| Well...
Ever hear of a bike called the Nishiki Alien?
I believe it was designed by this dude named Richard Cunningham.
(NOT the character from the TV show, happy days)
This machine was supposedly the first production application of
elevated chainstays.
The design was a solution to the problem of "chainsuck".
On a conventional diamond-frame, the chain can become trapped
between the chainstay and the rear tire. Mud is the major cause
for chainsuck. The clearance between the chain and the rear wheel
sidewall can be quite small on some MTB's, so a contant build-up of
mud on the rear tire would only decrease this clearance. It's simply
a matter of time before the chain will become snagged in this
rotating wall of mud. If the chain is grabbed below the chainstay
then it will usually slap back up, without any major problems.
If the chain is "sucked" in above the chainstay, then it could
become trapped as it is dragged down in between the chainstay and
the rear tire. In most cases, the rider would be forced to stop
and service his machine, NOT the desired affect.
Elevated chainstays probably won't make you go any faster, but
in a race against a conventional MTB, who knows. To be truthful,
alot of people are winning races on conventional frames, check out
Ned Overend on a Specialized for example. He doesn't seem to be
having any problems with chainsuck, at least I don't think he is,
you'd have to ask Ned for that one...
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| Of all the MTBs I tried out before buying, the Alien was the one I
liked least. The top tube was short, resulting in a crowded riding
position. The ride was also very harsh off-road. It was difficult
to keep the tires on the ground over rough rock. Under these
circumstances, it was impossible to say what the (much subtler)
beneficial effects of elevated stays might have been.
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| I wonder if the Alien is still in production, I haven't seen a
Nishiki catalog lately...
Perhaps front-end suspension would help to keep the front wheel
on the ground? Also driving up the price of the bike?
I am unable to shell out mountains of cash for the benefit of
elevated chainstays. But then when compared with the cost of other
high-end MTB's, there probably isn't much of a difference.
John Tomac (if you don't know who this guy is, look him up!)
is sponsored by Raleigh, and most likely gets all his bikes handed
to him by servants dressed in robes (just joshin'), and HE doesn't
seem to require elevated chainstays.
Rishi Grewal (Alexi Grewal's brother) won the 1991 worlds in Colorado.
I'm pretty sure his machine didn't have elevated chainstays either.
His legs beat the top dog in mountain biking (1990), Ned Overend.
BTW, Rishi pulled a nasty face-plant over his handlebars in that
race, he STILL beat Ned to the finish line.
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