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Bullet
Brothers Chain Tensioner
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Submitted by
Darran
a Cross Country Rider
from Cheddington, Bucks, UK
Date Reviewed: October 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything varied and interesting | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Evans - Waterloo | | Strengths: | Simple design, fairly effective. | | Weaknesses: | Rear wheel removal.
Difficult to get hold of as they're apparently not made any more. | | Bike Setup: | Klein Mantra and Cannondale F2000SL both with XTR mechs. | | Bottom Line: | Reduces but does not totally eliminate chain slap. Still need some sort of chain stay guard to get rid of noise and damage. The only chain tensioner I could find that fits the fat chain stays on my Klein Mantra. I've got one one each bike now and a spare in the tool box. No shifting problems encountered on either bike. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gearhead
a Cross-Country Rider
from CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 6, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
inexpensive
works well
comes with two springs
looks cool | | Weaknesses: |
removing the rear wheel is annoying
incorrect arm alignment can mess up shifting | | Bike Setup: |
Marin B-17
Old 80's Deore XT Crank with Engagement Pro middle ring and Mountain Tamer triple granny
'98 XTR Rear reverse-rise Derailleur
Gearing setup:
Front 17-34-Bashring
Rear 34-28-23-20-17-15-13-11 | | Bottom Line: | I do mostly XC and trials, and got this because my chain would drop off my middle chainring or pop off my cassette when I did a big bunny hop. It was the only inexpensive tensioner I could find that would work on my sans chainstay bike, and I had to hunt all over to find it. But when I first installed it, shifting was horrible! Yes, the chain stayed on, but it wasn't worth the poor shifting. Then I looked at the placement of the arm. It hung right over the smallest cog -- no wonder shifting in the bigger cogs was terrible. So I bent the arm inward until it rested around the 4th and 5th cogs. Bingo! Shifting became MUCH better, if not better than before it was installed. I use the XC spring, and it works really well, no more rear derailleur arm snapping or chain popping off when I jump. Having the two springs is nice too, for I used the heavy spring on my LX derailleur, which had very little chaintension. When I got my XTR, which has more tension itself than the LX, then the XC spring was perfect. Also, I think it looks really cool. It's a great idea -- too bad it is not made anymore. 5 stars for a great product whose only fault is the incorrect arm alignment. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Terrence
a Cross-Country Rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: April 13, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Bottom Line: | Eliminates almost all chain slap. Good. Lightweight. Nifty looking thing. Only drag is the spring. May catch mud and stuff like that.....enhances shifting. not as much as the Rollamajig will do, but if you put the Rollamajig and the Bullet Brothers chain tensioner, wheee! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason Rivers
a Weekend Warrior
from Marquette, MI
Date Reviewed: April 8, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
it's aluminum | | Weaknesses: |
Is a HUGE waste of money. If you have 20 bucks to spend on a product like this, use it more wise and buy some beer or something. | | Bottom Line: | crap. take your 20 bucks and buy a case of high - quality beer...you'll appreciate it more. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Neil
a cross-country rider
from Ambler PA
Date Reviewed: February 1, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Good for chain slap, bad for everything else. In larger cogs it would create some chain-suck starting back up a hill. Poor shifting with Attacks. Chain never did come off, though. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a
from Tampa, FL
Date Reviewed: December 21, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
THIS THING RULES!!! It does eliminate a lot of chain slap, but not all on my bike--the stay is really close to the chain. But what it does do is give quick consistent shifts over the most rocky, rutted, rooted terrain. When your bike and eyballs are getting jarred and bouncing all over the place the chain stay taunt and shifts quick and clean. Now that's what I'm talk'n abouut! Five, count'em 5 flaming dead horses! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
don
a weekend warrior
from PA
Date Reviewed: October 15, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
this thing was supposed to be the cure. and i got a great deal too! well now it sits in a box with my old xt rear derailleur. the spring would throw my shifting off when i tried to get onto the bigger cogs. not to mention it's a big pain if you have to take off your rear wheel to put it in the trunk or something. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
gOon
a downhiller
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: August 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I ride downhill once in a while but mostly Trials.I just have to say that this product is da bomb!
