When buying upgrades for your BMX bike, you might be faced with the decision to buy a sprocket with a bash guard or a sprocket without one. Many advanced riders choose to ride a sprocket with the bach guard to protect their chain and frame when doing certain grinds.
If you are not one of these riders, the bash guard is more of a stylish choice.
No you do not need a sprocket guard on your bike if you are just learning grinds.
When to buy a sprocket guard for your BMX
You will progress to a certain level of riding where having a bash guard will become neccisary. This is usually after you learn more advanced grinds like ice pick, crooked grinds, and crank arm grinds. Once you start to learn these tricks, you will benefit from a bash guard on your bike.
My Background with bash guards
I have never ridden a bash guard on my bike. Even when I was learning grinds, I just switched my drive side to be the opposite of the grind side. This allowed me to learn without messing anything up. Now that I am learning to grind on the opposite side, I’m still not worried about it because I don’t do any crook grinds or crank arm grinds.
Benefits of a bash guard
- Protects the chain
- Protects the sprocket
- Looks cool
- Opens up new tricks
Cons of a bash guard
- Heavy
- Hard to take of chain when running a slamed or near slammed chain
- Expensive
