my chainsuck. U-brakes have 
    since been abandoned, so you may have to find some other way to 
    deal with it. 
    
    doug
    

    Now I am realy confused My humle self thought that CHAIN SUCK is
    when your chain slops up and down and gets caught between the chain
    stays and the tire, cause shi.mano has the shark tooth glue on stay
    protector to prevent chain suck? 
    It seems to me that if the chains fall off the inner chainring , then
    thats front deraileur adjustment problem.
      I have boipace and I Hate it also. 
    Ed

    
    
    
    I refer to chain suck as meaning  "anytime the chain gets sucked
    in between the tire and chainstay, or over the chainstay to 
    the outside". In either case, there has to be enough extra slack in
    the chain before the slack can actually get caught up some where. 
    Front derailler adjustments really only determine how far the chain
    gets pushed/pulled sideways (and those limits), but doesn't 
    deal with the slack in the chain. Shifting down to a smaller chain 
    ring will create (temporarily) a lot of slack in the chain (bottomside).
    Pedaling backward (IMO a no-no) with ,say, a kink in your chain is 
    a good way to produce enough slack (topside) to get sucked in. 
    In any case, I've never seen a bike, except for bikes with elevated
    chainstays, that did not occasionally get chainsuck. If you 
    adjust-your-chainlength-dont-pedal-backwards-shift-to-smaller-
    chainrings-before-you-have-to-lube-your-derailleur-and-chain then you
    can avoid a lot of problems. 
    
    doug
     

    
    As an adder-- when I say "I've never seen a bike" I should qualify
    that to mean "I've never seen a mt. bike that was ridden over
    rough terrain". I've never experienced chain suck (even once) on
    my road bike. 
    
    doug
    

    Doug,
    
    	Thanks for your information about this item.
    	This weekend I'm going to adjust my MTB, which means
    
    1)	The Biopace Chainrings will be changed in round Chainrings
    
    2)  The Chain slack wil be reduced
    
    3)  There wil be a sort of Shark tooth installed on
        the bottom bracket, to prevent the chain damaging the Frame.
    
    Thanks for all this information, I'll keep you informed about my
    findings.
    
    P.S. I have spoken to a salesperson from Shimano and Guess what
         he was telling me about this subject.
    	 Indeed, the same as you recommended.
    
    	 He also told me that Biopace was going to be out of Production.
         Just because they also believe Biopace is the most important 
         cause of all this. 
    
    Bert.

    There is a very effective anti-chainsuck device made by Ringle that's
    called, I believe, the Ringle Anti-Chainsuck Thing or something equally
    imaginative.  It's a machined and drilled aluminum plate that bolts on
    the underside of the chainstays about 1" aft of the bb shell.  It has 
    stairstep-like serrations along the edge that butts up near the inner
    edge of the small chainring.  It does a great job of preventing the
    chain from being sucked upward and jamming between the chainring and 
    chainstay.
    
    Trek is equipping some of their '92 MTBs with a similar device.  I ride
    regularly with an expert-class NORBA racer who also manages a shop in
    town, and he swears by this thing.  This is the type of guy who
    meticulously maintains his bike, is a very skilled rider who knows not
    to bail out into the granny ring under even moderate pedal pressure,
    etc.  His take on chainsuck, and I'm inclined to agree, is that in the
    heat of a race you're occasionally going to suck the chain, even with
    the best of planning.  The little Ringle deal appears to be worth the
    $25 and ~ 100 grams.