Gamut P36T £114.99

Fitting a chain device should be easy — take off the crankset, swap the rings out, screw the guide into the ISCG tabs and pop the crankset back on. In practice though, it requires fettling to get the chainline perfectly aligned and the guide clocked round the bottom bracket to the perfect angle. The new P36T is no exception, and it took a good bit of tinkering to get it in place — including ordering longer chainring bolts, which are frustratingly not included in the box.

There is no roller on the bottom part of the guide

Once fitted, though, the P36T is proving a foolproof option for trail riding. I’ve yet to ship my chain, there have been no instances of chain suck or reverse chain suck (back pedalling and finding a length of chain comes too, jamming up the guide) and it’s totally silent. The bottom and front of the bash ring took a pounding from rock strikes during a week’s riding in Italy, but that’s just cosmetic damage.

It’s not a particularly quick guide on my bike, however, and feels a little draggy when pedalling. This is caused in part by my original gearing (2×10), which means the now single chainring isn’t perfectly in line to most of the gears on the rear mech. This version of the Gamut also has no roller on the lower part of the guide, instead letting the chain slide across an o-ring guide — this could be what’s creating the drag, but it does mean the P36T doesn’t need any maintenance and so far hasn’t shown any signs of wear. There’s also nothing to smash off when you scrape the bottom of the bike over a rock.

Mbr rating: 8

Specification:

Mounts: ISCG-05, ISCG, BB

Contact: madison.co.uk

This review first appeared in the November issue of MBR. Looking for a chain device? Read our review of the Bionicon C.Guide V.02