One day on an intense climb I heard the sound of a piece of metal hitting the ground but didn't see what it was or try to go back because I was too focused on what it was I was doing. Some time goes by and I decided I would give my bike a full cleaning and grease up some areas becoming dried up and gunky. When I removed the drivetrain I discovered that the little metal piece that had fallen was my chainstay protective plate. Without it and a few falls of the chain while attempting to shift my frame was now victim to chain rub and took on unnecessary damage. Now before I ever knew what this little thing was called I had tried to make my own but that didn't work. I tried using electrical tape. That also didn't work. And now I was left with a scratched up chainstay that was also sticky and gross. I looked up chainstay protectors and a bunch of product (one of which I bought to prevent chain whip from causing any damage to the top of the chainstay) popped up but none were the little metal piece that once made my specialized tarmac sl6 look so clean. Months go by and a little more electric tape before deciding I'd look into a small metal car decal instead and put it in the original plates place. Well thanks to googles algorithm's when I typed in ""metal..."" it suggested metal chainstay protectors. I clicked it and low and behold there it was. Bright and shiny just waiting to be purchased. I bought three. Removed the adhesive of one and applied a little resin to it for an extra stuck on protector. Even if yours hasn't fallen off I would suggest to buy one or two or ten anyways immediately. They look so nice and make a frame look complete. I'm probably going to buy more just to have. Never know when you will need one to sew up a beautiful bike frame.
