# Installing E13 32 Special chain guide... help...



## ajoc_prez (Jan 19, 2004)

I ended up going with an E13 32 Special chain guide and one of their 32 teeth chainrings. It arrived last week and my LBS is having some difficulty installing it. They are saying I need a longer bottom bracket spindle...here's the details...

Frame: 2006 Kona Cowan
Crank: Truvativ Hussefelt
Bottom Bracket: Truvativ (113MM, 68/73mm)
Guide: 32 Special w/ISCG adapter

My LBS says I need a bottom bracket with a wider spindle, specifically the 128mm (they dont' think a 118mm will be long enuf). Does this sound correct or do I have other options? I've never installed one of these guides so I'm not real familiar. Anybody run into this problem?

Thanks.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

It sounds like your LBS doesn't know what they're doing. Have them call up e13. e13 will guide them through step by step.

I know that the Kona uses a 68mm shell, I use a 73mm bb and the e-type adapter plate acts as a spacer and takes up the slack.


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## ajoc_prez (Jan 19, 2004)

XSL_WiLL said:


> It sounds like your LBS doesn't know what they're doing. Have them call up e13. e13 will guide them through step by step.
> 
> I know that the Kona uses a 68mm shell, I use a 73mm bb and the e-type adapter plate acts as a spacer and takes up the slack.


Talked to E13 about this. They said I need to use a bottom bracket with a 118mm spindle and then add a 2.5mm spacer between the ISCG adapter and the guide. Wish I would have known about this before I bought the BB with a 113mm spindle :madman: but they never mentioned it would be a problem with my frame and crank, or atleast they didn't mention I would specifically need a 118 w/spacers.

Fun stuff LOL. I will get this bike built eventually!!!


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

I still think the 113 will work fine. You may not need to space it out. Using a 128 spindle will jack up the Q-factor like crazy and mess with your chainline.


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## ajoc_prez (Jan 19, 2004)

XSL_WiLL said:


> I still think the 113 will work fine. You may not need to space it out. Using a 128 spindle will jack up the Q-factor like crazy and mess with your chainline.


Yes, E13 said the 128 will fug with the chain line. They are the ones that recommended the 118mm spindle and then the 2.5mm spacer. I went ahead and ordered the BB but I will definitely have my LBS see if there is any way they could use the 113 with some spacers.


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## ajoc_prez (Jan 19, 2004)

XSL_WiLL said:


> I still think the 113 will work fine. You may not need to space it out. Using a 128 spindle will jack up the Q-factor like crazy and mess with your chainline.


Just a followup on this. I talked to E13 again to see if there was any way to use my 113mm bottom bracket spindle and they said no. Evidently the 113 is too short and the cranks will bottom out on the guide causing a ton of binding. If you try to space it in any way it will just destroy the cranks as there wont be enough contact area between the splines on the bb and the inside of the crank. That is why the recommended going with a BB that has a 118mm spindle and then shim the ISCG guide with a 2.5 mm spacer.

It would be nice if E13 would include 1 or 2 of these spacers because I am having a helluva time finding any of them. I've been to three local shops and none have any. For $150 you would think E13 could include some spacers with the guide, after all they include the ISCG adapter so a few extra spacers couldn't cost that much.

[begin rant]
Damn, I see why so many people just buy complete bikes...building one can be a real pain. So far I've had issues with this E13 guide and also issues mounting the Hayes disc brakes to my Manitou Gold Series fork... the fork has post mounts and the Hayes brakes don't come with the correct adapters to use with an 8" rotor...so I had to order a 6" rotor.
[/end rant]

Fun fun fun... The nice thing will be that I have a somewhat custom bike instead of factory cookie cutter bike.


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## zerossix (Jul 25, 2004)

man your local shops suck. go in and ask for a 2.5mm cassette spacer, that should fit fine. i wouldnt takemy bike back to those morons if they told me i needed a bb 10mm longer then i actually did, thas a good way to hurtyourslef/ fvck up your bike.

chain guides are jsut a pain in the ass man. bikes are jsut not starting to be designed around them but many hardtails and stuff are really not designed for them still. e13 has actually done a really good job about creating a product that can work wiht nearly any frame. older mrps wouldnt fit with 80% of hardtails and it was a pain in the ass. but yeah with any chainguide yoru gunna have issues, and your probably gunna end up witha file and/or a grinder but jsut set it up good the first time and dont touch it.

i have that 32 specail guide as well and it took me a while to get it jsut right. you just gotta play with it and try it wit differnt spacers and **** for a while then you may get some rubbing still on the inner plates but just get out the file and fix that sh!t.

oh and watch out for the inner ring mounts on your crank arms, they'll more then likely hit the guide plates on the chainguide. you can either grind them down or cut off the bottom of the guide plate so they dont hit. word hope that helps


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## ajoc_prez (Jan 19, 2004)

zerossix said:


