Deviate Announces New Chain Guide

Sep 7, 2023 at 2:51
by Deviate Cycles  
Deviate Chain Guide Tilt Front In Foreground

PRESS RELEASE: Deviate

After a year of R&D, Deviate are bringing a new solution to market - their take on the Chain Guide.

Eliminating dropped chains is at the core of any chain guide, but Deviate’s design also tackles key challenges including durability, reliability, drag and even noise.

Having spent many years as a mountain bike guide in the Alps, Deviate’s co-owner and lead engineer Chris Deverson brings a wealth of first hand experience to the design.


bigquotesThe noise and drag of existing solutions was something I was keen to tackle as well as making it work with as many different setups as possible. Durability was then the next priority and for this, we took the lessons learned from the Highlander & Claymore and integrated grease ports as standard
- Chris Deverson, Deviate Co-Owner & Lead Engineer


This is a ‘lower only’ chain guide that comes complete with bash guard. It is designed to work with any mountain bike frame*, not just those manufactured by Deviate.


Key Features
• Adjustability: Works with chain ring sizes from 30T to 36T
• Durability: Grease port is fitted to protect the bearings (as seen on Deviate’s Highlander and Claymore frames)
• Reliability: Designed with long rides & racing in mind. Reduce maintenance with built in grease ports, twin-lip wiper seals and a pre-mounted bash guard
• Efficiency: Jockey-wheel system improves guide efficiency by reducing the risk of the chain seizing
• Noise-reduction: Soft rubber included to reduce noise
• Drag-reduction: The grease ports not only provide longevity but also reduce drag on the ups
• Compatibility: ISCG 05 lower only chain guide. Works with a range of suspension platforms (not just high pivot) and oval chain rings
• Protection: Comes complete with pre-mounted and adjustable bash guard
• Part Replacement: No need to replace the entire guide, the bash guard and jockey wheel can be easily replaced
• Installation: Install without removing your crank

Specs
• Chainline : 52mm (55mm with 3mm spacers and longer screws)
• Material : Injection moulded nylon & CNC-machined Aluminum backplate
• Capacity: 30-36T
• Weight: 102g
• Mount: ISCG 05 lower only


Deviate Chain Guide Full on White Background
Deviate Chain Guide Jockey Wheel Close Up

Deviate Chain Guide Jockey Wheel Close Up 2
Deviate Chain Guide Back Profile


It has been tested in Scotland and the Alps by both the engineering team and the Deviate ambassadors to truly put it through its paces.

bigquotesI’ve been running the Chain Guide all season and it has been flawless! Silent, smooth and secure! Having a grease port has kept the dirt out and the bearing fresh!
- Lachlan Blair, Elite Men's DH & Enduro Race

by deviatecycles
Views: 1,654    Faves: 0    Comments: 0


bigquotesHalf a season of EDR races, a couple thousand kilometres of riding between them all, and with all that zero complaints. No dropped chains and efficient enough to ride 400km in a single sitting, it’s a no brainer.
- Matthew Fairbrother, U21 Enduro Racer and challenge seeker

The chain guide is Deviate’s first official release outside of their high-pivot carbon frames but it's unlikely to be their last.

This first production run is available for an introductory rate of £60.00 / $76.37 / €70.40. Find out more here

*Any compatibility issues would be eligible for a refund.

Chain Guide close up
Chain Guide close up

Chain Guide front view chain close up 2
Chain Guide side profile on Claymore

Chain Guide side profile on Claymore action shot
Chain Guide angled view chain guide jockey wheel close up


Author Info:
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Member since Nov 22, 2017
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79 Comments
  • 69 6
 Hype Pivot Problems.
  • 30 24
 It's true. High pivot is just Hype and marketing. If ain't Horst link it's rubbish! The fucking nerve of anyone thinking they could do better than that design is a pleb...
  • 14 4
 @TheBearDen: the commencal supreme and its results would beg to differ
  • 25 1
 @rjmogul: I was being cheeky lol . I own a high pivot... errrr ahhh I mean a "hype" pivot.
  • 27 0
 @TheBearDen: This high grade stealth sarcasm will throw a spanner in the PB readers works.
  • 2 0
 @TheBearDen: what happens when you do a horst high pivot?
  • 8 0
 Great! lets add some more drag.
  • 1 4
 @j-t-g: Kavenz already did, doesn‘t seem to work very well
  • 9 0
 @j-t-g: you mean the Norco range and new forbiddens? They are just upside down Horst links... So if we look at the EWS as an indicator with Rhys Verner on the forbidden... I'd saaaay aaah works pretty pretty pretty good.
  • 2 0
 @watchtower: good. Lol
  • 2 0
 @j-t-g: neigh
  • 2 0
 @j-t-g: As pointed out, the new Forbbiden Druid moved a horst high pivot layout. I saw an interview with their engineer who said they selected the layout because they couldn't achieve the anti-rise and braking performance that they wanted with the single pivot design.

