Terracycle Bacchetta 23t Idler Kit

With the T-Cycle Bacchetta Idler Kit you can say "Goodbye!" to the days of power-robbing soft cogs. Our idler kit won't just make your bike look like the multi-thousand-dollar machine that it is, it'll make it feel like one. T-Cycle idlers help Race Across America (RAAM) racers every year power through grueling competition with rigorous durability and unparalleled efficiency. Many Bacchetta riders treat their bikes with a religious veneration that often borders on cultish devotion. If this describes you, then award your bike the idler kit it deserves. With a combination of precision machining and loving hand assembly, the power efficient all metal cog, top-of-the-line bearings and chic design, your ride will feel like a million bucks. The Bacchetta Idler Kit is simple to install, but the effects on your soul are profound.

Kit includes:

• 23t Power Idler (99mm)
• 70mm Return Idler
• 2x Single-Sided Stainless Chainkeeper
• Aluminum spacers
• Stainless nuts and bolts

From T-Cycle:

1. What's so much better about this idler than the stock one?

The stock idler is OK. It's got decent bearings and it's pretty durable. What's better about this idler is it's not spongy, and carries the chain on the bushings instead of the edges of the sideplates, so it's more efficient. The bearings are  better, and in the case of the Elites, much, much better. And then there's the bling, especially on the Elite. One piece plastic is cost effective, but no bling.

The efficiency thing is important. Every bit of squishy in your drivetrain costs you, and there's no squish here. Carrying the power side on a cog keeps the edges of the plates from rubbing in opposite directions on an  idler bed as the chain bends and then straightens again. The stock idler isn't real squishy, it's better than most, but it does squish and it does cause plate rubbing.

2. If it's so good, why don't all the racers use them?

A lot of racers do use them. John never did because he wanted to show off the bikes as they came stock, which is fine.

3. What about noise?

A toothed idler has a different noise, true. It's part of the not being squishy thing. On a Bacchetta, the main source of noise is the light contact with the idler in the smaller gears. Chain lube plays a role, too, light lubes tend to let the chain clatter. Most people find there is some more noise in some gears initially, but that it goes away and is the same or quieter overall after a few hundred miles.

4. Why no cog on the return side then?

Three reasons for that. The biggest is that when you shift the front deraileur, the amount of chain wrapped around the front changes. If an Over/under idler were cogged on both sides, the extra chain couldn't come and go from the takeup at the rear deraileur. The second reason is the side angle of the return chain. The return chain runs on the outside, to let the power side run straight. Making the return chain come in as sideways as it does to a cog would invite jumping and noise. Running it against an abrasion resistant plastic plate is better overall. Since the tension in the return side is so low, the rubbing isn't a big factor. Lastly, cost. A plain bed is less expensive than titanium or aluminum, even if it is made from really tough urethane.

5. I get the bling and the efficiency. What else is there?

The stock idler is pretty durable, but these idlers generally outlast them by several times. Oh, and they are lighter than the stock idler by a few grams.