Santa Cruz Lower Link Guard

Oh and they cost the same.

While the CYTOE guard referenced above is nice, occasionally mine will bounce off my frame and sound like someone cracking a whip or plastic breaking. It is rather disconcerting and I always have to stop and check my bike out to make sure things are okay.

That looks an awful lot like it’s a rapid prototype part (SLS to be specific) you can see the layer lines. I don’t see it lasting very long under impact situations if that’s the case.

all the exposed joints and seals and bearings on these mtb,s makes me think the industry is ententionaly wants to cause heavy wear to these critical exposed parts.

SOUNDS LIKE THEY NEED TO SHARPEN THEIR TECHNIC.

EVEN CHEAP CV JOINT HAVE SEALED BOOTS AND ITS ENGINEERED INTO THE THE METALERGY.

this is all very poorly thought out on all the current day bikes.

wtf

I have had several VPP bikes over the past ten years or so. Never once struck the lower link. Ever. I ride in Whistler and North Vancouver where the trails are rough, rooted and rocky. The chain ring and bash guard (if you have one) protects the linkage just fine. It might be possible to collide with a rock just so and hit that linkage but you’d have to try to do it on purpose. Now you will get the odd rock thrown up that can chip the down tube and linkage, but so what.

Santa Cruz now has grease nipples on the lower linkage, like cars used to have on suspension joints so you can flush them out easily.

Riding whistler, you probably run a 36t front ring.
The rest of us pedalling to the top of our trails often need something way smaller.
A 29 or 27.5 which requires shorter gearing, you could need a tiny 28-30t front, which leaves the lower link well exposed.