Seems like it works well.
  • 1 0
 I reckon Bruni would have something to say about that.
  • 2 0
 @TheBearDen: I'm all for pushing the technology forward but I personally think the gains of high pivot are greatly overstated by all those wonderful marketing departments.
  • 4 0
 @porkchopsandwich: that's all bike companies my man. Looking at your profile I can tell you Your transition is 4 bars and a spring and they call it giddy-up suspension with SBG geometry. End of day it's long low slack and Horst link... Without marketing the industry is kinda nothing haha.

in my 20 years of riding I have yet to find a suspension design that can handle high speed rough as hell sections like my High Pivot bike can. But end of day Choosing the best bike for what you ride and what your trail networks are built like is the right decision.
  • 1 0
 @j-t-g: when forbidden of all people do it Smile
  • 11 0
 MRP MXg is the way. Higher tooth cough = less chain bend = less friction while still increasing chainring wrap. Haven’t dropped a chain with it on my high pivot enduro bike since installing and the drag is significantly less than the g5 mini guide I ran before
  • 3 0
 And designed to work with SRAM transmission! It was developed by SRAM, Trek and MRP! Team work baby!
  • 2 0
 @TheBearDen: all around great success (very nice)
  • 2 0
 Came here to say this. MRP is the way to go.
  • 3 0
 Glad y'all are liking the MXg, it was a fun project to work on! However, for Deviate owners it's not a solution, as it requires a fairly high chainstay position. Even our 2-bolt G5 is a problematic fit on these frames, though I have seen them successfully mounted – presumably with some faffing.
  • 11 0
 We've come full circle! I've got MRP setups from 20 years ago that look like this. Worked great on a high-pivot bullet and on the (effectively) high-pivot canfield Jedi. Pretty sure i was rocking a 40 tooth chainring and a small cassette at the time. Glad that hasn't come back.
  • 8 0
 "designed to work with any compatible frame"

