There’s no doubt about it, 2x9 and 2x10 gearing offers riders a wide enough spread that’ll happily let you spin up the steepest climbs and charge the fastest descents. Although the gearing range is great, simply relying on your front mech to keep the chain on the chainring just isn’t a reality when the terrain becomes more demanding.
The new, full carbon Doubler chainguide is cSixx’s answer to this ever-increasing problem.
To allow the chain to shift between the two chainrings, the Doubler uses an adjustable, stepped lower slider, with a stainless steel separator plate to maintain tension in the chain. cSixx opted to go with a slider over a jockey wheel or a roller as they say this is smoother and quieter in use, and also creates less drag/friction when being pedaled.
The Doubler uses a slider instead of a jockey wheelAs you’d expect, there’s no top guide, just a slightly extended back plate that sits just below the front mech, letting it function as intended and leaving shifting unaffected.
When it comes to protecting the chainrings from rock strikes or bottoming out, cSixx’s carbon bash ring is there to take care of business. Rather than the back plate incorporate an integrated taco style bash ring, cSixx say using a separate bash ring offers improved security and protection for both the chainrings, as well as the chainguide itself.
According to cSixx, the bash ring will help avoid any nasty overshifts due to poor front mech set-up and keep the chain exactly where it needs to be. They also say that it can be the chain at blame for damaging lower guides, which is why keeping it securely in place is so important.
The bash ring is designed to protect the big chain ring and prevent overshiftsThe ISCG 05 back plate attaches via the custom anodised 7075 aluminium hardware and although the lower guide can be adjusted to accommodate 32t-42t rings, the outer bash ring that comes as part of the package is only available in a 36t or 40t.
Claimed weight for the 36t version including the bash guard is 148g which certainly isn’t too shabby and if weights are right, just 1g lighter than e*thirteen’s TRS DL guide.
Prices vary depending on the size of the guide required. The 36t guide costs £159.99 while the larger 40t guide will set you back £169.99.
cSixx ISCG/ISCG 05 adaptor for press fit bottom brackets (£15.99)
In the modern world of mountain bike design, not including ISCG mounting tabs on a new frame seems crazy, yet it still frustratingly happens.
Okay, it may not necessarily be a problem for those that use external bearing bottom brackets where adapters are readily available, but for those using press fit bottom brackets, getting a chainguide fitted is rather tricky.
The cSixx is a simple but effective solution for adding ISCG mounts
This rather interesting little trinket from the cSixx stable could certainly help with those compatibility woes. The ISCG Adaptor is designed to simply clamp to your frame, adding those ever so useful ISCG mounts you’ve always wanted.
The idea is simple. The clamp itself is essentially a Lock-On grip collar, using a single Allen key bolt to tighten itself snuggly around the bottom bracket shell of the frame. Once in place, you can then bolt your chainguide to the ISCG mount.
It comes in either 44mm or 47mm so it should fit standard press fit or BB30 bottom brackets.
At £15.99, it’s not a massive additional cost to get that extra bit of security a chainguide offers and still get the most out of your ISCG free frame.
