Bashguard... plastic or steel/alum?
 

I'm getting a bashguard for my bike and retiring the third plate (too many flat teeth, partly my fault, partly not but still I've always wanted a bashguard for convenience and protection) so I'm wondering should I look at a steel/alum one or plastic? And if plastic is anything other than E.13's supercharger (which I hear is the best), any good or what? My LBS doesn't carry E.13 otherwise I would pick the e13 supercharger bashguard in a heartbeat...

So whats it gonna be? I'm thinking plastic because it will slide down on stuff and will be lighter too but maybe it will destroy much faster than a steel/alum one...

Opinions?

Order the e13 period

No plastic in Bashgaurd ...
 

The plastic things you see on cranks are just chain guards that prevent your pants from gettting snagged between the chain and the ring. The first time that thing hits a log it's going to shatter. There are a few plexiglass ones out there and they can indeed take the punishment.

For cheapness/durability buy steel. For lightweight, buy aluminum. For aesthetics, buy plexiglass. If you have a 3 ring setup you will have to decide if you want a big ring bashguard or a normal bashguard. A traditional bashgaurd replaces your large ring. This is the preference among most users as they simply do not USE the big ring. The other option available from a few companies is a big ring guard. This one bolts on over your big ring using longer chainring bolts. It will add to the weight of your bike and is only necessary if you are an XC racer that uses that big ring in the flats.

This guy has no idea what he is talking about! He's thinking of those plastice guards found on X-mart bikes. I use to have a metal one but retired it after only 1 season. Metal ones are crap, they bend, chip, get mean scratches and don't grind well. So then I got my new crankset (holzfellers) which came with a plastic one, it is amazing! It still looks like new after 1 year and I ride that thing hard and do many grinds. The truvativ one I have is pretty much the same as the E-13 one. Also do away with your 3rd chainring it just gets in the way and you will have much more clearence.

Here is a link to a bunch of bashguards
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...hp?category=58

I have an e13 right now, but I'll probably get a steel one next. The e13 is super strong, but I hit so much that it gets flat spots in it. Sometimes is flattens out so much in places that it rubs the chain and I need to file some off.
e13 for trails
steel for trials

whatever the hell material that e.13 uses. get that one

+1

My old plexiglass bash guard had MASSIVE indents in it, so I retired it and got new cranks too. My new Aluminum Bash guard kicks some serious ass, although it does look rather bad when it gets dinged up, but so do the others. The aluminum is better in my opinion, I'll get pics in a second to compare my brother's Hussefelt cranks to my Big Earl cranks, with the different bash plates they have.

Thanks for posting that Jason222, cool to see the comparison. I'm fairly certain I'm going back to the LBS either tomorrow or Monday for those Big Earls. They sure do look sweet in person (probably won't after one ride). Just going to take off the little ring and run the N-gear...

Awesome!

I run a TruVative Hussefelt w/ e.13 on my urban assult/ do all bike
I run a TruVativ Holzfeller Trials Crankset on one of my trials rigs.
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Crankset...ler_Trials.jpg

Be aware of the Big Earls.
Depending on how hard you impact directly on it, you can and will break your chain links.
I had the Earls, and they are tough as fu-k and still have mine laying around, but they arnt strong enough for the bigger hits, specially going from bash up on to somthing higher than handle bar height.

Hey thanks for the warning, I wish that was something I had to worry about anytime soon... :o

Well, the big earls aren't exactly trials cranks :rolleyes: