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Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Chichester, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Many (found on my 'adventures') | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance? | | Strengths: | They look good, and they worked well during their somewhat short life on my GT. | | Weaknesses: | They wore out. | | Similar Products Used: | Stock XT plastic pulleys. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 GT Avalanche with not much original equipment left on it. | | Bottom Line: | I replaced these pulleys during a bike overhaul to add a little extra bling to the bike. I noticed that they worked a little bit better than the stock pulleys when I shifted, which was a pleasant surprise. 1500 muddy miles later, the plastic around the middle sleeve bearing was pert-near disintegrated, and I replaced them with my original pulleys once again. I would think they would have lasted longer... | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Pasadena, Tx
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$18.00 | | Purchased At: | bike shop | | Strengths: | Looks sharp and is smooth; alloy not plastic | | Weaknesses: | Haven't found any yet. | | Similar Products Used: | stock shimano pulleys (plastic of course) | | Bike Setup: | stock '99 Schwinn Peloton | | Bottom Line: | First off yeah I am a roadie not a ATB guy. I bought the Carmichaels to replace the stock sealed jobs in a Dura Ace deraill. I did it partially for looks (haven't seen any plastic ones in anodized blue) and because I have seen the plastic ones get chewed up. I have had mine for at least a year (closer to 2 I think),logged around 3 thousand miles on them no problems at all. I haven't had any shift problems with the Carmichaels and they seem better than the stock ones by far. As far as loctite on the screws when you replace them, never got around to it and never had problems. I guess it depends on the person doing it and the amount of abuse you dish out (potholes, railroad tracks and bad roads in general - no probs here). Shimano uses blue loctite when they build the deraills, so I could see where it would be re-applied. Before anyone says 'roadie, figures' I have a couple of die-hard ATB guys using them and have yet to hear any complaints from them. If they had problems, I would be the first to catch flack because I (1) suggested them (2) work at a bike shop & sold them the pulleys in the first place. The pulleys are a must for anybody wanting a decent upgrade (especially if your stock pulleys aren't sealed) and doesn't want to shell out the bucks for a high end deraill or somebody just wanting to accent the bike beyond the QR skewers. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Racer
from Ottawa, ON Canada
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Nashbar | | Strengths: | Don't appear to be toxic | | Weaknesses: | Design, quality, instructions, support | | Similar Products Used: | Control Tech | | Bike Setup: | Kona Jake the Snake
stock except for seat, brake pads, tires and brake boosters | | Bottom Line: | I wish I had come across this forum before I bought these things. Even though they are marketed as Shimano replacments there is definetly none of the float that, depending on your view, is either required or desirable for the upper pulley to work correctly. When I discovered how little float the design seemed to offer I contacted the manufacturer via the support email listed on the package to see if there was a fix or if I was missing something. Having heard nothing in a week, I even thought about jerry rigging them for more float. Then I discovered that the bearings on one of the pulleys was binding and this was right out of the package.
I'm returning them. This forum has convinced me that as counter-intuitive as it may seem, the stock pulleys seem to be the way to go. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shawn
a Weekend Warrior
from Ellicott City
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Widow Maker | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Purchased At: | Did not purchase | | Strengths: | ••••••••••••••••
If Carmichael is reading this I got to say something to you. I don't see too many strengths here. See below. | | Weaknesses: | I have not bought them yet but thanks to review websites like this I saved myself a grande on Garbage Forks from Hanebrink. I also now saved money on your gears. Read on. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Stock XT derailer with plastic pulleys | | Bike Setup: | Trek VRX 300 full suspension, Manitou 125mm Dual Crown Xvert fork, Cane Creek Cloud Nine, set up for X-country/downhill. Modified. | | Bottom Line: | I hear a lot of complaints and I keep getting the same complaint. I have sealed bearings in my front Rolfe Rims. I have pulled them out, used a pin at the center to pry out the rubber seal, gasolined them to clean them and re-greased them with automotive grease. My bearings work fine and pashaw to all you people cringing when I told you about the auto grease. I also use MOTORCYCLE Chain lube, yes WET lube to the guy out there that plugged white lighting wax, give me a break! Metal needs grease and lube. GET IT!? Secondly when you wash your bike after every weekend ride, BUY a SRAM CHAIN with the power link (SO YOU CAN TAKE IT OFF SHERLOCK!) and clean your chain once each week WET chain lube is fine. What do you think the PRO motorcross circuit is using, White Lightning? Give me a break. And they are kicking up more mud than your pedalling will. Wet lube is fine. SO LISTEN UP Carmichael, I hear bad news on the same thing. EVERYONE says LOCTIGHT. If the quality of workmanship and performance on your product relies on someone using Loctite then you need to re-evaluate your product and make changes to fix the problem.
