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Tried a few hours riding this weekend (Penhydd and Bluescar) with the clutch on my derailer switched off - the chain didn't jump off my Superstar narrow/wide - but it didn't bestow my bike with a magic carpet smooth ride over the rocks either so I didn't know who to believe now - Shimano or Chris Porter.
I guess I'm just a ham fisted hack who couldn't feel plushness if he rode over it or able to go fast enough to worry a chain.
/Amble
It's the narrow/wide that does all the heavy lifting, the clutch just improves things a little and cuts noise etc. Still worth it imo.
Chris Porter could imagine a pea through a dozen mattresses.
why whats chris porter saying on the subject? link?
and i thought this was going to some Russian/German war story 😆
\why whats chris porter saying on the subject? link?
Essentially the clutch mechs ruin your suspension feel due to the extra chain tension.
If you have one on a hardtail, over time it will shorten your DS chainstay.
Carry out this simple thought experiment:
1) have a think about how much force a clutch mech provides over a normal mech (ie, the force JUST due to the clutch friction, and NOT that due to the return spring)
2) Work out how much the derailleur must rotate as the rear suspension goes through it's full travel
3) Work out the leverage ratio (ie, per 1" of suspension travel, how much force is applied to the rear suspension
4) Now compare that to the force required to prevent about 7kg of bike and lets say 70kg of rider from plowing into the floor.
Even without "doing the math" it should be quite clear that for all practical purposes, the clutch mech has no effect on the rear suspension dynamics!
I had the same concern when going 10 speed, and clutch mech, with VPP2 Santa Cruz suspension, didn't want to lose the superb small bump compliance and plush
ride.
Went for the Sram X9 Type 2.1. Bike rides exactly like it did before, plush as can be, but deadly silent on descents, no chain rattle whatsoever. 🙂
Ps. VPP doesnt have much chain growth anyway, so this may differ on other suspension types. OP Let air out of shock, cycle shock, note chain growth, mech movement. Your chain could simply be too short.