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Reviews
Gravity Chain Guide
How does the Gravity chain guide stack up against E13 & MRP?
Author: Chris Armstrong | Created: 2007-11-20 09:00:00 | Location: Whistler, BC
Chain guides are arguably one of the best inventions that have been developed for downhilling in the last 10 years. Definitely not the most important, but it certainly has proven its worth. Frankly how many dh rigs have you seen out and about that don’t have one? They have come a long way and now are much easier to install and maintain.
The Gravity chain guide from FSA is a new addition to the market and it has similar features to its competitors, a 7075 aluminum boomerang that attaches to the bike via an ISCG / ISCG05 adapter and a nylon bash guard. The lower pulley features a DuPont Zytel cartridge bearing which provides a smooth and drag free operation and of course it can be replaced.
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But then the minds at FSA started to think about the product a bit more and the refining process began. The boomerang has a 4mm upper section and a 8mm lower, shaving off some weight while not compromising the quality of the product. Both rollers are adjustable via a single screw on each, enabling the screw to be larger and have fewer parts. The overall size of the boomerang is smaller than the E13 Single Ring Security (SRS) with the upper guide being about 2/3 of the size.
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Installation was a snap as it comes pre-assembled and ready to go on, but it frankly just takes time to ensure that it is setup correctly. I put it onto my Transition Trail or Park, which has a 83mm BB and doesn’t have ISCG tabs, so I had to use the supplied adapter. The ISCG adapter is offset to one side to help with getting the correct chain line, so it seems like you have to put it on and take it off a couple of times to get it right. Once it was attached and I had installed my cranks again I had to adjust the rollers to have them in the optimal position to prevent the chain from skipping out.
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The guide was smooth and very little drag was noticeable
while cruising around.
I haven’t had any problems with my chain and
it has been almost flawless, save having to ensure
that the bolts were tight for the first few rides. Some
blue lockite would solve that problem quite quickly.
Opinion: The only thing that casts a bit of a gray cloud on the Gravity chain guides blue sky is that it is only available in one size, 32-36T. For downhill I prefer a 40t so this one wouldn’t be my first choice for that application, unless I swapped out the rear cog for a tight pack. Fit and finish of the product is typical of the FSA / Gravity product line. Ie perfect. The weight is reasonable at 218g without the bash guard.
Sizes: 32 to 36 tooth chain ring.
Colours: Black, Brown and Clear
Plus: Simple, great quality.
Minus: Max of a 36 tooth big ring.+
MSRP: $119.99
Website: www.ridegravity.com
Rating: 4.5/5
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