Chain Suck Problem, Help!

[sevencyclist]

I am encountering sever chainsuck problems when I ride MTB in wet trails or mud. What I have found is that the mud from tire rubs slightly against the front derailer and gets onto the chain. This seems to cause the chain to suck up with the smallest ring and sometime the middle ring in the front when under tension such as climbing up a hill.

My LBS recommended changing the front small ring/middle ring from an alloy to a steel ring to alleviate the problem. They think the alloy rings are softer than the steel rings, so it allows the chain to stick to the ring just a little too long, so the chain sucks up against the chainstay.

I wonder whether this makes sense. I have inspected the rings and the chain, and they are not worn or spiky. This problem does not occur when things are dry. I can't always keep the mud away from the front derailer since the clearance to tire is no more than 0.7cm (and the mud picked up sometimes exceeded that).

Do the Anti-Chainsuck Thing from years ago work? My past experience has been that chains still suck and I had more problem trying to unhook the chain from the plate. However, I am willing to try again if they have worked for others.

I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

[Too Tall]

Stainless Steel rings do help. Use really heavy ATB wet conditions lube...helps more. Hope that helps :rolleyes:

[pale scotsman]

There's a few things you can try. Most often chain suck comes from worn rings and or mud.

Make sure your chain is in good clean condition and not too long.

Eyeball the chainrings again. You can file down any damage that occurs to rings. It's time consuming, but super easy on alloy rings.

Double check your rear derailleur tension.

Try a narrower rear tire for kicks.

I had a chain suck device on my old paramount atb and that thing was a biotch to keep straight. Besides it seemed to catch even more mud so I junked it.

[gdw]

Here's a link which might be useful.

http://www.fagan.co.za/Bikes/Csuck/

2 questions.
Are you riding a hardtail or a full suspension frame?
What model crankset are you using?

[sevencyclist]

Here's a link which might be useful.

http://www.fagan.co.za/Bikes/Csuck/

2 questions.
Are you riding a hardtail or a full suspension frame?
What model crankset are you using?

Thanks for all the feedback. I have observed the teeth and did not find any catching ones so far. I will look again.

I am riding a Seven hardtail mountainbike. The crankset is Shimano XTR 952 with 5 arms. This is circa 2002-2003 gruppo. I have worn out the middle ring and little ring, so these ones were replacement alloys.

I guess if the steel ring helps, I am willing to give it a try. Thanks.

[jbay]

I am encountering sever chainsuck problems when I ride MTB in wet trails or mud. [...]
I would appreciate any suggestions.

At the risk of seeming flippant, a Rohloff Speedhub. If you ride a lot and/or in bad conditions, nothing else even begins to come close. Really.

-- John

[pdonk]

Steel granny, a clean chain and shifting more carefully when it is mucky seem to make a difference.

My bike has a built in chain suck plate and it works great. A few other brands have done this too Bontrager and Fat Chance come to mind.

[zap]

Chain suck is going to happen. It can be reduced by using ss small ring and ensuring derailleur tension is on the high side. Also make sure your chain line is good and that you shift the rear to the bigger cogs before shifting to the small ring.

A double crankset is something you might want to consider. On my newer build, I have a FRM Integral with 29/44 rings. I have yet to ride in really muddy conditions, but so far it's working out well.