Finally! High quality chaintube at a decent price. Super slippery, sound deadening, very durable, abrasion and and solvent resistant chain tube. We have this tube custom made for us specifically for chain tubes. 1/2 inch ID, 5/8 inch OD. For your convenience, we sell it in 4in (10cm) increments up to 4ft (120cm) long. If desired, we can flare the ends with our special heat flaring process that thickens as well as flares.
FAQ
1. What's so different about this chaintube?
We have our chaintube specially made for us from a plastic that has exactly the properties you need; it's really slippery, it's really tough, and it's nicely quiet.
2. Is it Teflon?
No. There are several kinds of slippery plastic, Teflon is only one kind. We feel the material we use is better in several ways. Teflon actually has rather poor physical properties, and it's only made into tubing for chemical processing applications. It's always combined with other, harder plastics to make tubing. It's not made in black, and the things it's combined with to improve it's properties are hard, so actual Teflon tubing is noisy. The chaintubes tubes you see that say they are Teflon are actually something else. What else, we're not sure. It's not all the same. We tested several kinds of actual Teflon tubing and it just didn't work well.
3. How much should I get?
That depends. We recommend keeping chaintubes short and only covering the chain where it needs to be covered. If your mounts aren't in a convenient place for that, we make Floating Chaintube Mounts that can solve that 99% of the time.
4. Why flaring?
A substantial fraction of the noise of a chaintube can come from the chain bumping against the entrance of the chaintube and then bumping out of the exit end of the chaintube. Flaring reduces this noise.
ADDITIONAL INFO
- Sold in 4in (10cm) increments, so measure your bike or trike and choose the closest size. We recommend going shorter rather than longer unless you have a strong reason to go longer.
- We make Floating Chaintube Holders if you need a good way to mount them. The mount can contribute significantly to the noise and friction in a chaintube. When the chaintube is allowed to float, it makes the minimum amount of contact with the chain, keeping things smooth and quiet.
- 5/8in (15.8mm) OD with a 1/2in (12.7mm) ID.
- We flare the ends with a heat process, you can do your own flaring with a heat gun or by forming with a hot conical shape. The heat process we use thickens the end and flares it at the same time.
- If possible, it's easiest to drop the chain down through the chaintube while installing it. A piece of wire works well also.
- Take care not to twist the chain while it goes through the chaintube. This isn't an issue with tubes shorter than about 20in (50cm), it is more of a possibility with really long runs.
- Make sure the power side chain isn't being deflected by your chaintube. You want the power side chaintube to run straight and not push on the chain. On the return side, you have more leeway, but it's still best to keep things as straight as possible.
- For use on any bike or trike that needs something to cover or control the chain past certain areas, or to keep your legs clean near the chainrings.
