trial bike Posted March 20, 2016 Report Share Posted March 20, 2016 Hi all, I don't think this is particularly bike manufacturer specific... I have just broken my plastic rear sprocket protector (shark fin) practising on rocks. Firstly is this common damage? Or am I being rough on my bike? Secondly, obviously I need to replace it, are carbon parts just fashion and lightness or are they more robust in these areas. I have never bought carbon bits before so have no experience of them. I am not interested in the weight savings to be gained from a small piece of plastic to a small piece of carbon so low down on the bike and I am not into the bling, really. So to recap...will a carbon shark fin be stronger and better than the standard plastic or not? P.S. While I am "at my chain"...are engine case savers worth it? or are they just bling? Does the chain really derail? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petert Posted March 20, 2016 Report Share Posted March 20, 2016 I would stick with plastic for the shark fin as it will have more give than carbon. Case savers? depends on whether you think a new case is cheaper than a saver I suppose! For a few quid is it worth the risk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2stroke4stroke Posted March 20, 2016 Report Share Posted March 20, 2016 (edited) If you keep your eyes open there's scrap plastic all over the place. I found a broken council household bin on the beach. The bit I rescued kept me going in chain tensioner blades for years. A sharks fin should be easy to make. There's monie a mickle maks a muckle as the saying goes. Edited March 21, 2016 by 2stroke4stroke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taffe Posted March 20, 2016 Report Share Posted March 20, 2016 Yep I have made my own out of the white kitchen cutting board material, when the wife was not looking of course.? Cheers. Taff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gii Posted March 20, 2016 Report Share Posted March 20, 2016 I purchased a carbon fibre shark fin to replace the white plastic one on my 4RT, it wore away twice as fast as the original. I bought an a small offcut of 4mm 'wear strip' from my local plastic supplier and made 3 more for a Fiver. Still have the 2 spares hanging on a hook years later. Case saver around the gearbox sprocket is important on a 4RT, seen a couple of flywheel covers broken and boots covered in hot oil pushing the bike back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trial bike Posted March 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2016 Thanks guys, answers my question well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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