FIRST, you need to address the loctite issue, You need to design a bearing that does not lock up under tightening. HELL, make it heavier, no one cares over a few grams on the mountain bike trail. TWO, make them work on the upper pulley. I hear nothing but complaints about the upper one locking up. THEREFORE homer, Shawn ain't going to be buying anytime soon. I was looking at the Titanium set and then heard the horror stories of it being a mud catcher and I do believe the story of you patenting them as a mud reducer, but eitherway, if there is a mud collecting problem with the holes, make a titanium set WITHOUT the holes.
LASTLY, let people send back their old ones for new ones if you can do it. OR let them send them back with a few bucks, COST to upgrade to the new improved model.
You need to fix the upper pulley sticking and the loctite issue, MAKE IT WORK the FIRST TIME!
In this case, I will not be buying then on account of all the bad pub here. I do know that in HANEBRINKS case here on MTBR, it is OBVIOUS that the company that is being panned sends it's own employees into this forum to counter a lot of the bad publicity but if you have any brain you can figure who is working for the company and putting in a bogus review to help the company out. So cut that bull out and fix your product rather than act like the US goverment that decides to save your their ass and their reputation first before fixing the situation. Admit a problem, FIX it and move on. It's called Product research. Why do you think DUNLOP gives free tires to AMA racers? To test in real conditions and to get feedback , WELL... look below, and check your feedback, it ain't too good is it!? So get the windage and do right by the product and the people. If you are AMERICAN, stand up and make a good product without flaws, fix them and stand by the AMERICAN BUYER!
I upgraded to a Cloud Nine Shock from Cane Creek as I had TWO AD-5's blow up on me on the trail. Cane Creek said, "Send it back, we'll give you a new one." After the second I told them I had no faith in the shock, they informed me that it was maybe a nylon part inside that broke each time. The newer Cloud Nine Shock had metal according to them. I did not have to threaten, they offered me a new shock or my money back but the guy said he was more worried over my loss of confidence in their product. He offered me the chance to try out the Cloud Nine shock for no extra charge just to try and make me happy. NEEDLESS to say, I am very happy Cane Creek stood by me, the customer, WAY out of warranty. Not to mention eventually a blown shock in mid-air could have turned into a serious injury. They did right by me, I got a new shock that was a better shock and cost more but they gave it to me for nothing.
STAND BY YOUR FELLOW AMERICANS. Instead of denying theres a problem with it, fix it and move one. Help those who have already bought to send them back and send them the newer improved design or allow them to upgrade for cost if they send the old ones back.
As to me, I am not buying them untill I hear they are fixed and working flawlessly, with NO LOCTITE!
Capice?
For the 20 bucks, I am not being a sucker. Fix them, make them better and allow them to be tightend with a screw without loctite.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike S
a Cross Country Rider
from Huntington, WV
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | currently Lake Vesuvius | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance retail store | | Strengths: | Silky smooth shifting, good looks. Good customer support. | | Weaknesses: | pully bearings freeze up when used in mud. is it just mine? | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano stock pullies | | Bike Setup: | Fisher 2001 Paragon, basically stock. | | Bottom Line: | These were a large improvement over the stock Shimano pullies on my XT derailleur. The shifting is smoother. I had no problems with the float described by other reviewers. After a phone call to the company, and the advice of people on this board, I learned that these pullies don't actually need to "float". My one gripe is that I've had 2 bottom pullies freeze up (and become useless) after rides in moderately muddy conditions. I'm not sure what I've done to cause this. Luckily the company has great customer support and sent me 2 new pullies at no charge. I haven't heard of anybody else having their bearings freeze up, so I'll assume it's problem that was my fault. Still though, buyer beware. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from San Clemente,CA
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$22.00 | | Strengths: | Bolted right in place of the old pulleys. No hassel at all. Shift are faster and more positive than ever. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Bombproof and they exploded, literally. | | Bike Setup: | Moutain Cycle Moho XT group | | Bottom Line: | Should have bought these a long time ago. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, CA
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Strengths: | lower friction than any bushing-based pulley I've used | | Weaknesses: | umm... anodizing wears off fast? | | Similar Products Used: | stock derailleur pulleys for STX and LX derailleurs | | Bike Setup: | Titus Racer-X, '00 XT 9-speed derailleur, XTR 12-32 8-speed cassette, SRAM PC-68 chain | | Bottom Line: | I really like these pulleys. Admittedly I haven't tried the Control Techs, but I find these far superior to anything from Shimano I've tried. I feel like I can run at least one, if not two teeth higher because of the lower friction. I had absolutely no problems with the setup, even though I was putting 8-speed (10-tooth) pulleys on a 9-speed derailleur. Everything has been buttery smooth and I expect it to stay that way. When the anodizing wears off the teeth, I'll give them a closer inspection to check for signs of wear or binding, but I've never had a problem and this is my third pair on as many bikes.
