Carbocage 4X Chain Device – Review

As you all know there are plenty of chain devices on the market for 2012 but which one do you go for? The majority follow the same simple rules incorporating a bash guard, open chain ring, rollers, sliders etc. The Carbocage 4X has been specifically developed for, you guessed it Four Cross! It’s carbon fibre structure keeps weight down but also keeps strength up making it a choice for World Cup riders such Joost Wichmann.


The details:
When I first opened the box I was shocked at how minimal the chain device looked, it’s basically 3 bits of carbon, a 7075 aluminium jockey wheel and some bolts to make the device come alive. On closer inspection you can tell a lot of effort has gone into the design even down to the ‘Carbocage’ branded bolts that hold it together. The 4X version can take chain rings from 34t – 38t and fitment is either ISCG or ISCG 05 so it’s covering all bases. For your €149 you can also choose from 8 different colours which can also be complimented by Carbocage’s very own chain rings and chain ring bolts. The all important figure for you weight guru’s is 85g, that’s a whopping 100g’s lighter than most other guides on the market!


Fitment & Performance:
As with most chain guides you’ll always get some basic fitting instructions, loads of spacers and some bolts. The Carbocage is no different however the instructions are very helpful more so than usual and made fitting the guide fairly simple. Once the guide is roughly fitted you can play about with the spacing for the chain line, this is done using the bolts on the face of the guide. Each bolt will have rubber spacers behind which allow the carbon plates to bend into the desired position. I managed to get this fitted onto my Intense Tazer HT with ease and teamed it up with a Carbocage chain ring and Saint cranks.

On my first ride I was suitably impressed, the noise from the roller was fairly minimal and I only had a slight rubbing on the top slider area in certain gears. I’ve been out rain and shine in woods and on 4X tracks and the only issue was increased noise on a very muddy day but this is inevitable with any chain guide. As always peoples main concern is the chain slipping off which hasn’t been an issue once, I’m confident that it won’t come off if you follow the instructions correctly when fitting. My only concern is lack of protection on the chain ring however this is a 4X specific guide and the likely hood of bashing into a rock, tree stump etc is fairly small.


Overview:
Since fitting the guide I’ve competed in the first British 4X race of the season and ridden various tracks around the UK with no issues at all. The price no doubt will put some people off however you need to remember this is carbon fibre and very lightweight thus making it expensive to produce. The guys at Carbocage have done a great job developing this chain device and have come out with a race proven product that won’t disappoint.

http://www.carbocage.com