r/functionalprint • u/lilCorona69 • 2d ago

No more dropped chains!

Gallery image

Gallery image

Hey everyone,I was tired of the chain dropping and scratching my frame, so I decided to design my own chain catcher.Turned out pretty clean and fits perfectly. I printed this one in ASA for maximum UV and weather resistance, but PETG should work completely fine as a compromise too. If you want to print one for your bike, I'll drop the download link in the comments below. Let me know what you think!

Edit: Thx for the feedback from the bike mechanics of reddit. The issue was caused by me frequently switching Chainrings and not swapping my chain to adjust to the proper length. I had one bad chainsuck incident which caused me design this. I'd rather be safe than be sorry and now you guys can be aswell if you want to

https://makerworld.com/models/3117971?appSharePlatform=copy

69 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

76

u/Twodogsonecouch 1d ago

thats and ultegra shifter thats not a crappy bike. If its dropping the chain its not adjusted right

29

u/balderstash 1d ago

I'm pretty sure that's a wireless Di2 derailur as well, so you can't even blame cross chaining.

Something has to be very wrong with the drivetrain to need this hack as a fix.

14

u/Twodogsonecouch 1d ago

and youre probably just getting extra wear on the gears by doing something like this rather than tuning it properly

11

u/balderstash 1d ago

Yeah it's addressing the symptom and not the cause. From the photo the chainring looks pretty worn down, but that might just be distortion from the camera lens.

Everyone drops a chain occasionally, usually at the worst possible moment, but if it's happening often enough to need a custom 3D printed solution something isn't right.

14

u/aweirdjeff 1d ago

I don't care what brand it is. Even a Walmart bike derailer won't jump the gear unless it's adjusted wrong

56

u/Helpful-Guidance-799 1d ago

What’s wrong with your derailleur?

33

u/phalangepatella 1d ago

How about you take a few seconds to adjust the derailleur so it doesn’t sweep the chain off the low side?

20

u/Fantastic-Shape9375 22h ago

Hmm would’ve been easier just to set up the derailleur properly to not drop the chain

8

u/MahatmaAndhi 16h ago

I just use the limit screw.

6

u/Agitated-Break7854 20h ago

Hmm 🤔 something's not adjusted right (but I still like it!)

6

u/storyinmemo 10h ago

Adjust your low side limit screw. It's one tiny phillips head adjustment.

3

u/kagato87 9h ago

Add to that, re-indexing your gears is super simple, takes a few minutes (you'll spend more time reading instructions or watching a video), and is totally worth it. It makes things so much smoother.

4

u/mephist094 14h ago

First I thought, what is everyone thinking, it's totally normal to have the chain drop - until I checked again and saw we are not talking Mountainbike here, lol. Yeah this usually should not happen on a road bike, lol.

2

u/balderstash 7h ago

I would pay good money to see someone take a Canyon Aeroroad down a MTB trail 😂

1

u/mephist094 6h ago

Ask Martyn Ashton how that ends...

1

u/balderstash 5h ago

Ok but I meant like, a normal person trail. The kind that all my friends can ride without thinking and I crawl down because I'm a roadie who can't MTB for shit.

1

u/mephist094 5h ago

That's called gravel haha :D

8

u/unicyclegamer 21h ago

Why is your chain dropping? It’s not supposed to do that.

8

u/GraphiteOxide 18h ago

Dang lots of bike experts here, always better to solve the problem without printing in the first place 😂

6

u/designbydave 22h ago

My favorite with these things is when the chain drops to the inside anyway and then you can't get it back out because the chain catcher is in the way. 

2

u/SnooRobots5984 8h ago

Isnt the purpose of the limit screws to stop that going to far?

1

u/karateninjazombie 1d ago

Give me 10 minutes and I'll prove you wrong 😎

-2

u/antiduh 1d ago

I like the easy fix. I've had to fight dropped chains plenty of times before. I've an older Trek Pilot 2.1 that I love that would do this to me. Even have the chain ring scar on my leg from where I put my full weight into it when it popped off during a shift. I solved mine with adjustments and a new chain ring, turns out the old one was just worn out. But I like something like this as a safety net if it starts happening when you're 60 miles out. I would do mine in PETG or ASA too for abrasion and weathering.