[roel_koel]

hey E13 guys

I've been using your chain device products for many years - SRS, STS and DRS

after all the old chain device junk we had from DMR, Mr. Dirt and MRP (aluminium bashguards??? hello Mr. Rock! ) - the E13 SRS was a huge improvement alongside the E13 Supercharger bashguard

your new 2010 SRS is another step forward, I am stoked when I fit these to customers bikes as they go on SO easy compared to the older SRS, the weight savings and adjustability is neat too!


one issue I have had with the 3 DRS chain devices I have owned over the years, on different bikes (1 FR bike and 2 All-Mtn bikes) is that the lower roller was either too hard (the original) causing noise and friction

and the newer roller is too soft, meaning the bearing socket of the rubber roller soon "flogs out" (gets enlarged) and the rubber roller starts spinning against the bearings, rather than rotating with the bearings

whether this is caused by the rubber roller itself, or the small bearings (which admittedly sit in a terrible location as far as dirt and water are concerned) themselves - I am not sure

this is a shame, because the chain device start squeaking as the rubber roller slips over the bearings instead of all spinning together, and soon enough the rubber roller has split and come apart, rendering the lower roller useless

replacement parts are not cheap, and its happened a few months after purchase on my 2nd and 3rd DRS which were the newer type with the softer roller


I realise you have limited space (diameter) down there, but could you manufacture a dual-durometer roller piece with a harder core to grip the bearings, and a softer outer to quieten the chain as its rolls across

a bit like a dual compound bike tire, or rollerblade / skateboard wheel

if you could do that, the DRS would be perfect

 

[davep]

...and soon enough the rubber roller has split and come apart, rendering the lower roller useless
...

You can get the replacement rollers pretty cheap, and the bearings are a standard size, meaning you can source them anywhere (the bearing 'axle' is the only part that is a bit difficult/expensive to source)..

However, it sounds to me like you are possibly having a solvent/plastic issue. Check your chain lube. Petroleum distilates (among other things) can degrade the rubber (as well as the older (and maybe newer) bash guards.
There was a mention of certain 'no-no' lubes posted here by DW a LONG time ago..but for some reason this information/warning has never made it to the E-13 site/tech info.

 

[TrekBro]

I had the same issues with the Rollers, I change them every 5 or 6 months, they are too soft , I don't mind the noise like the Heim guide roller, that's like hard plastic but it doesnt wear that easy, the rollers are like 15 bucks or so, kinda cheap... but it;s 15 bucks u know, i would prefer changing them once a year or not changing them at all.
I use Try Flow, that might be the problem?

 

[dw]

Hey guys,

I'm going to let Michael chime in on this because he has all of the info, but as of the end of 2008/ beginning of 2009 we switched to a new chemical resistant and slightly higher durmoeter idler material . We did a lot of testing with different lubes and the new material has no ill effects with any lubes we could find. The sliders are still susceptible to any petroleum based lubricants, so beware. We tested sound levels at 6' with a nifty decibel gage, and the sound difference between the new roller and old roller is negligible, so it was a win-win all around.

We have a totally new DRS+ design that was completed months ago, but during the LG1+ project, we went out of our normal routine and tookj a chance on a company called Quickparts.com to have some molds made for us (they had a great salesman, promised faster delivery, although slightly higher price than our typical channels). They ended up being 11 weeks late on tool delivery, and ultimately botching all of the molds. A total disaster. We had no choice but to spend all of our DRS+ and flat pedal tooling development funds fixing them. On top of it, they wouldn't refund our deposit. Hence the reason why we don't have a new DRS+ to match the SRS+ and LG1+. Too bad because the thing is TRICK too.

 

[roel_koel]

thanks for the replies

I am aware of the issue with certain chain lubes, but have found this happened even with a biodegradable, non-petroleum lube


thinking back to the second DRS with the softer roller, the bearings were in a poor state when I inspected it about 6 months after installation

this could have caused the roller to start slipping over the bearings, which then enlarged the bearing socket?

from time to time I have tried to check the condition of the bearings, and if stiff or gritty, prise the bearing shields off with a scalpel and pump them full of waterproof grease

as a reference, the new bearings and roller parts kit for the DRS is GBP £34.99compared to about GBP£90 for the entire device, so replacement is a considerable percentage of the entire chain device


DW, do you have a timeframe for releasing the redesigned DRS? would it be part of your 2011 range?

would be great to see the new DRS alongside the new 2010 E13 chain guides, which are a big step forward from previous models

 

[Turbo302]

Is there a new eta for the drs+ ?

 

[PhilipW]

Is there a new eta for the drs+ ?

The DRS+ is still in the works. We've taken many considerations and completely overhauled the DRS, so it should be pretty much everything that riders are asking for in a dual ring system.

 

[moi_2212]

Is there some new info about the DRS+ ?

 

[PhilipW]

Is there some new info about the DRS+ ?

It is still a project in the works...I would expect more information about it next year.

Right now, the Heim2 is a great option if you want a superlight dual ring system that is also quite inexpensive (MSRP is only $90 w/ Turbocharger). I'm quite a fan of it, not only for the aforementioned reasons, but also because it fits up much better than the DRS due to its compact size (VPP2 rigs especially).

Cheers,
philip @ theHive/e*thirteen

 

[moi_2212]

Thanks for the fast response!!!!!!

I already have a DRS, but it's all beat up, and was looking to replaced it.
Well it seems that my DRS have to hold up for a while.