I need a full-coverage chain guard for a bike w/ front derailleur

I work at a plant, and use an old "Shogun" hybrid to get around. I love it. If you've ever ridden
one of the so-called Industrial Bikes, you'll understand why! It's got a 5-speed freewheel and 3
chainrings.

Recently, the Safety Police told me to get rid of my old but trusty steed, saying that it had no
chain guard, and hence was not safe. I pointed to the velcro cuff strap around my ankle, but
received no mercy. Furthermore, the disc-type chainguard is not acceptable; they insist on a
full-length chainguard like on one of those really safe industrial bikes. Yeech.

Short of fabricating something out of 20 ga. sheet, does anyone know of a chainguard product I can
buy to solve my problem?

Thank you very much for the help!

Best Regards, Dave Doerschuk

"DDoerschuk" <d.doerschuk@att.net> wrote in message
news:b4914bc.0307111955.40fa1dd1@posting.google.com...
> I work at a plant, and use an old "Shogun" hybrid to get around. I love it. If you've ever ridden
> one of the so-called Industrial Bikes, you'll understand why! It's got a 5-speed freewheel and 3
> chainrings.
>
> Recently, the Safety Police told me to get rid of my old but trusty steed, saying that it had no
> chain guard, and hence was not safe. I pointed to the velcro cuff strap around my ankle, but
> received no mercy. Furthermore, the disc-type chainguard is not acceptable; they insist on a
> full-length chainguard like on one of those really safe industrial bikes. Yeech.
>
> Short of fabricating something out of 20 ga. sheet, does anyone know of a chainguard product I can
> buy to solve my problem?
>
> Thank you very much for the help!
>
> Best Regards, Dave Doerschuk

Wow. Horay for stupidity (not you, the "Safety Police"). I'd point out that they're quite unsafe,
what with having a few screws loose!

Anyway, now that i've butchered that joke: the shop I work at has simple chainguards, so I'd just
check your local bikeshop. You could also probably find one off an old beat up cruiser somewhere and
retrofit if you had to.

Jon Bond

"DDoerschuk" <d.doerschuk@att.net> wrote in message
news:b4914bc.0307111955.40fa1dd1@posting.google.com...
> I work at a plant, and use an old "Shogun" hybrid to get around. I love it. If you've ever ridden
> one of the so-called Industrial Bikes, you'll understand why! It's got a 5-speed freewheel and 3
> chainrings.
>
> Recently, the Safety Police told me to get rid of my old but trusty steed, saying that it had no
> chain guard, and hence was not safe. I pointed to the velcro cuff strap around my ankle, but
> received no mercy. Furthermore, the disc-type chainguard is not acceptable; they insist on a
> full-length chainguard like on one of those really safe industrial bikes. Yeech.
>
> Short of fabricating something out of 20 ga. sheet, does anyone know of a chainguard product I can
> buy to solve my problem?

A deceptively difficult problem.

When we're asked that by an otherwise nice person who's having a bad day (a black smudge on the
inside ankle of their white slacks) We can usually explain that sinc the front changer must span the
chain itself a guard would need to cover that, too*. The clever Kool Stop chain disc may appeal to
you aesthetically but doesn't cover the area just behind the front changer where your ankle crosses
the chain. I am embarrassed to say we sell a ton of these and I am surprised no one comes back to
complain. I would.

Since you are going to have to fabricate a monstrously large chain cover or ditch the Shogun, have
you thought about getting a SRAM Seven gearbox with a full chain cover? That might be a good
alternate.

* Peugeot used to include a very pretty aluminum chain cover with a bump on it (reminiscent of a
race car hood with a blower underneath!) that spanned the Simplex AV223 on their Ladies' UO-18
model. Like most "half" chainguards, those worked until the back edge caught a pants cuff.
--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

d.doerschuk@att.net (DDoerschuk) wrote:

> I work at a plant, and use an old "Shogun" hybrid to get around. I love it. If you've ever ridden
> one of the so-called Industrial Bikes, you'll understand why! It's got a 5-speed freewheel and 3
> chainrings.
>
> Recently, the Safety Police told me to get rid of my old but trusty steed, saying that it had no
> chain guard, and hence was not safe. I pointed to the velcro cuff strap around my ankle, but
> received no mercy. Furthermore, the disc-type chainguard is not acceptable; they insist on a
> full-length chainguard like on one of those really safe industrial bikes. Yeech.

You must work in a really safe plant, if they can't find anything more serious to complain about.
How about wearing shorts to work -- would that keep them happy? Or are they worried that you might
get your sock caught in the chain? By the time it's cool enough for long pants they'll have
forgotten about the chain guard issue.

> Short of fabricating something out of 20 ga. sheet, does anyone know of a chainguard product I can
> buy to solve my problem?

Get a bunch of high-pressure gas cylinders and leave them lying around unsecured. In my experience,
safety inspectors have such an obsession about unsecured gas cylinders that they'll be distracted
from noticing your lack of a chain guard.

--
Ray Heindl (remove the X to reply)

On 11 Jul 2003 20:55:51 -0700, d.doerschuk@att.net (DDoerschuk) may have said:

>I work at a plant, and use an old "Shogun" hybrid to get around. I love it. If you've ever ridden
>one of the so-called Industrial Bikes, you'll understand why! It's got a 5-speed freewheel and 3
>chainrings.
>
>Recently, the Safety Police told me to get rid of my old but trusty steed, saying that it had no
>chain guard, and hence was not safe. I pointed to the velcro cuff strap around my ankle, but
>received no mercy. Furthermore, the disc-type chainguard is not acceptable; they insist on a
>full-length chainguard like on one of those really safe industrial bikes. Yeech.
>
>Short of fabricating something out of 20 ga. sheet, does anyone know of a chainguard product I can
>buy to solve my problem?

Suggestion: Get somebody in maintenance to order a replacement guard for one of the industrials, and
then modify it to fit; you may have to cut a gash in it for the front der, and I'd expect that the
top of it would have to be widened (a strip of 20 ga. and a few pop rivets should do the trick
there) but it will most likely be less work than trying to build one from scratch. If you have to
close the gash over the front der, braze a couple of strips of sheet metal across the gap and then
use fiberglass to mold the bubble over it, and secure the cured fiberglass additionally with a
couple of pop rivets or sheet metal screws.

---
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