So I was browsing the net recently looking for a new pulley wheel for my BB7 as mine had worn beyond being usable. I was amazed at how little there is about them. I contacted BalfaUK and was told that a new one would cost £40 and there was limited stock available as they no longer make them. They were very helpful but I cant bring myself to pay that much

So I improvised and found a new solution.

I have an old (not so good) chainguide made by brandX. It has two large rollers which enclose the chain, with metal jockey wheels inside. Similar sort of thing to the balfa pulley right? I figured as Im never going to use the chainguide again Id play around to see if I could get one of the rollers to work as a pulley wheel. It works a treat! And there was no real work involved- all I had to do was cut a thin rubber spacer to fit between the bolt and the inside of the chainguide roller.

I picked up this chainguide for £10, and now have 2 rollers to use as pulleys, rather than spending £40 for one. And with the metal jockey wheels it should last a long life with little wear.

If anyone wants to check out the chainguide, heres a link:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=5913

Just thought Id share this for anyone having troubles with the pulley. Cheers

...and transparent roller also looks pretty cool Thanks for the tip!

Quick update on my mod (or bodge job)

It worked... for a couple of weeks. Sadly the bearings in the new roller got tired pretty quick. Its now running rough and I have to keep playing with it every couple of runs to keep it working. I guess it was good as a temporary fix.
So Ive bought a proper pulley from BalfaUK for £35.

F.Y.I They are now putting the pulleys AND link plates back into production due to high demand!

The guys there are truly awesome and thanks to them we can keep our balfas living for years to come!