When i got it (a few hours ago) the shifting was really screwed up but then after using it for half an hour the shifting was like usual, the shifting isn't really more dificult on my Alivio derailler..... i had no probs fixing it on, so it rocks!It looks pretty cool too and is the only tensioner that fits on my Santa Cruz Heckler..... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kev
a downhiller
from UK
Date Reviewed: July 29, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
What's with everybody slating this?I us one on my Santa Cruz Heckler (basically cos nothing else fits with 3 rings), and it is really good. The chain does not come off in the big ring, even with the suspension moving loads.It looks good, it works well, and it costs less than 15 quid. What more can you ask for? | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Froggy
a
from G.W.North
Date Reviewed: June 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I pick one up at the local bike show in March for six bucks. I figured for the money what the hell. Previously my chain bounced around like a mexican jumping bean. After getting this thing on my chain has not slipped off a cog or ring once. The mounting clamp for the derailler was as previously said, a little bigger than it needed to be. I got it on but when I get my hands on a Dremel it will be the first project. I used the XC spring and haven't had any shifting problems.If you have a suspension bike, get some kind of tensioner the extra roughness that you will ride will require it.Hits
Cheap
Relatively easy to install, theoretically should fit any bike
Works well
No shifting problems with light spring
Quiet, that can't be said for some other tensioners.Misses
Removing the rear wheel is a complete pain in the ass
The light spring gets stretched over time
The clamp is clunky
Did I mention trying to get the rear wheel offI'd give it 5 if so many people hadn't had problems. It does have a few design flaws
I'll take two for the B.S. of having to remove the skewers each time I remove the rear. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Klymer
a cross-country rider
from Flagstaff, AZ
Date Reviewed: April 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
For the love of God this product molests collies! Does not provide enough chain tension to wipe your butt with, but just enough deraileaur tension to screw up shifting, lowers the amount of chain clearance through deraileaur pulley areas... result? if there is any gunk on your chain be prepared to pull the deraileaur taunt and then straight through your spokes bending the dropout, possibly the frame, and screwing up your spokes along with your rear hub and basically wheel... have a nice day :) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve
a weekend warrior
from Lancaster CA
Date Reviewed: March 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The thing does stop chain slap and suck. It also stops smooth shifting. The derailluer mount block didn't fit my 97 XT rear derailluer? Give me a break. I filed down the block to fit. Tried it on one ride. I think the block was sized wrong so everbody will file it down to try it, then they can't return it! Coincidencece, I think not. It comes with a cross country (light) and downhill spring (heavy). My XT derailleur and XTR shifter could not function with the downhill spring installed! The cross country worked but shifting performance bit the big one. Try the Kore instead, can't be any worse! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ryan wirth
a weekend warrior
from australia
Date Reviewed: March 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
this product definately reduces slap on your chainstays,but could use some improvements such as more spring tension and a bar that sits higher so that the spring always has some tension onit, as th bullet bros one when in lowest at the front and highest on the back does not create enough tension | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Troy
a racer
from The Burg
Date Reviewed: February 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
It is the second best thing that you could buy for your ride. I am an avid trials rider as well as a DH racer. I always had problems with chain slap from all the bouncing that my bike goes through. I bought this one day out of sure bordom and slapped it on in 21 seconds, i used the strong spring and it works great. For $25 you cant go wrong. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan
a racer
from jacksonville, Fl
Date Reviewed: December 2, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
It was cool and worked good for the first couple of months I had it. Sure It made shifting one direction harder but the other direction shifted fast using the extra spring tension. The big spring does work better than the small one. In the end i took it off and relized that the chain slap was just as bad as with it on. not to mention the fact that the spring bent the cage on my XT derailer (I wnated an XTR anyway) But it also bent my hanger. two chilies for design but nothing for performance | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ken Johnson
a
from Chi-town, IL
Date Reviewed: December 1, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
It's crap. It will indeed tension your chain, but at the expense of your shifting performance. I used the light spring on the trails and still lost my chain! The beefier DH spring works better, but makes it even harder to shift. Spend the extra and go with the Kore. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a cross-country rider
