I'm thinking of taking the plunge and going 1x for this season. What does everyone use for their chain guide setup? Or do you even use one at all?

42t chainring from TA, BBG super light chain guard on the outside, n-gear jump stop on the inside, on SRAM exogram crankarms - with a 11-28 cassette.

The chainring has shift ramps/pins; if I were to choose again, I would go with a Thorne chainring specifically designed for single ring setups (http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/thorne-k ... -chainring" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

The chain guard performed flawlessly throughout the season. IIRC it is only 2mm thick, so I imagine it could bend easily if hit.

The chain dropped several times on the inside, but only when pedaling backwards (probably the chainring profile helped with the chain drop). I am ready to switch to another system on the inside, provided I find something with a similar weight (about 37g IIRC).

Last complaint: with the exogram cranks, I had to mount the chainring in the inner position, for I needed room for the outer chain guard. In order to get a better chainline, I flipped the chainring - the bolt heads were not supported by the grooves in the chainrings, as there were no such grooves on that side, but it held well during the 3.5 months I ran this set up.

Sram 42t inner TT ring, FSA carbon chain guard and K-edge single ring chain catcher (34.9mm). Running an 11-28 rear cassette.

Highly recommend this setup. Had a few big wrecks where the chain had fallen off the ring, leaving only the top few teeth engaged under the chain catcher. Just hopped on and pedaled away. Get the K-edge. It can't fall off and if you crash you just pedal on. I run Zipp 300 cranks so I adjusted the chainline with a slightly longer (isis) bb.

As great as the setup, I can't wait to ditch it for the xx1 style front chainring as soon as sram releases it. Combining the single ring (without any guides) with discs will make pit bikes only necessary for flats.

I really like that that K-edge goes over the top of the chain to prevent it from falling off. Do you ever run into any problems with mud?

To be honest, I have only raced in what I would describe as medium level mud. It wasn't an issue, but I cannot speak of the thick nasty mud seen in some places. Our mud in Vancouver is not overly thick or sticky.

not a CX setup per se but I run the following on my commuter, which sees the odd towpath

39t ring (130BCD, Ultegra cranks, Surly SS ring)
BBG lightweight bash
N-gear jumpstop
1x9 on 11-28 cassette
Ultegra 6700 mech on Tiso jockeys

Works a treat.

I do the double bash guard set up. I got the BBG light ones.
Basicly bash on the inside, chain ring where the outer ring would be, then a spacer and the outer bash. It was tricky to find the correct bolt and spacer size, but I got all the hardware from new jersey cycles.
3 seasons of CX and no dropped chains, people talk about the chain getting jammed b/w the chainring and guard, but I don't think it can happen.