need vintage chain guard

This comes courtesy of a friend at work--her bike is a Schwinn cruiser, looks to me like early 80's.

So, I want to put a chin guard on my bike, among other things before spring comes. I see there are a lot of schwinn chain guards out there, but my original model (voyageur) did not come with one. Do you think there are specific measurements for that model (any idea how to find??) or do you think most vintage chain guards could work?? I am totally partial to the old chunky Chicago decaled guards. They are effective and flashy – I like that. Let me know what you think.

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Permalink Reply by J on December 29, 2008 at 9:41am

Wasn't the 80s Voyageur was more of a road bike than a cruiser?

But most importantly, take a look at the crank. Assuming it's a single chainring design and has fewer that 46 teeth, most Schwinn or aftermarket chainguards will work. If you can't find something cool and vintage, any shop should be able to order a chrome Wald chainguard, which looks vintage and is very inexpensive and easy to mount.

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Permalink Reply by heather s on December 29, 2008 at 9:47am

Now that I think about it, it does look like a road frame--I bet the previous owner put cruiser bars on it.

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Permalink Reply by mindfrieze on December 29, 2008 at 10:03am

The other day I saw an aftermarket chainguard at Soma Fabrications designed to fit on bikes with front derailleurs. This may be the ticket for you:

OGK Chainguard

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Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on December 29, 2008 at 10:41am

I've been toying with the idea of a chaingaurd myself, but was looking at a sheet of plastic from the hardware store and zip ties. PETG can be welded with solvent and cut with heavy duty scissors or an x-acto, so the design possibilities are almost endless - make it as flashy as you want. I'll let you know if I ever get around to building one....for now I'm not getting enough grease on my pant leg to care; I just like projects.

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Permalink Reply by root on December 29, 2008 at 11:37am

you could find an old schwinn chain guard in the working bikes warehouse. that's where mine came from..

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Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on December 30, 2008 at 4:56am

travesty said:

. If there are no mounts on the frame then you need one that comes with mounts. I would not make one, it sounds like a fairly difficult project since all the clearance spaces are so small and its limited on both sides.

It's a piece of plastic or sheetmetal. You bolt it to the frame. It come's in different thicknesses to suit, and these things called washers adjusted spacing. I like Calipers, but rulers and eye balls work fine too. A dremel should also be kept nearby, just in case. Trial fit, then adjust and repeat. Bingo bango done.

But then again, I enjoy the project as much as the ride, and that's not for everyone.
(and I'm not trying to be an ass, it's just soooo easy on these web forums :) no hard feelings)

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Permalink Reply by Gecko on December 30, 2008 at 7:24am

travesty said:

If there are no mounts on the frame then you need one that comes with mounts. I would not make one, it sounds like a fairly difficult project since all the clearance spaces are so small and its limited on both sides.

Assuming it's a single speed, you can bolt certain rack mount clamps around the chainstay and the seat/down tube to hold the chainguard on. You may have to play with the alignment a little, but the nice thing about the clamps is that some are rubber-coated and don't scratch your frame up. I did this on an older Raleigh mtb I made into a commuter and it worked well without the need for drilling/welding things on the frame. This way, finding a chainguard that is the right length is really the only concern as long as it doesn't wrap more than halfway around the front chainring. Hope this helps!

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Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on December 30, 2008 at 8:40am

When did drilling and welding enter into this? That's my other project (anybody see bike+bike=tandem post? guessing not since it didn't get replies). Hardware stores and hobby shops have clamps for all sorts of applications, like clamping things to pipes. Aren't bike frames essentially pipes? I still believe you can make this whole project with nothing more than a screwdriver and an x-acto #11 blade. Maybe not even the screwdriver.

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Permalink Reply by Gecko on December 30, 2008 at 9:10am

The quote from travesty mentioned mounts on the frame, which I assumed meant braze-ons, which would have to be welded on the frame and drilled to accept a bolt, or one would need a whole new frame. Sorry for the confusion. And with my suggestion, I had a used metal guard in mind when I typed it because that's what I used (I like the way a metal chainguard looks too). Again, sorry about the confusion, just trying to provide another point of view...

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Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on December 30, 2008 at 9:34am

Is any of this helpful heather's friend?
It's a lot more fun that stuffing envelopes at work. Stuff, label, stuff, label, stuff, label, stuff, label, stuff, label.......at this rate, I won't be done till next year! oh wait, that's tomorrow.

Man, that makes chainguards seem like the most interesting subject! Thanks for the distraction everyone. I love this site.