Maybe it helps that I don't ride in mud or sand? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Red
a
from Helena, MT
Date Reviewed: January 16, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Inexpensive and easy to find on sale | | Weaknesses: | Need futzing to set up properly
Not as strong as the solid Control Tech pulley
Hard to justify when there are competitive brands out there that work better
| | Bottom Line: | This review relates to eight-speed 1997 (old style) XT derailleurs, I have no experience with the bulkier newer models. I have thousands of miles on the old ones & so have felt no need to buy new.
If you are interested in sealed bearing pulleys the Control Tech versions work much better. I replaced some wornout XT pulleys with Control Techs after a set of Carmichaels proved impossible to adjust, then the upper pulley broke in two. The solid Control Techs have worked extremely well after a short period of wearing in their teeth to the chain. I would say that performance is better than brand new XT, comparing it to a 1998 XT I got on clearance.
One word on the older (1997) XTR derailleur. I don't know if Control Techs are any better than 8-speed XTR pulleys, these XTR pulleys do seem to work better than standard XT (one of the very few real differences IMHO). But the Control Techs work AS WELL, and I find my upgraded Control Tech-equipped XT eight speed now shifts as well as the much more expensive 1997 XTR. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Berkeley, CA
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Strengths: | lower friction, easy to install, good shifting | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | stock Shimano pulleys, 6, 7, and 9-speed | | Bike Setup: | '94 Performance M304 (commuter, 5 years on one pair of pulleys), '99 Airborne Lucky Strike (superlight XC, 1 year of use on pulleys) | | Bottom Line: | I love these pulleys. I noticed a significant decrease in friction when I switched out the stock Shimano bushing pulleys for these sealed bearing ones. The ones on my Performance use an older set of spacers, such that there is _no_ floating pulley. It works great.
I bought the pulleys for my Airborne ('99 LX rear derailleur) which have a floating pulley setup, but didn't follow the directions correctly the first time and set up one thin and one fat spacer on each pulley with no shifting problems. I then figured out my blunder, set it up with a floating top pulley, and have not noticed a difference in shifting. I also have not had any problems with the different bolts rubbing my spokes.
I'm running an XT 11-32 rear cassette, so using the 10-tooth pulleys hasn't been a problem for me. The 11-tooth pulleys were brought out in order to allow more chain wrap when using the extreme spacing of an 11-34 or 12-34 cassette. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Worth, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Northshore on Grapevine Lake | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Looks, reduced friction in drivetrain | | Weaknesses: | that float bushing - poor design | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT stock | | Bike Setup: | GT teamRTS, XT Hollowtech, XT, Hayes discs, Panaracer | | Bottom Line: | $20 from Nashbar. Cheaper than the stock ones from my local shop, Bike's Inc. I ran my stock XT pulleys for 4 years. They were badly worn & something had to be done.
