The Review | Carbocage X1 chainguide long term test
No questions – if you like carbon fibre and “bling bling” you’ll love the Carbocage product range! In addition to the classy looks and exquisite manufacturing the low weight of 86 grams is the first thing you’ll notice. But can such filigree machined carbon fibre plates stand up to long term enduro abuse? We fitted the Carbocage X1 chainguide and used it for a whole season at races, on numerous bike park visits and on masses of regular rides to find exactly that out!
The Carbocage X1, developed specifically for use on 1-ring drive set-ups with narrow-wide chainrings has been on the market for just over one year. The special chainrings are supposed to make a lower guide roller superfluous. This creates space for a bashguard to protect the drivetrain from impacts whilst the upper guide cage prevents the chain from coming off.
By using two separate plates the bashguard and chainguide can be individually adjusted. This means the chainguide can be adjusted to the exact chainline of every individual bike.
In addition so-called “flip-flop adjuster“ allow the guide to be adapted for two different chainring sizes. Fine tuning of the chain line is achieved through elastic spacers meaning the position of the guide cage can be varied by just tightening and releasing the bolts.
Due to the many small parts the initial assembly of the Carbocage X1 was a bit more fiddly than with other chainguides – you’ll need to be patient.
Once fitted the X1 delivered exemplary performance. We never had to stop a single time for a dropped chain – and our experience shows that even special narrow-wide rings can do this sometimes when worn. Even in exceptional conditions such as this years mudfest Megavalanche the chain stayed reliably in position.
After numerous muddy races, countless trips to the bike park and thousands of pedal revolutions we were naturally keen to see how the wear of this lightweight chainguide had been. How did the carbon fibre plates , which have been machined to the maximum amount deal with the continuous rubbing of mud and sand? How does a bash guard made up of a narrow aluminium bracket bonded to the guide stand up to many hard impacts and grinding out on rocks?
Better than we expected! The wear is not too high and is within the reasonable zone. To our great surprise the guide cage showed almost no wear at all and even the bashguard held up to the many impacts with just a few scratches and a little dent to show.
Upon disassembly we saw that the narrow aluminium bracket actually stands up to a lot of abuse and that grinding out only left visible damage where the carbon fibre plate is bolted to the frame and not on the actual bashguard. Here a few fibres were fraying but this didn’t impair function in any way at all.
Just the plastic tubes on the guide cage showed clear signs of wear through chain friction and will probably need replacing soon. But the these should be available individually as a “wear-and-tear” set.
Conclusion
Fit and forget: along with the chic looks, the low weight and the numerous fine tuning options the Carbocage also lives up to the high-class first expectations with worry-free function and low wear.
With small touch-ups (replacing the plastic tubes) the chainguide should stay fully functional for a long time. The high initial cost of € 159 is worthwhile for anyone who doesn’t want to do without a guide inspite of running narrow-wide chainrings.
The chainguard is available in all Carbocage colours and ISCG-standards, as well as in five different sizes (28T,30T,32T,34T,36T).
More info: carbocage.com
Words: Daniel Schlicke Pictures: Christoph Bayer
Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.
