Stupid Question..

[Gubbins]

I may regret asking this but..
My gears have a bit of plastic sticking out which I tried to pull off with a pair of pliers when the bike arrived thinking it was some sort of transport protection, but no, I now know its a clutch to stop chain suck, or to put it in more understandable terms .. The chain rappy roundy thing!!
What I dont understand is when do you use it? Obviously not all the time or it would be a fixture.. so, do you get off and turn it on for the bumpy bits? And off when its a boggy bit? Clearly this is not the correct use.. so what is..
p.s. I didn't break it trying to pull it out with pliers, nor have I used it as yet..

 

[EddiePJ]

Nothing to regret.


My Shimano set up.

I leave my clutch engaged the whole time, and the only time that it isn't, is when I remove the wheel.

My SRAM set up.

The clutch is automatically engaged all the time anyway, and I just press a button to disengage to remove the rear wheel.

 

[LeighPing]

Pics, even in this day and age, still paint a thousand words. Besides, we all want to see it, to see if we have one on our own bikes.

 

[RobF]

The clutch is there to control the chain on rough bits and to help prevent chainsuck - when the chain wraps too far around the front sprocket.

It can be engaged all the time, but the switch is there to make it easier to shove the derailer forward to make dismounting the chain and removing the wheel easier.

For your road and cycle path use you don't need a clutch mech, so it makes no difference if you leave it engaged or not.

 

[Gubbins]

Pics, even in this day and age, still paint a thousand words. Besides, we all want to see it, to see if we have one on our own bikes.

 

[LeighPing]

Thanks. I don't think I have one of those. I'll double check some other time. Cheers for the pic.

 

[soundwave]

the clutch is for chain tension so to stop chain suck and it falling off while in the small gears on the cassette.

unless you are doing hard off road stuff then i guess you wont miss it but is handy to have one and on sram it is automatic any way.

just with out the lock button on the sram would be a right pita to get the back wheel on and off so the jockey wheels can be locked forward.