I'm already trying to find the Bebops if that tells u anything. I had the same problem as many other posters with the float on these. First off - u shouldn't use ANY torque on the guide pulley screw - just snug it up, & count on the locktite - the instructions need to scream this & they don't. Once you've applied just a hair of torque - you've lost float - its just a bad design. I was able to fix this by running an exact-fit drill bit trough the bushings to regain near-perfect roundness; then I used the bit on a drill & some duck tape to spin the bushings and ran over them with a narrow strip of 400 grit sandpaper to resmooth them; then I reflattened the bottom of each bushing / cylinder on the same grit. This got me back & now I have float using the correct no torque / locktite procedure. I have only tested then around the block - very nice and smooth shifting with a hair's less friction. I'll repost after some trail abuse to see how they hold up. Three flamers coz the actual pulleys seem solid, quite and feel & shift very nice after going through all that abouse trying to get the float right. As bad as that is - it brings up the average up a bit from here. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ralph Jordan
a Cross Country Rider
from Norris, TN (USA)
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Norris Watershed | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Very Easy to install, once I figured out that instructions were not for the nine speed (11 tooth) model. Very quiet and shifting is quite smooth | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | Only Shimano OE | | Bike Setup: | Bontrager Privateer "S". XT rear derail and LX front. | | Bottom Line: | Purchased through Nashbar fro around $20. Installation went very smoothly, once I figured out that instruction sheet was actually for the 7-8 speed (10 tooth) model. A call to Carmichael helped in this regard. Their representative was extremely helpful in explaining that instruction sheet was wrong. Thereafter everything went smooth as silk. Pulleys work really well with minimal noise and very smooth, and reliable shifting. No problems with this product and they do look cool on the bike. The reason for the 4's is because they are not worth $20 and they should have better quality control to ensure that correct instructions are included with their product. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
smokey strodtman
a Weekend Warrior
from gilliam, MO usa
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | too many to list | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | smoother shifts. quieter than stock cogs. appearance. | | Weaknesses: | tricky to install, must use correct shims, hold several parts in place, and avoid over-tightening. price. | | Similar Products Used: | stock cogs on sram 5.0 rear derailleur. | | Bike Setup: | fisher marlin, moxey seatpost, oury grips, azonic barends, michelin wildgripper sprints, and lots of tlc. | | Bottom Line: | two points for everyone who has had problems with this product; shim them according to instructions and DON'T OVER-TORQUE when tightening down. use loctite on the bolt threads. if your bearings are not working, you have probably over-tightened the bolts. you may have to re-adjust the screw that sets the angle of the derailleur body, mine were one tooth larger than the stock cogs. with a well-lubed chain, this should give you quick, quiet shifts. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
j marc
a Cross Country Rider
from Middle Park, CO
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Cool appearance | | Weaknesses: | Cost over twice as much as stock Shimano, didn't hold up half as well. Bought them to be long-lasting/low maint., they seem to be the opposite. | | Similar Products Used: | Stock shimano | | Bike Setup: | 12 yr old "rigid" ritchey ultra | | Bottom Line: | My stock pulleys wore out and I saw these and thought they looked like they would last forever, without having to mess around with them very often. They worked great for 1 1/2 yrs. or so (meaning I did have them installed correctly)then I got into a little mud & water & the top one just quit. "Sealed" bearings allowed in some water & grit & ground themselves to death. Other reviews here say they need to be cleaned & lubed a lot, but come on, the stock Shimanos are bomb proof, quiet, and long-lasting with just some lube and an occasional cleaning, for | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Larry
a Weekend Warrior
from NYC, PA
Date Reviewed: April 29, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Bottom Line: | Recently installed on a 1999 XT
Findings:This is a 10 tooth pulley; Shimano OE is now 11 tooth
Installation of pulleys with bushings widens the distance between the cage plates from the stock setup. Additionally, now that Shimano has set up the upper pulley bolt with the head on the inside pulley cage, and because the Carmichael bolts (which are longer than OE to accomodate the increased cage width) have heads which are not beveled on the thread side (unlike OE, whose heads are essentially flush with the cage; countersunk, in other words). The combination of increased cage width and the protruberance of the upper pulley bolt head requires a very precise adjustment of the limit screw to prevent the bolt head from hitting the spokes.
Both upper and lower bushings have inside diameters which are noticeably larger than the outside diameter of the pulley bolts. Because of this slop around the bolt, the upper left and right bushings have a tendency to line up eccentrically, that is not parallel to the bolt, and not parallel with respect to their outside diameters. This results in a ridge or shoulder where the two bushings meet; this is probably why the upper pulley does not float as well as it should (it catches on the ridge).
