They sure are. I'd say your friend has tried his luck with by fitting it himself with no actual idea on what he was doing. If it's fitted correctly then they are awesome. Get one for your freeride rig and I can guarantee you'll never regret it.
I wud agree with everyone else here. He might have it on wrong. I have an E13 one on my DH bike, and I've never had a chain come off, I cant even take the chain off the sprocket if i wanted to haha.
thanks so very much guys i just think i might buy a chain guide for my new stinky because it really sucks having the chain come off right in the middle of a trail
its also worth noting that if you run a chain guide its good practise to replace the sprocket with a non shifting type. this WILL eliminate the chance of the chain coming off.
soo....in pictures because EVERYONE loves pictures
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then your chain guide,boxguide,e13.. whatever you wish to purchase and call it...will do its job properly, and you wont be on the side of your local trail covered in grease, swearing at yourself for doin a half arsed job in the first place..
FWIW I run a truvative box guide, and 32tooth Blackspire non shift ring. havnt had a chain come off since putting the chainring on..
Unsecure image, only https images allowed: http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j277/Beef_Melb/Boxguide.jpgUnsecure image, only https images allowed: http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j277/Beef_Melb/drivelinebeef.jpg in short.. Yes they DO work.. when they are set up with the correct components.
My DMR guide works sweet, box guide up the top and roller down below, Before that i used a truvativ which had a roller up top and a roller down below, it sucked.
Much like most things the bike world, if they are setup properly they are well worth the money. I haven't dropped a chain in the 4 years since I installed my e.13 DRS.
However, on the other end of the spectrum...if they aren't properly setup they will cause you more problems then you already had.
its also worth noting that if you run a chain guide its good practise to replace the sprocket with a non shifting type. this WILL eliminate the chance of the chain coming off.
E13 guides are designed for the 1.5mm halfstep of a standard 3mm thick chainring. If you use a thicker DH non ramped chainring it's very difficult to keep it from rubbing on the inside of the guide. That's why the Guidering works so well. It's one of the few non ramped rings with that perfect 1.5mm halfstep. Salsa also makes a non ramped ring that works well. You are MUCH better off using a standard ramped ring than many of the thicker 4-6mm DH rings. The ramps should have absolutely zero affect on the function of the guide if it's setup right.
weird.. my truvative one is sweet only thing i had to do was loose the faceplate(see pictures above) as it rubbed on the bash ring.... no biggie, no loss..
what truv. one were you using??
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weird.. my truvative one is sweet only thing i had to do was loose the faceplate(see pictures above) as it rubbed on the bash ring.... no biggie, no loss..