OneUp Components Chainguide
Why do I need a guide and a Narrow Wide Chainring?
Narrow Wide rings are awesome, but they're not perfect and every once in a while you can drop a chain while riding. On a social ride this means getting dropped by your friends. But when racing an Enduro a dropped chain can cost you the podium, which is why almost every EWS pro runs both a chainguide and narrow wide chainring.
World Class Test Pilots
To develop the ultimate chainguide OneUp worked closely with the Yeti Cycles EWS team throughout the product development. Jared Graves and Richie Rude have been racing multiple prototype iterations this season, testing the guide on the world's toughest trails. This feedback enabled us to develop an ultra minimal chain retention system, good enough for even the world's fastest riders.
"The new OneUp guide is great, it's small, simple and is my choice for everyday riding." - Richie Rude
"Its feather weight is awesome. Simple and very effective." - Jared Graves
"As a mechanic I’ve set up a lot of guides and I can say hands down it’s the easiest guide to install and setup out there." - Shaun Hughes (Yeti Cycles EWS Team Mechanic)
How can I double my chainring life?
As a Narrow Wide ring wears, over time the teeth thin and loose their chain retention ability, leading to more dropped chains. The OneUp guide extends the life of a Narrow Wide ring by limiting the chain's side-to-side movement reducing tooth wear and totally preventing the chain from derailing. Installing a OneUp guide means you now only have to replace your chainring when the driving faces have worn out, which typically doubles your usable chainring life. Buy less stuff - Work Less Ride More.
What about Stainless Steel Narrow Wide Rings?
Some ring manufacturers are starting to use stainless steel to provide longer wearing, no drop rings. The system weight and cost of our Aluminum narrow wide ring paired with our chainguide is similar to that of a stainless steel ring. But even with a brand new stainless steel chainring you can still drop a chain, especially in muddy conditions, after a big compression or with a worn derailleur clutch.
Features:
Install without removing your crank
Single tool install and adjustment (4mm hex)
Boost compatible
Oval Compatible
Stainless Steel hardware (Ever notice how much rust loves ISCG bolts?)
Includes 2 top guide pieces 1xBlack and 1xGreen
Install:
The install is quick and easy with no need to remove your cranks. Perfect chainline setup is a breeze using the chainline shims which space the top guide rather than the back plate. This means no guess work or messing around with annoying hard to reach ISCG washers. The adjustable design fits chainrings from 26 - 38T and is oval and boost compatible. Our Patent Pending adjustment system makes us the cleanest and lightest, fully compatible ISCG05 top guide on the market - Never drop a chain again!
Spec:
Weight: 35g
Cost: $45 USD
Capacity: 26-38T
Chainline: 5.5mm adjustment
Compatibility: ISCG05
Available now at www.oneupcomponents.com / @OneUpComponents
Author Info:
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One Up has been making all the right moves product wise, Shimano and Sram better pay attention. If they come out with a shifter and derailler, the big "S's" will be in trouble.
A narrow wide ring was supposed to negate the need for a chain guide, now we're back to using them?! You'd just be better off with a cheaper standard ring if you're going to run a guide as it will cost less and get clogged less...!?
The lower part of a standard guide also helps reduce chain growth too as it increases the chains length to the dropout at no compression, which helps keep the chain on and helps the suspension.
I agree with ctd07 here. And I'm irked by "As a Narrow Wide ring wears, over time the teeth thin and loose their chain retention ability, leading to more dropped chains". Seriously! How does a narrow wide work if not by introducing a little drag to facilitate retention? Isn't that what the purveyors squawk about with a lower pulley / tensioner setup?
That said, I'll just keep a normal chain ring and guide/tensioner as opposed to being a guinea pig for the industry.
The above said, narrow-wides introduce some drag of some sort in order to "retain". You can't get around that. Does it introduce more or less then a tensioner? Nobody has answered that for me? But from what I can see, a narrow-wide ring is more likely to do it at the expense of chain life then a traditional guide. Until someone can show me extensive testing that proves otherwise this is the position I'm going to maintain.
Lastly, I've owned nothing but MRP stuff too date. Yes, it sucks by comparison to the ease or a narrow-wide, which I put my old ladies bike with a Shimano clutch type der out back (Yeah, it works real well as a matter of fact). But as long as it's maintained, it's long lived.