I hope this verbal description makes sense; one simple drawing would make this condition very clear.
I cannot speak to the durability of the bearings or of the entire assembly for that matter, as it hasn't been used for any significant length of time.
In a recent phone conversation with Carmichael, they said that they would have an 11 tooth pulley around Aug. 1999, and would have a mounting system that would presumably solve all the above problems. I didn't understand their verbal phone description of this system for the same reasons you probably don't understand what I've just written (visuals are much better). The pulleys themselves impress me as being well crafted. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
>_<
a Weekend Warrior
from SD
Date Reviewed: April 22, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Desk | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
They work, they have holes where the most of the gunk goes, very easy to install if you can follow simple instructions, several colors available to match your bike's color scheme. | | Weaknesses: |
Pricey, anodized is out of style :-) | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano XT ceramic pulleys | | Bike Setup: |
Stumpjumper | | Bottom Line: | Slapped these on a long long time ago. I clean my bike regularly on weekends, so I clean these too. I stick Q Tips in the holes to push out the gunk that White Lightning gets off the chain. It floats too, if you follow the installation procedure. Never had a problem with it. One of the parts of a bike that just does it's job day in and day out, on the trail or on the road, in the dry or in the mud. I even forget that I have it at times coz it just works. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tommyboy
a cross-country rider
from Boulder
Date Reviewed: November 19, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had a set of these on my hardtail for almost four years, 1500 miles, without any noises or problems. I have found they don't get gummed up and disfunctional like other pulleys. Make sure you set them up properly. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bad Brad
a racer
from wi
Date Reviewed: November 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
After reading most of the reviews it became apparent that most of the bad reviews were based on poorly installed and/or improperly installed product. I myself found that these idlers work fine, combined with proper chain lubrication and cleaning, were fairly quiet compared to o.e.m. parts. Not trying to plug any products, lubricants such as White-lightning are the best for most riding done by the average person. Again a caution for those trying to decide if this product has any short-comings, most may be user installed. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a weekend warrior
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: November 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I can't believe all of these negative reviews. If you set them up properly there is definitely sufficient float. There may not be an increase in shifting efficiency but there's no decrease either. They do make a different sound than Shimano's but it's not a bad sound.
Where these excell is in their smoothness. I really felt like it got easier to pedal...maybe I'm just blowing smoke out my butt though. I think that Shimanos tend to get very unless they're perfectly clean and lubed.
Well in my opinion, these are better than the stock pulleys on an XT. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stacey
a cross-country rider
from San Antonio
Date Reviewed: October 13, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have been riding these for about 3-4 years. Admittedly, I purchased them for their handsome looks and assumed they would give me more accurate shifting to boot but only the former is true. I made a compromise and put the primary pulley back on to get my float back and left the Carmichael jockey pulley on for its looks. All in all, an expensive pair of ornaments. 2 for looks. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
john
a cross-country rider
from TN
Date Reviewed: October 8, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I got set for around 20 dollers and I love them. I put them on because my old ones where get dirty and getting chewed up. They don't make any nosie (If yours make noise They Most Be Put On WRONG!) They don't help with shifting but are smoother and easier to pedal. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CHARLIE
a weekend warrior
from mo
Date Reviewed: August 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I could not believe what junk these were cnc, yea right a lie if ever there was one. The pully was out of round and very noisy, when the company was called all they ever had on qwas a answering machine, what JUNK this is I will just replace with shimano. By the way I got the supposed top end of the pully the extreme condition ones all they are is extreme junk! Stick with shimano the know what is right for their stuff. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a cross-country rider
from Ann Arbor, MI
Date Reviewed: August 13, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have been riding my these pulleys for about two years. They are great very quiet and smooth! I had to degrease and re-grease them a week ago, and it was a snap. I just popped of the rubber cover and cleaned them. It took 5 minutes. These are great pulleys. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jhune Reyes
a racer
from Guam USA
Date Reviewed: July 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The float is available if you read the two steps instructions in the package. Use both thinner bushing on top pulleys and you'll have a float top pulleys. The overall performance is equal than stock shimano. The looks is great. If I will buy it again, I will buy it for the looks. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert
a racer
from Greenwich, CT
