K-Edge Chain Catcher

by Simon · 24/05/2013

[two_third]

As the picture below shows, our meeting with the K-Edge guys was perfect timing…

K-edge Chainspotter should prevent this sort of damage to the chainstay

Indeed ever since the launch of the 2012 SRAM Red with its Yaw front mech and built in chainspotter, we’ve been very interested in these contraptions. Its addition to any bike makes a lot of sense; if only we’d acted sooner. Although some manufacturers use small aluminium plates at this point on the chainstay, the damage, if this frame were carbon, could have been much worse.

K-edge chain catcher – also known as chainspotters

SRAM obviously thought so, not wanting a repeat of the Andy Schleck chain drop debacle that gifted Contador, fortunately for them also using SRAM, a healthy gap which he would hold to win the Tour de France in 2010. And don’t think its limited to SRAM: we can recall at least one incident where one of our Shimano mounted teammates, having spent 80 miles away in a break of four, which he then attacked and left in the last few miles, dropped his chain at the foot of the last climb. Fortunately, another of our teammates was in that same break and still managed to win, but the despondent chain dropper rolled in an unhappy 3rd…