Product Review STFU Bike drivetrain damping module

Hands up anyone who has chucked a Velcro chainstay protector on their bike or even wrapped a busted tube around it to stop your chain beating your frame to pieces. It’s a damn hollow feeling finding all that paint and carbon chipped off your frame from your chain noisily slapping around but thankfully there’s some damn fine goodness from STFU Bike available to pamper your ride.
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You’ve heard of Aussie downhill icon Chris Kovarik, you’ve seen the rad videos of him totally tearing trails to pieces and dominating with World Cup downhill wins. He’s helped create the STFU Bike product so you know that it’s gonna need to handle whatever you can chuck at it. There’s an STFU Bike available to suit any ride you have. There’s a Downhill version for 7 or 10 speed drivetrains plus there’s the trail version to suit bikes running up to a 12 speed wide range cassette. I’m astounded this product hasn’t been available until now, it’s so simple to attach with a couple of robust cable ties and it is so effective. It’s a robust rubber construction with a stiffer material in the mounting area to keep it in place. The whole point of it is to contain your chain from bouncing around and to look after your drivetrain parts and frame thus prolonging the life of all of it. And it’s an absolute steal costing you under $50!
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It comes as two piece unit that needs you to mark the spot on the mounting area to cut it flush so your chain can glide through it in any gear. Test it in place before you cut it by holding it in front of your chainstay and cycling through the gears to gauge the height you’ll need to cut it at. It’s an easy cut with a hacksaw but you’ll see how solid the area is. Cut it flush, run your cable ties around the bottom slots and pull them tight. Keep an eye on the cable tie tension after a few rides just to make sure it stays put.
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I’ve had three sets on separate bikes over the last few months and love it. My bikes are quieter, there’s peace of mind that if my chain comes off that it’ll stay off my snazzy painted frame and the long term benefit of my gear being in good condition is great. The first two versions I ran were on a 12 speed endure bike and a 7 speed downhill bike. The third version went onto a new carbon frame before it had turned a wheel, was nice to fit it knowing my swingarm was going to never fist fight my chain. I’ve had it in my head that my drivetrain isn’t actually making any noise but it wasn’t until I ran the STFU Bike that I found just how noisy it actually was. It’s not anything wrong with your drivetrain, this device just improves it.
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I was keen to see the condition of the material after a few weeks of beating it up and can confidently say it won’t need replacing anytime soon but hey, at such a cheap price for such an effective product, you’d have no gripes grabbing a fresh one with a new chain every time it’s due. Some points to note are to make sure you get the right height to cut it at, keep your cable ties tight and check it’s in place each ride. It’s a brilliant addition to any bike and has no flaws, it’s one of those no-brainer fittings. You would even benefit chucking this thing on a roadie!
There’s a bunch of cool media on the stfubike.com website and you can grab your kit from Mountain Bikes Direct here in Australia. Cheers for getting us onto a really cool effective product!
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Comments

Have had one of these on the trail bike for a while now, very happy with it. Definitely does what it says on the tin, other than the freehub the bike is effectively silent. Would recommend.
 
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Thinking to get a set and just run the guide closest to the chain ring (after seeing a couple of pro riders with that setup). Also concerned the rear one won't work with my frame or end up in the spokes
 
Thinking to get a set and just run the guide closest to the chain ring (after seeing a couple of pro riders with that setup). Also concerned the rear one won't work with my frame or end up in the spokes
I only run the front guide as the rear damper was a little too tight for clearance on my bike and ended up in the spokes. I mentioned it in another thread on here.
It is a great product, even if you just run the front and this review sums it up well.
 
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Glad you are happy with yours.

I waited patiently for one of these and was disappointed to find it just could not fit onto my bike to to clearance issues with the cranks that would hit the front guide into the spokes.

Also the shape of the chainstay has a lot to matter as well; if the chainstay is too rounded on top then the guide won't sit securely and can shift or be knocked into the spokes also.

EDIT: In the end the biggest change which finally shut my chain up, was replacing the Eagle derailleur with an XT 12 speed. It is now rock solid quiet.
 
Glad you are happy with yours.

I waited patiently for one of these and was disappointed to find it just could not fit onto my bike to to clearance issues with the cranks that would hit the front guide into the spokes.

Also the shape of the chainstay has a lot to matter as well; if the chainstay is too rounded on top then the guide won't sit securely and can shift or be knocked into the spokes also.

EDIT: In the end the biggest change which finally shut my chain up, was replacing the Eagle derailleur with an XT 12 speed. It is now rock solid quiet.
New bike time so you can STFU! :D
 
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