E*Thirteen TRS+ Chainguide Review

While Sram and Shimano pretty much own the cycling components industry, E*Thirteen has continued to step up their game over the last couple of years with new innovative products with race proven performance. E*Thirteen is a small, rider-owned company with a a focus on improving rider experience through thoughtfully engineered components. E*Thirteen is most known for their chainguides and chain retention systems. While remaining an industry leader in chainguides, E*Thirteen now offers a full lineup of wheels, tires, cranksets, bottom brackets, chainrings, cassettes, and dropper posts. Be sure to check out our full E*Thirteen collection. Here in this review, we are going to be riding the E*Thirteen TRS+ Chainguide, the same chainguide ridden by Neko Mulally, Aaron Gwin, and Mick Hannah!

Chainring Specifications

• Backplate Material: Aluminum 
• 2 different size direct mount drivetrain bashgaurds included
• 28-34 tooth compatible 
• Aluminum hardware included
• 119 grams (34T)
• All polycarbonate parts are solvent resistant, so they won't become brittle when exposed to chain lubes and cleaners

We offer a full collection of different E*Thirteen chainguides that can be mounted to fit your cross country bikes, enduro bikes, and downhill bikes. Both the LG1 and TRS chainguides share the same back plates with small parts that are interchangeable. 

Riding and Performance

Pros 

• The TRS+ takes a lightweight minimalistic approach to keeping the chain on the chainring. Some might say that with today's narrow wide chainrings you might not even need a chainguide, but having that extra security blanket is always nice, especially when racing. 

• With the way the top guide snaps in to place, it is quick and easy to get the chainguide out of the way without any tools when you need to pull the cranks off. 

• It is also nice that each of the pieces on all of E*Thirteen's new chainguides can all be removed individually. So if you want to take off the bashguard, you can no problem. If you have an LG1+ chainguide, you could remove the bottom roller without having to take off the bashguard. That also means that each of the small parts can be replaced individually if they are broken or damaged. 

Cons

• The backplate that comes with the TRS+ chainguide doesn't allow for a lower pulley while the TRSr guide does. Even though now a days most riders don't use the lower pulley thanks to improvements to the derailleurs chain tension, it would be nice to have the option of running a lower pulley. 

What's The Bottom Line?

There is a reason E*Thirteen is known primarily for their chainguide systems. The E*Thirteen TRS+ chainguide did its job perfectly without giving us any problems. After spacing the chainguide according to the chain line, it was pretty much good to go! With how good todays narrow wide chainrings hold on to the chain, we totally dig the minimalistic approach of the TRS+ guide. If you are looking to shave even more weight off your bike, you can always go with the TRSr carbon chainguide!