Silencer Chainstay Protector
Introducing the new Silencer Chainstay Protector kit for the Edit and Slacker.
This is something that we've wanted to do for ages. You could say it's something that we've needed to do for ages; nowadays we've got the details of our bikes really dialled in and the quality is as good as anything out there. But a decent chainstay protector has been the missing piece of the puzzle - until now.
If you want to skip the origin story and just go ahead and buy one, click here. Or keep scrolling for all the details on design, materials, compatibility and so on.
Go to Section 4: Compatibility
Go to Section 5: What's Included
Go to Section 6: Fitting Instructions
Backstory
Hardcore Airdrop fans might remember that we've been working on this from the very beginning. And in fact we produced (well I produced - it was only me at that time) the original Silencer way back in 2016. It didn't work out well; the finished product was not the same as the prototypes, the quality wasn't good enough and I refunded everyone that bought one. It was an early and harsh lesson for Airdrop in it's first year. One that we've never repeated. I resolved that we would come back to the project, but only when we could do it right.
And here we are. It turns out that a properly good chainstay protector is quite a spicy little problem to solve, if you're determined to do it right. There are definitely cheaper and easier solutions, and if you're OK with a bit of old inner tube, then so are we. But if a product's going to carry the Airdrop logo, it's got to live up to it.
You Had One Job To Do
Well actually, it's two. Back in the day the main thing was just to ensure that a chain slapping around wouldn't do too much damage to your tubing. But that was when bikes sounded like a box of broken spanners clattering down the trail. We put a lot of effort into designing our bikes to be quiet when you ride them - as far as we're concerned that's an important part of the experience. So a key goal for the Silencer was to help keep things quiet as well as looking after the frame.
Just like mountain bikers the world over, we've been making ghetto chainstay silencers for years. Take this one from Pang's Edit v3 in 2019 for example. Or this (admittedly haggard looking) effort from James' Edit MX prototype:
The point is, we've got previous. The challenge was to produce something that works as well as a roll of mastic tape, many blocks of foam and a lot of swearing. To make it look clean, fit perfectly and last for ages. To be soft enough that it would damp out any trail noise but tough enough that it could handle years of abuse. Oh, and also make it affordable. Which is usually the catch.
Materials
Let's not mention those velcroed-on neoprene monstrosities... The kind that soaks up gritty water and turns it into the world's most effective abrasive. The classic innertube wrap or the mastic tape hacks work well, largely because the materials are soft and stretchy. And that works pretty well in terms of keeping things quiet, but because they're soft materials, they wear quickly and can be punctured or torn easily. We wanted something with sound damping properties but also more toughness. Not so hard that it's a noisy, brittle plastic. Which is why we've gone with TPE. A thermoplastic elastomer that combines the best properties of rubber and plastic. TPE doesn't have much elasticity, but it does have a memory, meaning we could make a shaped protector that would keep itself in place, rather than trying to peel itself off.
It's worth mentioning here that some of the products on the market use natural rubber, a material with nice properties and slightly better environmental credentials. But it comes with a problem... It's extremely difficult to get an adhesive that will stick permanently both to the rubber and to the frame. The oils in the rubber have a tendency to neutralize the glue. Which is why you'll see that the natural rubber chainstay protectors have an additional thick 3M pad which has different glue on each side. Quite often the protector will peel away from the glue, leaving the glue stuck to the frame. Not ideal. Using TPE enables us to eliminate that problem and use a much thinner, single layer of adhesive.
Design
As you can see from the image below, the Silencer is a semi-rigid, single piece of TPE rubber, shaped to fit the chainstay of the Edit or Slacker. There are sound-damping ridges on the top and protection on the outside to prevent heel-scuff. There's a cutout for the gear-cable boss. The top surface extends beyond the weld and onto the surface of the chainstay yoke, where chain-slap is more likely. The whole thing wraps around and is secured with pre-applied adhesive pads on the whole interior surface.
Process
Not much point in going into all the details here but this is the key thing that separates the true made-to-fit chainstay protectors from the rest. We designed the Silencer shape to conform perfectly to the chainstay of the new Edit (MX & 27.5 & Slacker) and had tooling made so we could have them injection moulded. That means we can control the shape to very small tolerances, specify the exact surface texture we want, and even emboss a subtle Airdrop logo.
At about $5000 for the tooling it's not cheap and this is the main reason why you don't see a high-end solution like this from most small brands. It's the reason why we haven't done this until now. In fact it doesn't make commercial sense for us to be doing it either, but let's face it, if we only did things that we could make money from, Airdrop wouldn't even exist. What we've found is that Airdrop customers appreciate the effort.
Compatibility
Right now we have two Silencers to offer: one for the Slacker and one for the Edit (MX and 27.5). They're both designed and made using the same method, but are sized for the different chainstays. The Slacker one will fit Slackers from the 2023 or the 2024 batches, as that design hasn't changed. The Edit one can fit older generation Edits and also Filters, but it's not perfect. If you're OK with the potential for a small modification, you can make it work. Take a look at the chart below for more detailed info on fitting to older bikes.
| Edit MX / 27.5 | The Silencer is designed specifically to fit the 2024 Edit MX and Edit 27.5 frames. One size fits both the 433mm (S1, S2) and the 438mm (S3, S4) chainstays. |
| Edit v3 / v4 | The Silencer is not designed specifically to fit the Edit v3 / v4 chainstays. It will fit, but not perfectly. The 435mm chainstay is a little narrower with more taper towards the dropout, meaning the Silencer must be wrapped tighter near the pivot. The location of the rearward cable boss can vary by size, so it may not line up perfectly with the hole and a small modification may be required. |
| Edit v1 / v2 | The Silencer is not designed specifically to fit the Edit v1 / v2 chainstays. It will fit, but not perfectly. The non-boost rear end means the chainstay has a less prounounced bend, but the Silencer is flexible enough to cope. The 435mm chainstay is a little narrower with more taper towards the dropout, meaning the Silencer must be wrapped tighter near the pivot. The location of the rearward cable boss can vary by size, so it may not line up perfectly with the hole and a small modification may be required. |
| Filter | The Silencer is not designed specifically to fit the Filter chainstays. It will fit, but not perfectly. The Filter's chainstay is shorter at 430mm, meaning the Silencer may need to be trimmed. The chainstay is also a little narrower with more taper towards the dropout, meaning the Silencer must be wrapped tighter near the pivot. The location of the rearward cable boss can vary by size, so it may not line up perfectly with the hole and a small modification may be required. |
| Bitmap | Not compatible. |
| Fade | Not compatible. |
What's Included
Every new Slacker and Edit (MX & 27.5) frame will ship with a Silencer included. We'll pre-fit them to both bikes and frames, (unless you ask us not to) or you've ordered Ridewrap - in which case we'll include it in the box - it's easier to fit the Ridewrap first.
For customers buying Silencers as an aftermarket item, we've produced a kit that includes the chainstay protector with adhesives pre-applied, a small silicon patch for the seatstay, a set of installation instructions and an isopropyl wipe.
Fitting Instructions
A printed set of installation instructions will be included in your Silencer kit. But you can also download a PDF version of the instructions here.
Buy Now
Silencer Chainstay Protector kits are available for £25 (including uk VAT). They ship in a postal tube that qualifies for the Small Parcel postal rate which is £3.95 in the UK or they can be collected from the Workshop.
Silencer Chainstay Protector Kit - Edit
Silencer Chainstay Protector Kit - Slacker
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