That said, your explanation for the introduction of top guides does make sense, but by adding a top guide, the need for the retention by the chain ring (at the top) itself is nearly completely removed.
But whatever. It's all good. I still have a OneUp 42T now and a new Canfield Balance frame on the way. The sun is shinning. I'll get to lower my Fozzy today and ride my bike tomorrow. :-)
I noticed when we put a new chain, front ring (Raceface narrow-wide), and rear dérailleur on the better halfs bike, it felt easier to pedal. This never had a tensioner!
I noticed after replacing the bottom bracket on my AM bike, it felt easier to pedal. This has an MRP Lopes.
The point being that there are a lot of things in the system that can increase or decrease drag by adding, removing, or just cleaning.
That all said, I agree that a bottom pulley isn't needed for most circumstances anymore.
I've never ridden a N/W ring, so I can't say I know anything about how they wear or ride. That was just how I interpreted what they were saying. 'Doubling the chain ring life' assumes you replace it when the sides have worn before the face.
Problem: This MRP thing cost a shitload of money, the one in this article does the same damn thing and is only 45$.
f*ck me in the face.
Seeing that you're a racer and you are young, I would say it's a little but presumptuous to say that you will NEVER run a chain guide. Keep in mind that things change. Chain guides are somewhat expensive, but the garuntee of not dropping a chain at a crucial moment in a race is pretty valuable, I have lost podiums due to lack of a chain guide before, now I am happy to pay for one, and might I add, that this one looks very racer friendly.
Anyone want to buy a slightly scuffed on the outside MRP guide??
Given my history of only dropping a chain once on a 1x doesn't validate the (previously) ridiculous price for even an upper guide...I would be more open to using them if my 1x system was dropping chains a lot, or if they were cheaper (this one catches my eye because it checks all of the boxes you mentioned: Cheaper, lighter, racer friendly, etc).
I had never run them previously because they were a waste of money for me and it didn't make any sense, I never said I wouldn't ever run one. I am aware that things quickly change in the bike industry, so I am never opposed to any piece of gear.
And indeed when a narrow-wide ring wears out it loses the chain easily. I had a 30t RaceFace ring before and after one year it was quite useless, even on the most stupid descends it lost the chain.
instagram.com/p/6p2pOdwbd2
OneUp are really making a great product lineup here.
However, no ISCG-OLD for this guide so it won't fit on my bikes otherwise it was an instant buy for the trail bike
I got the new MRP AMG (v2) on ISCG-OLD to go with my Next SL Cinch and the metal on the MRP crashes into the Cinch BB (external) and no matter which spacer setup I tried (and I tried them all) it would not work (I have photos). Basically the top guide crushes against the chainring outside and you can't turn the cranks at all. I contacted Race Face and they told me no chain guide + slider works with their 32T Cinch, I don't believe that though.
I have since put on an old MRP BB mounted top guide only and that just about clears enough to work. That's what was on the bike with the previous RaceFace Respond crankset. It does rub slightly but it's acceptable.
Basically using any ISCG spacers meant you couldn't tighten up the BB onto the BB spacer and frame anymore. The shell actually overlaps the MRP. I couldn't leave a gaping hole there and adding another BB spacer rather defeats the object since you want the MRP to be outbound a bit and the BB where it should be.
What it needed was an adjustment at the chainguide but that is a fully integrated part on the new v2. It can't be spaced out or adjusted only up and down to go 26T-32T.
It may be that the OLD MRP AMG works fine. The new v2 one doesn't. Your wisdom please?
My friend, you probably don´t need a chain guide.
I like this thing. I'll take two!
Had it on my spicy and it has been absolutely spot on.
ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb12590508/p5pb12590508.jpg
I don't know why Specialized aren't fitting these to all their bikes.
Nice guide, but make some realistic claims and don't poo-poo your competition.
77designz.com/product/freesolo-iscg-05
They sell this way before specialized or one up came up with it.
Does this mean he does not use it for racing? Just every day riding? Not that it REALLY matters but neither state it is on their race bike. Maybe there are pics? I dunno, doesn't matter but seems like interesting verbiage.
enduro-mtb.com/en/ews-bike-check-richie-rudes-yeti-sb5c