MRP AMg chain guide

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A narrow wide chain ring with a clutch rear mech works really well at keeping your chain on. In a year of using such a set up I’ve been pleased apart from just three times when I lost the chain .Unfortunately this is three times too many so I got myself a chain device.

I’ve been running 1×10 drivetrains for ages now and up to the ‘narrow wide’ I always used a full chain device with top cage and bottom jockey wheel to keep the chain safely in place. Bottom rollers are a bit noisy and a bit draggy though and the jockey wheel is something else to wear out and need maintenance.

The MRP AMg chain guide is a top cage only guide for the new ‘clutch age’. It also has a stout bash plate which slides over stuff that you smash into, saving the honour of the chain ring. It’s silent as well and the bit of clear tube on the back of the cage helps here, reducing chain slap sounds. Weight is only about 120g so there’s no problem there making this a bit of a no brainer. The one fitted to my bike is for 28-34 tooth chainring (I’m running 30t). It’s very easy to fit and the instructions (it’s OK you are allowed to read them even if you’re a man) are in simple English.

Since fitting it I haven’t lost the chain which is nice and I’ve ridden some rough and rocky tracks in the Pyrenees as well as the local Hebden Bridge trails. Get one.

RRP £89.99

http://www.mrpbike.com/amg/

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MRP Bling Ring & Micro Chain Guide

I’ve been sold on the 1×10 gearing set up for a couple of years now. The security of not having the chain fall off the chainring, combined with the protection of a bash plate is really important to me. On my 26er I was happy running a 32t chainring with a 10 speed 11-36 cassette most of the time in the UK. However when I started riding a 29er, the same 32 / 11-36 gearing with bigger wheels was giving me gear ache! It was just too hard to climb big hills especially when I was riding longer days, particularly on my trips over to the Basque country and the Alps.

I was due to go to the French Maritime Alps to work as part of the Mountain Staff for the Trans Provence race. This means riding for 7 days in the Alps with 10,000m of vertical ascent and 15,000m of descent on properly technical trails. I was therefore overjoyed to discover, thanks to a bit of tweeting (thanks @chainlinephil) that there is now a solution to the problem. The MRP Bling Ring is a very smart single ring specific chain ring that comes in 28 and 30 tooth sizes (as well as 32, 34 and 36). I chose to go for the 28t as this is the equivalent to a 30t chainring on a 26er.

The chainring fits directly onto the splines of the new SRAM X9, XO and Truvativ AKA cranks. This means you can do away with the spider altogether for a lighter and neater solution. For chain security I fitted the latest version of MRP’s Micro chain device which is adjustable to fit a range of 28-32 chainrings. The chain is fully enclosed by the upper guide and has a sturdy lower guide with pulley wheel and a strong bash plate. This device is available in ISCG 05 and ISCG standards.

Gearing with the 28t ring was spot on for the climbs and I was glad I’d gone for this over the 30t ring, even though it seems ridiculously small, especially when viewed next to the wagon wheels! I was worried that I might spin out in the higher gears, but when on singletrack trails there was no problem at all. Only when riding sections on the road or on boring tracks was I under geared, a compromise I’m happy to make.

Blinged & Microed

I never once lost the chain, didn’t feel any drag and was pleased that the device was quiet. Maximise your performance pleasure by also fitting a clutch type short cage rear mech. Downhill bike security with trail riding friendly gearing makes this set up a winner and gives a genuinely practical 1×10 option to the 29er rider.

More details including pricing on the MRP and Ison (UK distributor) sites.

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e.thirteen LG1 chain device

 

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