Explain to me how this is any different from saying "it works with the frames it works with". A tautology, if you will.
  • 9 0
 MRP SXg lower guide without roller FTW.
  • 1 0
 Real
  • 5 1
 Been running this chainguide for some time and can tell it's way better than e13 lg+..the new MRP one could be also nice but way more expensive. Kudos to Deviate for the good work!
  • 3 0
 I built up a new highlander 2 this week - I opted to not go with a guide, but I am not too worried about it. I am running 28t so I couldn't use this one anyway - I like 28t so I can spread the wear more evenly across my cassette instead of running 34/32 in the granny all the time.
  • 6 0
 Is chain drop in the front ring a real thing since narrow wide?
  • 6 0
 Yeah but nowhere near as often.. most commonly when I am in my smallest gear, on rough terrain and the clutch is starting to reach the end of its life. Yes, I shorten my chain to shimano's spec but the range on these new wide-range cassettes means it has to be pretty darn long, especially whilst also accommodating chain growth during the suspension's cycle.
  • 1 0
 not at all in my experience with two different high pivots.
  • 1 0
 Yep, I was dropping chains like crazy on my sentinel (xo derailleur probably worn clutch) but I don’t see how just a lower guide would help. Simple upper guide seems to be the ticket, I have MRPs and haven’t dropped a chain since
  • 13 0
 I have a suspicion this might be almost more of an attempt to increase chain wrap around the chainring which is reduced for high pivot bikes and presumably wears out chains and chainrings faster.
  • 2 1
 @rarerider: this
  • 2 1
 @rarerider: I bet its more in line with a "new" high pivot down hill bike coming soon.
  • 4 0
 I think these are less about preventing chain drop than they are about increasing chain wrap. At least that's what Forbidden say theirs is for.
  • 4 0
 @nilswalk: Thats correct, as well as to prevent you destroying your mech clutch in double quick time. The high pivot design leads to big changes in the effective chainstay length which will cause your mech to be stretching back and forth all the time. By wrapping your chain up and over the extra cog you eliminate some of that stretching effect back to what would be the more 'normal' amount found on other designs.
  • 1 0
 @loosegoat:
This guide looks to be designed specifically for high pivot bikes with idler pulleys. On such bikes the idler functions as the upper guide and the lower pulley on this thing increases chain wrap on the chainring to boot. Not a bad bandaid
  • 1 0
 I've dropped the chain on the front ring several times on my Claymore, more in the last few months then in the last few years on previous bikes. Maybe lack of chain wrap, or I'm just riding a lot harder. Smile
  • 2 0
 @o1inc: figured that’s the case. My layman’s brain wants it to be specifically marketed as increased chain wrap for high pivots. Not that we need more categories in mountain biking but I wouldn’t jot this down as a chain guide since it doesn’t guide the chain onto the chain ring
  • 2 0
 @loosegoat:
That’s fair, but then if there were absolute truth and transparency in marketing our wallets would all be a bit fatter
  • 5 1
 I just haven't dropped a chain in forever... The real solution to chain drop problems is replacing worn drivetrain components.
  • 4 0
 I've never dropped the chain on my Claymore, but I'm happy they're offering a clean solution like this.
  • 3 2
 My experience is that a lower chain guide like that is a significant source of drag. This one looks optimized for mechanical drag, but its the sharp bend in the chain that creates most of the drag. Removing that lower chain guide significantly reduced pedal drag on my high pivot DH bike.
  • 2 0
 Agree. Reducing the amount that the guide deflects the chain will reduce friction and still prevent drops. It however doesn't solve the issue with reduced chain wrap causing quicker wear on the chainring. My Druid has been fine without the lower guide, and that's also with a smaller 30T ring. My 34T SX was dropping chains without the guide but it has 50mm more travel and gets beat harder.
  • 1 0
 @ATXZJ: Is extra wear a thing? Generally its only the first 3-4 teeth that take all the load, even on a new chain and chainring, try it.
  • 2 1
 Interesting, but is it necessary? Even on my Druid, I removed the stock lower guide (which has a pulley like this) and replaced it with the Cascade Components one (which does not, it's just a bash guard really) and I have not had a dropped chain once all season.
  • 1 1
 The Cascade components guide may not have a pulley, but it is still a chain guide that prevents chain drops
  • 1 0
 @sdurant12: right, what I mean is is the pulley aspect of it necessary? It inevitably adds some drag (and noise and maintenance work), but at least in my experience a lower guide without the pulley element is equally effective...

I guess I should have said it looks like a bashguard, it does retain the chain but what I meant is it doesn't have that pulley element that causes the chain to bend

(i've also heard people run the druid with no lower guide at all and have no issues, but I haven't tried that so I can't speak to that personally)
  • 5 0
 Coincidence that this product is released the same day as the new Slash?
  • 2 1
 Can’t count how many times I’ve seen guys on the side of the trail trying to wrestle a chain out from being jammed under the chain guide somehow. I know they’re supposed to keep the chain on but if it’s still coming off and then you can’t just put it on easily again…. Doesn’t look to me like they do much other then cause a headache, but then I’ve barely ever had a chain fall off so.
  • 2 0
 ^this. As someone that's dropped a chain (on modern Shimano narrow-wide) once in the last three years of owning my current bike I fail to see the need for a chain guide considering that downside.
I do run an STFU chain damper so maybe that adds some magic as it does significantly quiet the chain.
  • 1 0
 @BarryWalstead: same
  • 1 0
 Only because every other aftermarket ISCG tab idler pulley or bash guard won't fit on the Deviate frame. My One Up bash guard has been rendered useless because of Deviate on the Claymore
  • 1 0
 i had this a couple weeks before it was announced hehe... maybe they saw my custom made chain-guide and got inspired LOL. thanks again deviate, you guys rock
  • 2 0
 Makes sense to have a guide design a guide!
  • 1 2
 2 3mm machine screws are going to take the full force of a rider+bike smacking a boulder?


the folly of ISCG5 is hilarious.....lets torch a $3500 frame to save a $50 chainring!!!
  • 3 0
 ISCG uses M6 screws (6 mm diameter), not 3 mm. I'm not an enginerd, but I think that's more betterer.
  • 3 2
 So, the screws are weak, but at the same time strong enough to wreak the frame?
You are probably from the US which is why you don't know what 3mm is, but I don't see any 3mm screws.
  • 1 0
 So you're saying the screws aren't strong enough right? Then they'll deform, break or shear off. How would that damage the frame to being unusable? Certainly the mounts might be toast, but the frame? I just question if this is a real problem, or a boogeyman.

