Read many differing opinions and decided to go ahead and buy...only $50, not the end of the world if it doesn't work. I was very pleased with its performance. Our trails along the Front Range here in Colorado go straight up and straight down. Lots of lost chains on the rocky steep trails. This device works perfectly. Very quiet too and I do not notice any additional drag or any issues whatsoever. Great addition to my freeride rig!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jantzen
a All Mountain Rider
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2013
Strengths: prevents chain suck and chain slap if it's not broken.
It's a great idea, but breaks far too easily and is too costly to economically justify the constant need to replace the "barrell" (or more if you happen not to notice you have snapped it off and the guide then tries to follow your chain through your rear mech).
Specialized specs many of their Stumpjumpers and Enduros with a similar unit (made by Specialized) that does not break.
I cannot recommend this product until it's made more durable.
Weaknesses: Plastic parts, cheaply made, doesn't last
Bottom Line:
This thing was great when I first got it. Did everything I was looking for it to do, stopped the chain suck, no more chain slap, and was able to hit bigger things without having to worry about my chain slopping around. Unfortunately everyone is correct this thing isn't worth $50.00 and it doesn't last. I broke mine and I am going to have to find some other solution for my chain suck problems. If you have money to burn and don't care go for it, it'll last about a month of hard riding.
Broke on me after maybe a dozen rides. I noticed it missing when my chain dropped on the inside, trying to shift to the granny ring on a climb. Metal part and the chain "shuttle" went missing, never to be found. Looked for maybe some support from JensonUSA, where I bought it, and they said I'm on my own on that, as they wouldn't accept just the plastic mount. Was like an Easter Egg hunt on the trail, looking for it a little blue anodized doohickey, worth $50.
Rode my bike without it and didn't find chainslap noise to be a problem really. No interest in getting another.
Bike Setup: Yeti SB95, full XT 3x10, Rock N Roll Gold lube
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Eric H
a All Mountain Rider
Date Reviewed: December 26, 2012
Strengths: Eliminates 90%+ of chain slap on my Ibis Mojo HD 3x10, Quiet running, Light, Helps prevent drop chains.
Weaknesses: Price, Plastic mounts are cheap and make it a little awkward to install, Price and Price again.
Bottom Line:
When I bought my Ibis Mojo HD I really wanted a 2x10 system with a MRP Chain-guide but I found a deal too good to pass up on my 3x10 equipped one so that's what I settled on for now. The chain slap and dropped chains was terrible until I got this. Almost zero chain slap and haven't dropped a chain since. It does what it is supposed to do and does it well.
My complaints? This thing is dang pricey for what it is. Talk about a mark up! Also the mounts are made of cheap weak plastic which I can possibly see being an issue as far as reliability is concerned. I used a few extra zip ties when mounting mine and haven't had an issue yet but time will tell.
Overall I am VERY glad I got this, I cant believe how quiet it makes my drivetrain and in helping the chain drops I was having so this alone made it worth the $48 shipped I paid for it. Think they should beef up the mounting a little on it and drop the price about $15 but knowing what I know I would buy it again.
Strengths: Eliminates all chain slap and dropped chains on 6' trail bike running 1x9 gearing , using mrp 1 X top guide and c guide v. O2 mounted adjacent to the base of the tire , does what it says it does . I've hit dh runs using this setup and haven't dropped a chain yet . No noticeable drag at all , runs super quiet
Weaknesses: Mounting hinge is plastic and very weak , broken two in 6 months but they are designed to fail to save the alloy guide, price is very steep for a product that probably cost $2 to make but the performance is worth it . Positioning is crucial though for decent performance and longevity , particularly on a long travel bike , mount it close to the base of the tire .
Bottom Line:
Using this thing for 6 months now with decent success , including some nasty DH and all mountain funs . Easy way to run a 1 x 9 setup with a super efficient chain line without dropping the chain when the trail gets rough . Be prepared to break some hinge hangers though they are not strong but at least they are cheap to replace ( bionicon website ) . Best option for a trail bike with no ISCG tabs , if it was more durable I would give it 5 chillis
Similar Products Used: E13 dh guides , MRP 1 x guide , wigit chainring and just about everything else.
Bike Setup: Gary Fisher roscoe 140mm
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Zachary
a All Mountain Rider
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2012
Strengths: I see where they were going, but they failed miserably.