from WA
Date Reviewed: October 27, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
It worked well for a particular downhill trail that I seemed to
drop the chain regularly. For crosscountry, though, it made
my down-shifting (LX RF) harder to move the lever. I took it off. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Terry Chung
a cross-country rider
from Milwaukee
Date Reviewed: October 9, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
great little invention except it's hell getting the rear wheel off. the x-country spring in the beginning was okay except later on... it became streched... a little advice... shorten the spring out.... it'll help you alot... the downhill spring is too tight... but if you shorten the x-country spring... it'll help you a lot... works twice as nice with a lizard chainstay protector... if you think you're frame is worth it.... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brandon Wong
a cross-country rider
from San Luis Obispo, CA
Date Reviewed: July 31, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have been using this for two years and it helps reduce chain slap. I also
have a steel chain stay protector slightly raised (you can use the foam
double sided tape) wrapped in hockey tape to protect the frame.I also keep the chain at the stock length. This has worked for me though it's
extra work when it comes to removing the wheel. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ian
a racer
from Santa Barbara, CA
Date Reviewed: February 21, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
These things work, and for cheap. I would never use these for a cross-country race because it takes forever to fix a rear flat. Any other time they're great. The only problem I have is that it tweaked the quick release spring severly. I would recomend these to anyone who anything close to a serious downhill ride | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
henry stanton
a cross-country rider
from
Date Reviewed: February 15, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
The Bullet Brothers chain tensioner worked o.k. at the beginning. Soon it started screwing with the shifting on my 96 LX shifter. It kept getting caught on twigs and was constantly covered in mud. Soon the chain started slapping around again and ate a hole in my lizard skin. It sucked. I had a hard enough time trying to get it off my wheel. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter
a weekend warrior
from Marietta
Date Reviewed: January 17, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
It is a good chain tesioner. It didn't work as good on my STX der. because of the cage. But with the XTR mid cage it is the bomb no slap yet. Pain in the butt to remove your rear wheel. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bird
a cross-country rider
from MI
Date Reviewed: January 8, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
It does a good job reducing (not eliminating) chain slap on my Amp style rear suspension. The spring can catch grass and stuff sometimes (no B.F.D.). The spring stretched out and I just cut it shorter and rebent it around the hole. In order to ease rear wheel removal I cut a slot in the upper side of mine just wide enough to slip it off the skewer without having to completely unscrew the skewer and worry about losing the spring, etc. I used a dremel tool with the cutting wheel (If anyone does this be sure to wear some kind of safety glasses). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Echols
a racer
from birmingham al.
Date Reviewed: January 3, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I totally love it!!!!! It kicks all other chain tensioners ass's. It works beautifully against chain suck and chain slap. It only took me about five minutes to install it, and there is no trouble taking off the rear wheel. All you pussies out there that say it sucks.....SUCK | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael Dearman
a cross-country rider
from North Scotland
Date Reviewed: December 16, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Works well on my LTS3 with cc spring to reduce chain slap but still get chain
suck with smaller spring. Larger spring makes shifting slightly harder.
Better than most tensioners for the money | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Wilhelmy
a weekend warrior
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: November 18, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
The previous reviewer's mention of a split personality is right on:
I first got one of these for a GT LTS-3 and put it on the day I bought
the bike. The result was good shifting (with 96 STX/LX combo), no chain
slap, no chain suck with the heavy-duty spring. I got another set for an Ellsworth (with 94 LX) and the shifting was disapointing using either spring. The other problem I had was after a crash when I was back on the bike and my first shift snapped the replaceable der. hanger and the spring swung the whole assembly into my rear wheel causing immediate rear wheel lockup, bent spokes,
de-trued wheel, etc the day before a race. Definitely a freak accident but something to think about... Three stars for when it works right. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Big Rick
a weekend warrior
from Chicago, Il.