Date Reviewed: May 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These things are truly horrid, at least on road bikes. For some silly reason I replaced an old and beat-up set of Campy pulleys with these. Um, _bad_ idea. The top one ain't floatin', girl, and unless you get the RD dialed within .001 of perfection, you will not be shifting when you want to and/or you'll be shifting at the least desirable moment. Verdict: product sucks, it is a significant downgrade. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
walker
a weekend warrior
from raleigh, NC
Date Reviewed: May 13, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought a set of these back in 1995 at the Chapel Hill Performance Bike Shop(this was for my 1994 trek 970). They are on Shimano XTs. 8 gear sprockets. No problems like everyone else seems to be having.... there was no mention of float in the instructions, but I quickly found out what happens if you overtighten them! When set correctly, I noticed an improvement in shifting, and in the smoothness of the pedalling cadence. I lubricate them every other ride with a medium weight chain oil. Great product. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
C. OToole
a weekend warrior
from San Diego,CA
Date Reviewed: May 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Have used sealed bearing pullies for about 20 years and have found
zero problems with any brand when they are installed and used as
intended. Carmichael pulleys work as well as any others. Don't have
much use for a floating top pulley so that function is disabled by
using the bushings from an old set and properly spacing the pulley
cage for the width of whatever chain I'm using. People complain about
water intrusion, but one has to remember that nothing is truly water-
proof. If you ride in the wet you have to sevice the pulleys or buy
new ones when they glop up--it's that simple. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stephen Eddy
a weekend warrior
from Gaithersburg, Md.
Date Reviewed: March 19, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had them for about 2 years, haven't had any problems yet they did improve shifting some. I got them at a kiler price $11.00 close out this was my reason for buying, can't get top to float so I do agree on that. They are easier to cleen than most and have been virtually silent and smooth for me. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
j wallace
a cross-country rider
from state college pa
Date Reviewed: February 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I rode these for two years in a 1992 XT der. I didn't notice any improvement or
problems, but when a nasty stick took my rear der. off my bike, I played around with then, and noticed that the bearings were pretty much shot. The bushings are
undersized, so the pulley spins on them, not the sealed carts. Friction, anyone?
Just leave well enough alone and use the stockers. They all look the same when they're dirty, anyway. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg Taylor
a cross-country rider
from Alexandria, VA
Date Reviewed: February 2, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Overall, these things are pretty useless. Granted, they look nice, but the floating top pulley doesn't work significantly better than the stock Shimano pulley that it replaced, and it is much harder to set up. The problem is the thin aluminum bushing used on top -- the bearing surface is too soft for the pulley to slide freely -- it sticks and the bearing becomes galled. Moreover, the bushing is too thin as it will bulge if any torque is used in tighening down the screws that hold the derailleur cage together. The Shimano pullys are virtually idiot proof...and much cheaper. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BobC
a weekend warrior
from RI
Date Reviewed: January 23, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Save your money. After a year, I find my drive train noisy. Cleaned
and relubed the pulleys to find they don't spin that well. Float on
upper pulley didn't see to be there so I had to keep adjusting the
deraileur to get it right after the overhaul. The holes cog up
pretty fast. If you leave it cloged up with WL, then it kinda quiets down a bit. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
micah
a cross-country rider
from pgh
Date Reviewed: December 26, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Here's the skinny on the Carmichael pulleys. You have to adjust the rear derailleur so perfectly for these things to work. They don't float at all. The purpose of the Shimano pulleys is to float so that you don't have to spend forever setting up your shifting. Crap, they're crap! mhh | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a cross-country rider
from CA
Date Reviewed: December 24, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
These things sure look awesome when your derailuer is off the bike and clean of all lubes, dirt, etc... However, they don't perform worth a damn! Everyone told me to stay with Shimano, but no! I had to go off on my red anodized patrts binge and replace stuff that didn't neet to be replaced!!! The only problem with the Carmichael pulleys as far as I can tell is that the top one has no float at all. I don't care what the directions say, it just wont float. I have tried everything I can think of to help it, but I think I will be on my way to pick up some shimano goodies later this week. The do look good though. Too bad they don't work like Shimano. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben
a cross-country rider
from Boulder
Date Reviewed: December 7, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought an XTR derailleur and promptly destroyed the lower pulley. I replaced it with a Carmichael. The pulleys have been working great for the 5 months I have owned them, and they look cool. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric Greene
a cross-country rider
from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 7, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
New update, they are now in the garbage. The so called sealed bearings rusted and stopped rolling altogether. I went back to the good old Shimano ones that I had taken off. They did not rust because of poor care either, they just plain suck. Too bad that I even have to give this crap product 1 star, because it should not even get that. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
you are all fools!!!
