Hi guys,

Can you please advise if a chain catcher is necessary with a Dura Ace Di2 bike, and if it is, what size (diameter) and brand do you recommend?

Thanks

Rob

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Rides Cannondale System 6
Cannondale Capo
Masi Speciale (city bike)
2013 Cannondale EVO Di2 on order

Boy, with the Di2 you may not need one. But if you feel the need, look at buying the Sram Red.

If you are racing and do not run a chain catcher, you're crazy. There are lots of choices. On Cannondale, I prefer the Deda Dog Fang, as it makes for a very clean instalation. The K-Edge works very well, too.

I am running the K-Edge on my Evo. No problems.

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"In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is DESIRE.
No reason or principle contain it or stand against it........"

I trust in chain catchers. If it is electronic or mechanic shifting.A chain can drop not only because of non-precise FD shifting but mainly due to terrain conditions.After making up your mind about where to mount it on your bike it is down to weight. And a Rotor or Token style catcher is lighter than K-Edge style design.

For i guy who's about to race. Why is this so necessary? Because if you lose your chain you are doomed and can't finish or probably finish last?

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Storck Fenomalist 6.3kg.
BMC Teammachine SLR01

I use a Far and Near chain catcher with the provided bolt on my Di2 FD, catcher itself was only 2g. Got it off ebay for $24.89 shipped a while back.

Hey does anyone know how much the new K Edge Pro Chain Catcher weighs?

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My 09 DiS2
My 10 Vigorelli
My 09 Kilo

Not on a Dale, but using the K-Edge with my DA Di2 bike. Didn't start with one and dropped the chain and scuffed up the outside chainstay trying to get the chain to catch the lower ring.

I would do it just for protection, even if you are racing.


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I do not use a chain cather with my Di2 bike. Only geared bike I own that I do not use a chain catcher. I am a fan of them. Just never gotten around to putting one on the Di2 bike. Its a carbon Orbea frame with the oversized seattube so one of the seattube clamp on ones won't work. Would have to use one of those that clamps onto the front derailleur mount. I installed one of those front derailleur bolt clamp on ones on a friend's Trek carbon frame. Took a bit of grinding and hitting the catcher on the anvil to make it fit right. The ones that clamp around the seattube are much simpler to install.

Exactly. A chain-catcher is really cheap insurance.

It isn't about the quality of the shifts or the rings etc., it is the unforseable: the crazy cross-chained double-shifts; the off-camber, washboard turns at stupid speeds; the on-again, off-again 1,200-watt efforts zig-zagging around, throwing the bike from side to side that defines the very essence of the racing experience - open warfare on two wheels.

Don't get me wrong, those kinds of racing incidents are not prevented by a chain-catcher, ask Klaas. Think of how many are averted by a few grams and dollars...

Or you take a light spoke .You'll need approx half it. And by bending it correctly you will end up with a lighter and cheaper than carbon
catcher of about 2 to 2.5gr.

Not sure that the DIY option will look as nice though

For sure the DIY bended spoke catcher will not look as nice as the carbon.
But hey, the good thing with those catchers is that they are almost not visible

The spoke is not stiff enough. When the chain tries to go off it'll bend the spoke and then the spoke will trap the chain below the chainring. That's worse, not better, than no catcher.

Here's why a chain catcher is useful in races: you're hitting the last little hill near the finish of the Tour of Podunksville and you're absolutely killing yourself to stay in the lead group of five, just ahead of a big chase group. Near the top of the hill you go to shift to the small ring right as you hit a bump. The chain is thrown off to the inside. Yes, you can soft pedal while shifting up to get the chain on the big ring, then shift back to the small ring that you need. But even if you are well practiced at that, and lucky, it'll take 5 seconds. During that time you're not putting down the power. Now when you get in gear you have lost speed and you're 30 meters off the back of the group. You'll be another 10 meters back by the time you get back up to speed.

Since you were just barely hanging on, you are not going to be able to bridge back up. The chase group is on your wheel. Your sure top 5 finish is gone. Bummer dude.

Of course there's a lot of times in races when losing 5 or 10 seconds of pedalling is no big deal. But at those times you're not pedalling hard and shifting fast, so it's easy to make your shifts. It's precisely the times that you need your shifts to come off flawlessly that you're most likely to miss one.