When I first opened the box to the chain device one morning I was quite surprised at what I found within - it took me right back to the days when I was bought Airfix models as a child and had to carefully cut the plastic parts out of a plastic tree type set up. On further inspection I found a boomerang and the ISCG adapter mount (will explain more later). I then came across what I had been waiting for, what has made this device stand out and differ from the norm, and what has undoubtedly made this device sell to mountain bikers across the globe - the “Supercharger” bash plate. This Supercharger bash plate is made from e.thirteen’s “Patent Pending Impact Modified Tuffmax Material”. The main advantage of this plastic type material is that unlike most metal guards that dig in to rocks/wood etc the e.13 bash plate effectively bounces/slides across the terrain, meaning that it effectively does not slow you down like bash plates made from metal would. Obviously this is a great plus point, as when you are riding your bike downhill the last thing you want is you chain device getting stuck on things and effectively slowing you down.

I wasn’t to sure about how well this Supercharger bash plate would work in this regard so I did a simple test with an MRP bash plate (my previous chain device) and e.13’s supercharger plate. I simply dropped both of the bash plates from above my head down on to concrete to see how the different materials would be affected. The MRP plate did what I suspected and bounced a few inches before rattling off in a random direction, basic principles of metal really. However the e.13 bash plate surprised me by bouncing up to head height almost completely straight allowing me to catch it. Is it a bouncy ball? This has got to be a good point for a bash plate; its really does show that this plate isn’t going to stall on those unwanted rocks and logs, its going to allow you to carry on your way none the wiser. Of course, another reason for the e.13 bash plate to bounce more and not dig into things is the surface area of the plate – it’s a lot thicker than those found on other competitors’ devices yet it doesn’t weigh any more. But hey, its how it rides that counts.

Time to fit it to the bike. Riding a Morewood Prime 8 means chain devices have always been a problem for me because of the location of the main pivot. Previously I have been running an MRP world cup type 2 chain device and have had to modify the boomerang to fit it around the pivot. However since I had this sorted I have had no problems and have yet to loose my chain. Because I was going for a smaller device this time round (to take a 38 tooth chain ring instead of a 42) I was worried that the top cage part of the device would be right on the pivot bolt, but lining it up it fitted perfectly to the left of the bolt.

The first step of fitting this device is to slip the ISCG mount adaptor over the BB. This simply goes behind the flange of the BB’s drive side giving you ISCG mounts to mount the boomerang too. This is where I encountered a problem, as it was slightly too small to fit over the threads on my BB. But a few minutes with a file and the adaptor was fitted on the bike ready for the boomerang to be fitted. Before the boomerang goes on you need to carefully cut the parts from the plastic part tree. These then fit together very simply and easily on to the boomerang. The bottom part of the chain device feels a lot stronger once all the plastic parts are fitted together on the boomerang than I thought it would and the jockey wheel spins well on a quality bearing. The bash plate fits on to the spider using normal chain ring bolts as you would with any MRP style device but needs wide washers in between the bolts and the supercharger bash plate so as not to damage it. It also says in the instructions not to over-tighten it as this WILL crack the plate, and that using loctite on the chainring bolts may also weaken the bash plate. Once everything is put together the boomerang can be attached in along with the crank arm to then be spaced out correctly to the size of chain ring you are using etc. Adjusting this device is very easy and it can also be adjusted to suit long and short travel frames. The chain device kit also comes with loads of spacers and different sized nylon bolts so that you can get it set up perfectly. Looking at the device now it is on my bike, it looks a lot better than I had anticipated - I had always thought my MRP device looked good, but this looks a lot better!

Now how does it work on the on the bike? For the first ride I took the bike to my local downhill trails just down the road. This is no Dragon course but with lots of roots, a few big jumps and the need to pedal on flatter sections it would show me how it performed. The first thing I noticed about this chain device was the noise it made, or rather didn’t make. It was silent with no chain slap against the guard. Much better than the awful noises the MRP used to make. So far so good: time to go racing on a larger track.

I arrived at Combe Sydenham for the final of the South West winter series and got on the uplift. Dropping off a bus stop my chain device landed on a rock with quite an impact. At first I didn’t think this was a problem and carried on down the course; however, further into the course I realised something was up. On inspection the boomerang had slipped around on the ISCG mount and was now fouling my frame. When taking the crank arm off the bike I realised I had made a fatal mistake, no loctite! The ISCG mount had stayed in place but the force from the impact had shifted the boomerang round on the ISCG mount. My fault really - you all know the jokes about Halfords mechanics. I fitted the boomerang back on with some loctite this time and it’s been fine ever since. I have been using this device now for a few months over different terrain and conditions and have not found any faults. I have found that the jockey wheel on the bottom of the device does sometimes get clogged up with mud but it has never stopped working.

Quoted from the e.thirteen website:

“World Cup Race winning, and a top guide selected by amateur riders, this is the guide to have if you want to win! Our incredibly strong Supercharger bashring, stainless steel hardware, and super stiff boomerang results in the new standard of performance, light weight, and durability.”

So, does it live up to e.thirteen’s expectations?

This chain device works, the chain doesn’t come off, it’s silent and the bash plate glides over terrain making less of an impact. Weighing it up against my MRP it is lighter - nothing I am going to notice while riding my bike, but every little bit helps. Durability: well it looks just as good as the day it went on and the bash plate could pass as new with no chips in it whatsoever. The chain device also comes in lots of different forms to fit all types of bikes. Be it a hardtail, long travel bike or freeride bike, there will be one to suit your needs and the bash plates are now also available in different colours. All in all this is a quality device and I will not be putting my MRP back on in any rush.

RRP £110

For more information check out www.e13components.com or contact Silverfish and visit www.bikedock.com to buy one.