a racer
from usa
Date Reviewed: November 30, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Everybody knows that aftermarket pullys do absolutely nothing -but look cool!You all deserve what you get. They are loud and useless. A properly set (LX no less!) deraileur along with it's cheesy plastic pullys have worked fine for two years! never missed a shift. Tip: clean the damn thing every million years or so, stop using oil / wet lube on the chain. use wax / white lightning instead. also never grease the pullys inside. light oil is best even the ceramic one. Never blast a bike with a hose you foul it up. if the stock plastic ones mangle up replace with ??????? stock plastic ones 8 bucks!- they can be replaced several times over. use blue locktite on the bolts -never overtighten them. that's all the free advice for now ---happy riding and even happier (although foolish) spending!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a weekend warrior
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: November 25, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
One chilli for good looks, but not much more. Mine have absolutely no float. To be fair, I didn't know about how overtightening the bolts would contribute to their current state of no-floatness. I can't recall the installation instructions saying anything about the dire consequences of overtightening, though. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a weekend warrior
from Bowie, MD
Date Reviewed: November 23, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
These pulleys are a definite improvement over the stock plastic pulleys.... Some people have problems with the top pulley not floating- Just remember to use lock-tite and lightly tighten the bolt!! If you over tighten, the top pulley will never float. Since installing on my derailleur (along with a Avid Rollamajig) my shifting is virtually silent and lightening fast. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Hanny
a cross-country rider
from Pittsburgh, PA
Date Reviewed: November 11, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Thought 'Hey, these are a sealed bearing design so they must be better in the long run and bought a used set for cheap. One of them seized within 2 weeks, used to roll fine (not from overtightening either). Bike shop showed me how to take it apart and grease it. It stayed seized one week later. Bought a new set (I'm a double sucker) and the one I put in as a replacement started rolling poorly, kind of catchy, within two rides.
Though I am from far an expert on these pulleys, I bought 'Shift Biscuits' for a different bike and am pleased with them so far. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Uncle
a cross-country rider
from Durango
Date Reviewed: August 4, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
The disappearing float problem others mention results from overtightening, which squashes the cylinder they float on. Most of the aftermarket pulleys are like that. So go ez and use loctite to hold the bolts in. What DOES SUCK about Carmicheal pulleys has to do with the guy's attack of all other pulley makers in the bike industry. Like everyone else, he originally drilled holes in his to save weight. Then, later, it occurred to him to patent the holes as mud-clearing devices. Well, he got the patent and strongarmed everyone else in the industry, which is why no other aftermarket pulleys have holes. True story. And besides, the holes pack up with mud, not clear it out, at least the kind of mud we have 'round here. Screw you Carmicheal, the industry doesn't need your kind of divisiveness, it's too small and struggling as it is. Zero chili peppers for you, dude. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
M.R.
a cross-country rider
from Portland, Oregon USA
Date Reviewed: July 31, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I Come Here To Warn You.....These Pulleys EAT SHIT!, They Have NO Float
The Aluminum Bushings Which Simulate Float, Will Seize Within 3-5 Rides
And The Bearings Rust\Seize Up In The Same Amount Of Time.....1 Star
(And Thats Too Much) Note : If You Must Buy These, Look Over To BeBop
Metal Matrix Disk Jockeys Which Have True Float While Using Sealed Bearings.
