A little while back a few people were looking for bash guard recommendations in the forums and today I have a great product to tell you about. The e*13 Turbocharger ($49.95 MSRP) is tough as nails and light as hell which makes this a great choice for any freeride or DH rider. e*13 claims the Turbocharger is both the lightest and strongest bash guard ever made – who said you can’t have it all?
I guess you could call the e*thirteen Turbocharger a “next generation” bash guard. Typically bash guards were solid pieces of plastic that were bolted to your crank in place of the outer ring on your chain set. In the old days it wasn’t uncommon to see these units weighing over 200 grams, which, to many people (myself included), was a little too heavy to be worth the trouble. My Turbocharger officially weighs in at 86 grams (for the 36t model) which is far better than my previous 300 gram bash guard. Much of the weight reduction comes a patent-pending design that removes excess material that doesn’t directly provide strength to the guard.
To install one of these to your bike you’ll need to know what size you need, which is a simple matter of counting the number of teeth you middle chain ring has (it should be either 32, 36, 0r 40). If you have a middle chain ring with 32T you would get the 36T bash guard. If you have 36T to 40T get the larger size of 40T. Choose from either black or white to match your ride.
Depending on your crank configuration you may also need to order long chain ring bolts due to the thicker bash guard (sold separately). If your bolts just thread on with one or two turns that is not enough and you need those longer bolts – this is not something you want to fly off on the trail! Installing the bash guard is super simple and can be done using either a 5 or 6mm allen key. Remove the outer ring and install the bash guard, making sure you align the reliefs of the bash guard with the crank arms. The e*13 sports captured aluminum inserts to prevent crushing due to over tightening which will definitely save heartache for many overzealous home mechanics.
Hitting the trails with the e*thirteen Turbocharger was awesome. I lost 200 grams on my bike and gained a nice strong bash guard that can take a beating on the trails at Kelso without slowing me down. Actually the Turbocharger took repeated beatings and smashes on logs and rocks without cracking or even complaining. Riding along I didn’t get any creaking or grinding which proves this is a high quality guard. Aside from protecting from over tightening, the aluminum inserts also seem to discourage hit-induced crushing and cracking that may cause movement over time.
I would have to say that the e13 Turbocharger bash guard is a great addition to the e*13 line up. If you’re out to get a high quality bash guard, this is the one to get. It’s lightweight, strong, and features dual crank arm reliefs just in case you manage to crack it – I dare anyone to try!
More Turbocharger details are available at e13components.com. A quick thanks to the folks at e*13 for the chance at testing out the new Turbocharger. Cheers!
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