Date Reviewed: November 17, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
This tensioner is kind of strange, in that, it seems to either work well or create more problems than fix. I put one on my Trek 7000 and it really made a differance, reduced slap no suck and had absolutely zero effect on shifting, even with the bigger spring. Of course I boasted about the thing to all my riding partners who followed my advice and bought one. For most it did little, except totally mess up their shifting. I put one on my Y-33 and all it caused was problems. It appears it depends on the bike you install it on. Either way $20 is worth the gamble. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a weekend warrior
from Sin-GA-pour
Date Reviewed: November 2, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Compared to most other chain tensioner, the price of the the bullet bros is cheap. In the facet of installation, I install the chain tensioner without much trouble. It works excellently to minimise chain-slap, and some how I feel makes shifting of gears slight less responsive. The distinction in gear shifting is lessen but can be rectified after tweaking the fine adjustments at the rapidfire thinges. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Seppi Lin
a cross-country rider
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: October 31, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
It works well to prevent chain slap, but I noticed a little delay in shifting to larger cogs. Plus, changing the real wheel becomes a real pain in the ass. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
devon sulivan
a cross-country rider
from minnesota
Date Reviewed: August 5, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
i have only used this product with the smaller spring in fear that the larger one would affect my derailier. however even using the smaller spring still affected my derailiers performance.on a better note, it did do a good job of stopping chain slapping.i would not recommend spending the money on this however.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a cross-country rider
from Mississippi
Date Reviewed: July 18, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I had a problem with chainsuck during muddy rides (see 'From' above). After the
usual suspects were rounded up (i.e., checked everything over & put on a new
chain), the LBS reccomded using one of these. Problem solved. Ok, is there
a down side? Yeah: derailleur needed tweaking after installation, it's
one more thing to break or snag on a bush, and at $30 it's a little pricey.
Big deal; it solved my mud problem, so it's worthwhile. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin Revenaugh
a cross-country rider
from Santa Cruz, CA
Date Reviewed: July 4, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
The supposed fix for wimpy Shimano derailleur springs, this gadget fits
on the rear quick release and runs a spring to the derailleur cage. Yeah,
you get less chain slap, but yeah, you get more ghost shifting and missed
shifts. It's probably great for downhill, but don't bother if you ride
cross-country. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brad Chu
a weekend warrior
from Hawaii
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Well in theory this thing is great. No chain to break to install. Little
friction against the chain. It works well after I got it installed BUT
it took some work to get installed. I had to grind down the piece that
connects the spring to the rear derailleur. My rear derailleur is a
Shimano LX, NOT some exotic machined, rebuildable customer derailleur.
You'd think bullet bros would make the clip that fits AT LEAST shimano
stuff. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas Canaday
a cross-country rider
from Aurora, Co USA
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
This is a good idea with a few flaws. First of all the springs
that provide the tension on the rear derailleur are positioned
so that they can easily snag on obstacles and the you might have
to go through the headache of adjusting your deailleur so that it
shifts properly. I did like the fact that they provided two springs;
one for DH and one for cross country. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Allen
a cross-country rider
from Redmond, WA
Date Reviewed: June 4, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
As claimed by Bullet Brother, this little device worked wonderfully at eliminating chain slaps especially on downhill. As far as eliminating chain suck.....it sucked. Its only marginal when you use the beefy spring, which affected my shifting a bit at the same time. The device is not a good idea when the trails you ride are brushy. The spring tends to attract branches and leaves as happened to me on a ride couple month ago. Apparently a branch deflect the spring into my cog, causing a big miss of cog/chain/chewed up spring. Needless to say I took the thing off when I got home.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a cross-country rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: May 31, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I came across the BULLET BROS chain tensioner just recently, after several
incidents where my chain derailled into the BB during fast rocky downhills.
I thought they were just freak accidents, until I read in a magazine somewhere
that there were gadgets such as chain tensioners. Well, I went out and shopped.
Of all the chain-tensioning devices that I came across, the BULLET BROS was by
far the cheapest, and thus cost-efficient. I wasn't looking for chain devices
such as those made by KORE and MINOURA, for these had to be attached to the chain-
stay, and I didn't want to risk my derailleur cable getting snagged by the device.
This BULLET BROS chain tensioner is super-lightweight, and promises never to
interfere with shifting. Well, suffice to say that it's true, and I no longer
have to worry about my previous pesky chain problem. Now my bike sounds better
when I drop off curbs or the like, as my chain's no longer jumping around. The
only complaint I would have about the device is that the exposed spring does pick
up a bit of mud, that no way affects peformance, but makes cleaning more taxing. | | Overall Rating: |
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