Weaknesses: Piece of Sh*t
Bottom Line:
I laughed when I saw Jimmy's review down below. BROTHER, I FEEL YA!!! This absolutely overpriced piece of JUNK cost me nearly $300 in parts alone (I do my own work, so some of you poor schmucks are going to pay for labor as well) ... why???!!!! Well, after I paid $60 for the stupid thing, it's incredibly cheap construction, poor mounting hardware and pathetic design cost me another $200+ in repairs.
When this stupid waste of your money broke off after only a few months, it got caught up in my $170 XTR derailleur and bent it up into the spokes before I noticed it had happened. Not only did it destroy my derailleur, but it bent the hanger, costing me another $30.
This is an ok (and just ok) design done terribly, terribly wrong. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! Black spire does a 2X ring that is pretty good, but MRPs 2X guide is pretty bad ass for a bit more $$ and a small hit to the ol' scale.
If you are a pansy, techno-weenie who looks at his bike more than he rides it, you'll probably LOVE this guide. If you are any sort of real mountain biker who demands performance and durability, do not waste your time or your frustration ... this thing SUCKS!!!
Strengths: Outstanding, does as advertised and hardly noticeable to boot! Quality product, smooth & polished finish. The answer if you bike frame doesn't have chain guide mounts.
Weaknesses: Pricey for the simplicity. I guess it's worth the price because I couldn't make one on my own, I tried. Maybe I'm just pissed because I couldn't make this on my own. Seriously though $30 would sell twice as many, maybe that's a good thing?
Bottom Line:
Does everything it states it will. I am completely happy with my investment. Took maybe five minutes to install. Added 3 links to my chain. Zip tied the guide with the supplied ties to my chain stay and hit the trails. Pedaling and shifting I didn't even know it was there. I tried rigging my own version of this contraption on my own, although they worked, I always knew they were there, noisy, chain drag, etc.... This product is hardly noticeable, no perceptible chain drag that I could tell. Shifting is as smooth as a new bike, hard hits through rock gardens over logs, etc.... this answers my wishes. Will yours too!
Strengths: Easy to install, relatively cheap compared to ISCG or BB mounted guides
Weaknesses: Plastic mounting tube breaks, zip ties break, expensive for what it is.
Bottom Line:
Bottom Line: I think the C-Guide is a great idea that needs to be re-built with all metal construction. It's ripped off 3x in as many months of riding. Not the best $50 I've spent.
I installed this originally as instructed, with the 3 zip ties. The first ride went well, rolled smooth, was VERY quiet in addition to keeping my chain from popping off. However, on the second ride it was ripped off, and I'm not sure how. I wasn't riding anything too crazy but after the ride I saw it just hanging there by one zip tie...the other two were broken somewhere on the trail. I installed 4 zip ties this time and it worked for 3 rides but on the fourth ride it was ripped off. Again this happened on a fairly tame river trail, but earlier in the day I was riding some rough downhill stuff, so maybe it broke there. I fixed it again with 4 zip ties, and it worked for a ride, then broke on the second ride. Disgusted at spending $50 on this thing, I threw it in my pack and there it's sat for weeks. Disappointed for sure.
Strengths: - Looks good
- Good idea
- Reduces chain slap
Weaknesses: - VERY CHEAPLY MADE
- Ridiculous mounting system
- Could damage your drive-train
- ZERO customer service
Bottom Line:
For the price of this thing, it's a real piece of junk. The attachment hardware consists of a very flimsy plastic mount and some cheap zip ties (they don't even give you enough zip ties, you should really add a few of your own for much needed support). Some buddies of mine had told me to expect the mount to give way after a season or so, so I made sure to keep the spare that it came with. However, the mount actually outlasted the guide itself. I bought the guide in June of 2012 and it was gone by the end of August. Granted, I do log a heck of a lot of hours on my bike, but at $50, I expected much better.
I don't exactly know what happened to it. One day I came home and the C-Guide was gone. The mount and zip ties were still attached, but everything else was completely gone. My best guess is that the cheap plastic that holds the guide to the mount broke off, sending it into my derailleur which likely cut it in half. I was wearing my headphones on that particular ride, so I didn't notice any noise if/when my derailleur ripped it apart. Although I can't necessarily prove this was the C-Guide's fault, I'm fairly certain it bent my derailleur cage when it went into my drive-train. The very next ride after the C-Guide broke, I shifted my derailleur to the top gear and it went right into my spokes ... I am now $50 out of pocket for the guide and $100 out of pocket for my XT 10-Speed .