> man your local shops suck. go in and ask for a 2.5mm cassette spacer, that should fit fine. i wouldnt takemy bike back to those morons if they told me i needed a bb 10mm longer then i actually did, thas a good way to hurtyourslef/ fvck up your bike.
> 
> chain guides are jsut a pain in the ass man. bikes are jsut not starting to be designed around them but many hardtails and stuff are really not designed for them still. e13 has actually done a really good job about creating a product that can work wiht nearly any frame. older mrps wouldnt fit with 80% of hardtails and it was a pain in the ass. but yeah with any chainguide yoru gunna have issues, and your probably gunna end up witha file and/or a grinder but jsut set it up good the first time and dont touch it.
> 
> ...


Actually, this mechanic is VERY knowledgeable and has been a mechainic for like 15 years. He's just never installed one of these E13 guides before, so I'm sure there's a learning curve in play here.

You mentioned a 2.5mm cassette spacer... what is that and where does it go? E13 mentioned a 2.5mm spacer, but they said it needs to go between the ISCG adapter and the backplate.

And yes, the inner ring mounts on the crank are part of the problem. They are hitting the guide plates on the chain guide. He didn't want to grind them down in case I ever need them... but are you saying that grinding those down would probably fix my problem and I could still use the 113mm spindel?

Man, this gets confusing...


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## zerossix (Jul 25, 2004)

it might i'd have to see it before i said yeah, but you could either grind those donw or see how much of it is hitting the guide plate and then cut off that bit of guide plate if its only alittle bit. that would be what i would do and actually what i DID do. so try that, check it out and see if it'll work. its all soft plastic so you can take a sharp kinfe to it and take little bits off at atime. 

the casste spacer usually goes on the cassette but most should be about the same size as yoru bb diameter. so you can put it inbetween the iscg adaptor and the frame.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

if this mechanic has NEVER installed any type of e.thirteen chainguide, then they deserve no respect. That is one of THE most common parts out these days on bikes of all ranges and brands. I just don't know where this guy is working where he would have no experience with the product....

as for buying complete bikes, I guess it's because not many people know how to properly "build" a bike, or are intimidated by either the process, or that it involves "real work and thinking!" holy crap no, why not just hand over some cash and get what you pay for.... yeah right... I will ALWAYS build my own bikes.

also, I personally don't think you need 8" on a dj/street bike, it's overkill.

I do agree that e.thirteen could include these retrofit spacers, but don't blame it on them, blame not being able to find them on your lbs.

I also ground down the inner "granny" bolt holes on a couple of my mtb cranks and bmx crank spiders so far, only need them on my xc bikes, and it makes clearance better.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Both my e13s came with 12 or 15 spacers for between the adapter and the backplate. And 1 or 2 bb spacers.

Is the base of the crank bottoming against the backplate? or is it jsut the granny mounts?

You shouldn't have any issues with the crank bottoming on the backplate. 73mm bbs can be run in 68mm shells with a 2.5mm spacer on one side and a rubber o-ring on the other. The e-type adapter plate simply replaces the 2.5mm spacer. So I don't understand what the problem is.

My 73mm Saint dual rings are installed in a 68mm shell. No spacers between the frame and the bb cup (just the adapter plate) and no spacers between the adapter and the backplate.

I think your LBS is incompetent and that e13 is misunderstanding you.

The most you should have to do is grind off the granny mounts. Might as well see if it works. If it doesn't use the 118 spindle. But I still don't think that you'd have to.


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## d-rod (Mar 7, 2006)

are theese hussefelt cranks the single ring or the 2/3 ring model.
the single should work fine with a 113mm isis bb.
your iscg adapter used to mount the guide is giong to act as the spacer so you shouldn't need another one in there.
if you need to get rid of your granny tabs the quickest way to get rid of them is instead of grinding them just use a 1/2'' or larger drill bit and drill them down.
if your shop needs help just have them call us directly for assistance.


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## ajoc_prez (Jan 19, 2004)

d-rod said:


> are theese hussefelt cranks the single ring or the 2/3 ring model.
> the single should work fine with a 113mm isis bb.
> your iscg adapter used to mount the guide is giong to act as the spacer so you shouldn't need another one in there.
> if you need to get rid of your granny tabs the quickest way to get rid of them is instead of grinding them just use a 1/2'' or larger drill bit and drill them down.
> if your shop needs help just have them call us directly for assistance.


I have the hussefelt cranks with 2 chainring mounts. . You guys were very helpful in helping get the guide installed. I had emailed somebody there a few times and I think my LBS might have called too. :thumbsup:

The 113mm spindle didn't work out and I think the major problem was the granny tabs. My LBS didn't want to grind them down. I ended up with a BB that has a 118mm spindle and everything went on without a hitch. I didn't even end up needing a 2.5mm spacer as was suggested.


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