Holy crap
@kwseattle that chain on the CF is exactly what terrifies me about the tiny tiny clearance I have on my frame on the 50T chainring I have. This is what mine looks like with the rear suspension fully extended (paracord instead of a chain since my new groupset is on the way and this is my backup M620, but you get the idea...) - I've got a whopping 40mm where it crosses the stay! Note the frame is intended for a 184x44/185x45mm shock, but I'm running a 190x50 with a single offset bushing with a 2mm offset, so it's extending the suspension are just a teeny tiny bit more than it would stock, meaning I have
less clearance than I normally would. This is on the 11T cog of the 8spd I'm switching out
View attachment 106482View attachment 106483
Butyl tape (think like dynamat) will do wonders to protect carbon stays from chainslap but you probably need something with backing to cover the butyl or it'll collect lots of dirt. I think there's some rubber foam tapes kind of like mouse pad material that are nicer but I've not reached that point yet
@Deacon Blues an 8/9/10 spd cassette is only 1.85mm narrower than an 11-spd, I suspect
@Cuz Vinny had to change shifters to accommodate the change in cassette speeds but correct me if I'm wrong Vinny! You should be able to correct the chainline by offsetting the chainring to the outside of the spider - same on KW's Hydra. These bikes should totally be fine with an 11/12spd but the chainring should be more lined up with the middle (#6) cog. It looks like it's time for team WW to invest in a CNC mill and start machining some parts in house! Definitely a serious issue they need to be made aware of though. Warrantying the chainstay U on a rear triangle isn't that expensive, but warrantying a whole frame due to catastrophic failure can be incredibly expensive - which is to say nothing about the medical bills the rider might wind up with! This is why all these parts service guides have the death & serious injury warnings and have your inspection list for every ride.
This brings up the question though... how many other Hydra riders are out there sawing their chainstay off?