I emailed Biocon to see if they would replace the guide under warranty, but they never got back to me.
In the end, this is a good idea for XC or AM bikes with a front Derailleur, however it is very poorly executed from a company with zero customer service. Perhaps in future models, they will reinforce it to make it a bit more stable ... they could seriously beefen this thing up without adding more than 50 grams to your bike. If you have ISCG mounts, don't even think about buying this! Get one of the tried, tested and true chain guides that mount to the ISCG. There are lots of options for bikes with front derailleurs too. If you don't have ISCG, you may want to consider this, but do some serious mods to make sure it's on there securely. Do not rely on their mounting system whatsoever.
Strengths: Pretty colors (bike bling)
Stops chain slap
Easy to install
Very light
Weaknesses: Cheap plastic which not going to last!!
Does not prevent chain drops.
Bottom Line:
I can't believe I stupidly spent $49 for this hunk of plastic !&%#, it must have cost them a whole $2 to manufacture :). I have since replaced with Blackspire Stinger for half the price and which also stops chain drops.
Buy it if you are looking for a cheap easy and quick solution for chain slap, but don't expect it to last.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Javier Matos
a Weekend Warrior
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2012
Strengths: Eliminates most chain slap, easy to install, good looking design.
Weaknesses: Dirt from chain gets left inside, price is high for such a small simple product and may break easily.
Bottom Line:
I've been using the guide for 4 months now in the rooty trails of VT and found to take care of most of the chain slap going on except for very big hits where the chain is likely slapping to opposite part of the rear triangle. It's a very simple, small and good looking product. I was debating on getting a fixed guide but did not find something that would work with two chainrings for a decent price so I decided to buy this one and decide if I would invest on something permanent later. It does the job wonderfully but I recently noticed the plastic guide was broken on one side. I don't remember hitting anything so I can't say for certain what happened but a new plastic guide is another $10 over the $50 spent, which is something to think about. But by just flipping it over it is back to normal. If this product was say $20 - $25 then I would keep buying new ones or for stricly light XC style riding.
Strengths: Very simple, no fuss installation.
Lightweight.
Works precisely as described.
No added resistance.
Weaknesses: Will not prevent dropped chains.
Price.
Mounting bracket is a bit flimsy.
Bottom Line:
Overall this is a really stellar product that does exactly what it intends to in a simple, efficient way. Its quiet running, eliminates 90% of chainslap, and doesn't add any noticeable pedaling resistance. Installation took less than 5 minutes without tools and has stood up to a DH bike park without flinching. This product really works well for AM/Trail riders running a triple-ring setup.
One thing to note is that this will not eliminate dropped chains. It will help, but you can still drop the chain off the rings with this installed. The other downside is the price. $50 is an awful lot for this, especially with close to 50% of the material is plastic. I think closer to $30 would be a better price point - that said, I'd buy another one at $50, it works that well.
Weaknesses: parts for the price a bit cheap and don't last very long
Bottom Line:
Had mine only one day... it worked really well but got damaged prematurely first ride. I fixed most of the issues and improved durability, check my blog for more details.
http://www.epiccyclist.com/2012/06/bionicon-chain-guide.html
Strengths: Works as advertised. Simple to install.
Weaknesses: Price.
Bottom Line:
I was looking for something to protect my bike from chain slap (I have a Cannondale Trail SL 29er 4 Hardtail). I saw a lot of options which just looked ugly. I came across this product and saw a few videos that showed it in action. It was exactly what I was looking for. I was hesitant on ordering it due to the price, $50 (I believe the price range should fall between $25-40 tops). But none the less I ordered it. After installing it, which took no longer than 10min ( just making sure I was doing it correctly) I took it for a ride. Started jumping off of anything I saw. It was great! NO chain slap at all. Gears changed perfectly without a problem. It was a nice and quiet ride. I recommend this product to everyone.
The only reason I didn't give this product 5 flaming chilis is because of the price. I believe it's a little steep. If it was in the price range I spoke about, I would give it the 5 chilies!
I have posted pics of my bike with it here...
http://forums.mtbr.com/trek/bionicon-c-guide-v-02-chain-guide-fuel-ex-8-a-770089-2.html#post9411861