(I Switched To BeBops After These Died And So Far I've Had No Problems) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Duane
a cross-country rider
from Boulder
Date Reviewed: July 9, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
If you have to buy after market pulleys, don't buy these or any others without float in the upper pulley. I had the Bullseyes (Carmichaels are the same) and was always playing with the adjustment on the rear derailluer to try and keep the shifting up to snuff. Got tired and frustrated and went back to the old Shimanos. I recently got the Bebop pulleys and can agree with another reviewer about how great they work (check them out on their web site). Control Techs should work fine too since they license the design from Bebop. I have also tried Hersey pulleys and they work very well too. All three designs have float, which you must have if you want great shifting. Oh, by the way, the latest issue of Mt. Bike Action pretty much came to the same conclusion in their pulley test. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Cim
a cross-country rider
from Rochester, New York
Date Reviewed: July 8, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
It looks like I'm in with the minority here. I think these work great. They are very easy to install and I've had no problems with them. They are also easier to degunk than the original Shimano pulleys, and they seem to resist getting packed with crud as easily. Oh yeah, my shifts are now a little crisper, too. Cool by me. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim Kalina
a cross-country rider
from Chicago
Date Reviewed: July 7, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
NO FLOAT! Without float in the upper pulley, shifting really suffers. I think these were designed when Shimano's patent on the floating pulley was still in force. I've switched to Be-Bop metal matrix pulleys, which are far superior. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gilles Blackburn
a cross-country rider
from Chicoutimi, Qc, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 7, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
This product did not work for me for two reasons. First, the bearing was not doing its job because it was rolling around the inner shaft of the derailleur. Secondly, it was impossible to have the g-pulley floating and I am not surprised when you look at the design. The thing is supposed to float on a transversally split shaft: no good! I had to reinstalled the old ones. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Karnes
a racer
from Powell, Tn
Date Reviewed: June 30, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
This product is really a waste of money. I noticed no performance difference, and one pulley wore beyond repair very quickly. What was the engineer thinking when they added the holes in the pulleys?. You may save .38 grams when the bike is clean, but the stupid holes fill up with crud as soon as the trail turns nasty.
Stick with your original equipment; take the money and go see a movie. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric Greene
a weekend warrior
from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 25, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
These things work well but are not a realy needed, sure they come in alot of funky colours and are light but they are realy loud. I personly have had no problems with them. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Warren Tanaka
a weekend warrior
from Fort Collins, CO
Date Reviewed: March 25, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Great design, but since I upgraded from Shimano 105 to Dura-Ace, the pulleys do not seem to fit. Can you help me with this dilemma?On the 105's the pulleys are much smoother and shifting seems crisper than with the stock pulleys. They are easier to clean too. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Knickerbockerq
a cross-country rider
from San Jose, CA
Date Reviewed: March 20, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Even after using lock-tight on my derailer pulleys , and noticing my top pulley didn't really float, I still tried them at Wilder Park. In the beginning my shifting was not impaired, but when my top pulley jammed I stripped my pulley bolt right out. After finding the pieces it was apparent what the problem. Their 'bushing' system or whatever sucks, and their pulleys do not have true float. Now I only run their bottum pulley and use the original Shimano in the top. As for the holes clogging, I have not had that problem yet. My old Shift Biscuits worked for 1 1/2 years (just got too small), my only complaint is that to much muck (technical term) got stuck on them. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jeff
a cross-country rider
from Mich.
Date Reviewed: March 11, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
After reading Electric Snarks well written review I took a look at my pulleys and damned if the lower wasn't rusted inside. I hadn't even gotten it that wet! It hung up slightly when turning as if it had click stops. On top of that the g-pulley had indeed stopped sliding - probably due to bluging in the bushings from tightening the bolt. The thing is, it still shifts better than it did before installing the l.a.r.k. kit, maybe due to the stronger spring.
If anyone already has some of these and they aren't ruined yet I'd recommend popping off the plastic seal covering the bearings (you have to pry them off) and applying more waterproof grease, then when re-assembling use something like locktite on the bolts and DONT OVERTIGHTEN - I mean at all, any more than snug seems to crush those bushings.
I hope someone from Carmichael reads this and does something to improve these problems (if they haven't already). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
The Electric Snark
a cross-country rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: February 13, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
The basic idea for these pulleys is sound - drilled pulleys to reduce weight
and bearings to fight friction. Unfortunately the implementation leaves a
little to be desired. The holes in the pulleys fill with muck very quickly, so
there goes much of the weight loss, and the muck slows them down as well. The
bearing rust after a while as they're not protected much from water. The
g-pulley stops sliding quickly as the alumium bushing warps or gets covered in
muck. I ended up taking them off and putting my old XT pulleys back on. Not
worth the money. | | Overall Rating: |
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$ 20.00