Are we taking every time? Every 10,000th time? One or 100 chainrings saved?
  • 1 0
 @BarryWalstead: the screws are as strong as they can be, it's the inserts in a frame(primarily this is a carbon frame issue, although if you bent or cracked a mount on an AL frame, that crack would quickly propogate) that are the issue. Once it's broken, it's not really a fixable spot on a carbon frame. you are down a front triangle and hopefully get a crash replacement for 6-800 bucks....still 10x what a chainring costs.
  • 1 0
 @BenoNZ:I am in no way anti-bash guard, just anti-ISCG. there are and have been since the 90's ways to make bashguards that work. Take Banshee for instance. instead of having tiny welded on tabs, they use a splined interface at the BB, then have a carrier that fits over those splines and is held in place by the BB shell. VIOLA! a completely supported bashgaurd mount!
  • 1 0
 @Mtbdialed: and as your sources for this other than 'worry'?
I'm not saying you can't theorize how it might be bad, but are these actual, happening with any regularity issues? That's the real determinant.

Personally I run a taco bash on ISCG tabs and have taken advantage of that little dude a fair few times and it all looks... Perfect. Easily saved a couple chainrings. Just my experience, yours might vary.
  • 1 0
 @BarryWalstead: well, to be fair, it's just anectodal from my personal exerperience wrenching for years, and now handling warranties for multiple brands. So, while there's no reported number, it's way too far to the right of zero, to ignore.


Now here is the caveat: if you are riding a brand of carbon bike that cheats and has an entire aluminum insert at the BB(and other areas mind you) that includes the tabs, you might be in the clear here.
  • 2 0
 @Mtbdialed: okay, I'll ask again.

How many have you (as a wrench) seen personally? You've used generic terms like "too far to the right of zero" but what is that number? Maybe a single frame damaged for 10,000 is 'too far' for you. I'm just trying to get a real answer. A concrete answer. Something like you've seen 10 frames toasted, or you've seen one toasted. And I'm not asking about ones where the mounts are unusable, just the frame damaged to where it cannot be used.
  • 1 0
 @BarryWalstead: 5 in 3ish years. busy shop with 5-7 major brands, some with four letters in their name....

now that I just handle sales and warranties and what not, very little wrenching, I have sent 3 frames back to their respective companies for this in 18 months. perhaps Colorado is a special place for this failure, but those are the hard numbers(I could have forgotten one, or not called it a ISCG failure due to where the crack was...)

now, what I find hard to believe is, my experience is any more than lets say 50% above the average(mean, but whatever. lol).
  • 1 0
 @Mtbdialed: Thanks! That's exactly the ki'd of information I was hoping to get.
So to add to the data, how many bikes came through in that same time period? As a rough guess.
  • 2 0
 @BarryWalstead: the only metric that would really be fair here, would be: number of *unique* trail/enduro bikes with ISCG tabs that came through. because counting townies and Trek Marlins would skew the number significantly.

furthermore, I think some control about how a bike is ridden would need to be done. but that's too much for a PB comments discussion. lol

my gut would say, 1500 or so.
  • 1 0
 @BenoNZ: Pish tosh; every American learns in kindergarten that 3 millimeters are thirty 254ths of an inch!
  • 1 0
 Buy a Garbaruk chainring, it has longer teeth that prevent chains form dropping..
  • 2 0
 I can't remember the last time I was this excited!
  • 3 2
 In other news, Fixate announced a new Derailleur.
  • 1 0
 Can it work on non high pivot frames?
  • 5 0
 Yes - not just for high pivot
  • 1 0
 For non high pivot frames it would be nice to have one that occupies all three ISCG05 tabs (seems more stable to me when the bash guard takes a beating) and otherwise you have no way to fit a top guide. The lower guide would help when you backpedal (which you do a lot in technical terrain) but the top guide helps to keep the chain on when pedaling and keeps chainring wear at bay (as it keeps the chain from entering the chainring under stilly angles).
  • 1 1
 Ive been riding gt force high pivot bike for 6 months Other bike doesnt need this but for high pviot bike 100 percent
  • 1 0
 Grease port, look something actually new!
  • 1 0
 is this now an idler?
  • 1 0
 the HB916 needs this
  • 1 0
 It doesn't really, but can see why some people would think that. Had mine 13 months and never dropped a chain. It wouldn't fit anyway... No ISCG05 mount.







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