Here's the deal: as some of you guys know, we use tire chains here in Costa Rica and Panama to deal with the mud. At this time, I have my 4 chains, but the only way I have of tightening the chains are either using the chain tensioners or using rope to tie the chains up. The down side with the regular chain tensioner is that you have to re-tighten them every couple of miles to keep the chains tight (not a fun operation when the tires are covered in mud) and also the fact that you are getting your hands dirty at the end of the run to remove them (at which point, they tend to have become hard as nails to turn). Rope is a bit easier to take off (just pull out the knife and cut it), but also loosens up after running.
On my last trail run, i saw a guy from another club running a rubber tensioner (basically a big rubber band with some hooks). He had no problems putting them on, and seems to have run without issues as well, so I figured I would get me a set as well. But looking online, I have seen two versions:
This first one is very similar to what he had. Here's how it looks like:
This is the cheaper alternative, but I worry that when you press ORDER, it has this leyend: "RT-2 Truck/SUV Rubber Tensioners (32" tall tire and smaller), priced per pair". As you can see from my sig, I have 33" tires, but I figure I can make it work regardless...
The other option I found is
this one:
This one eems like it may pull a bit tighter in my opinion, but I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with either type...
Opinions are welcome!
Felipe
