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Today's bicycle breakage

(30 posts)

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  1. gdm
    Member

    Rear derailleur hanger.

    Actually yesterday but the title sounds better in the present.

    I was heading back into town and just started cycling up Dundas Street when I shifted down given the (ahem) gradient, when instead of the expected clicks I was simply met with an almighty PRANG!! (If such a sound exists).

    I looked down to see my rear derailleur hanging limply from whence it had once happ'ly resided and thinking to myself: I didn't even know it could do that...

    Fortunately, I was only a few blocks away from the EBC on Rodney Street so was able to get a replacement quickly. Unfortunately, it was a fairly long walk back to Duddingston with a heavily loaded pannier and somewhat unwilling bicycle.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  2. wingpig
    Member

    "...and somewhat unwilling bicycle..."

    Last time this happened to me the unattached jockey wheel cage made its way half-way round the wheel and jammed the chain between the spokes and largest sprocket, so the bike couldn't even roll until I'd broken the chain, heaved it out from the spokes, removed the remainder of the mech and loosened the buckled driveside spokes, all but one of which had to be replaced too.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  3. kaputnik
    Moderator

    In the scheme of things, you're quite lucky you weren't going fast downhill, as the derailleurs have a habit of firing into the wheel and at best jamming and at worst snapping spokes and throwing you off the bike.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  4. gdm
    Member

    Yikes to both. So, yes, fairly lucky. Fortunately there were no cars behind me and the only witness was a rather remarkably moustachioed and tailored older gent, presumably waiting for his chauffeur to arrive.

    I always find there's something distinctly embarrassing about that moment of breakage, as if when your child suddenly falls to the floor in the supermarket isle for a full-scale tantrum.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  5. Charterhall
    Member

    I'd never heard of this happening until recently but now it seems quite common. Would I be right in thinking that the frames in question were aluminium or carbon ?

    Posted 10 years ago #
  6. AKen
    Member

    In the scheme of things, you're quite lucky you weren't going fast downhill, as the derailleurs have a habit of firing into the wheel and at best jamming and at worst snapping spokes and throwing you off the bike.

    I had this happen to me many years ago when cycling from Edinburgh to Perth. Fortunately, it didn't happen until I was literally cycling up the driveway to Perth Youth Hostel. As it was a steep driveway and I had a couple of full panniers, I was going slowly, so it was more a case of being jolted to a stop rather than thrown off. A trip to a bike shop in Perth the next morning got my wheel sorted and we were off up to the Angus glens straight after (with no further problems from the derailleur which survived rather well).

    Posted 10 years ago #
  7. custard
    Member

    @Charterhall

    well its not really going to happen on steel
    interestingly I noticed the other day I have a crack in my rear mech
    no idea how it happened. This is an X7 mech thats done little but road miles

    Posted 10 years ago #
  8. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    If EBC fixed it then it wasn't a frame break. Maybe the hanger screw came out, the hanger itself snapped or the mech caught the spokes on the downshift and pulled the hanger off the frame.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  9. gdm
    Member

    @Charterhall

    I think it's aluminium.

    @Cyclingmollie

    The actual hanger itself was snapped. Now you mention it, the hanger screw did come out a couple of years ago but I recall botching it back in to place, so there may well be a link with that!

    Apparently, according to EBC chap, the derailleur hangers used to be integrated with the frame but were prone to breaking due to the small size relative to the derailleur so they started to make them separate and easily replaceable.

    I'd be surprised if my rather unforgiving style of riding on Edinburgh's equally unforgiving roads weren't somewhat to blame too.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  10. Coxy
    Member

    The hangers were part of the frame back in the days of steel, and could be bent back in shape if it got whacked.

    With aluminium, it'll snap or be too tough to get it back in shape. So they devised the seperate (weaker) hanger, which would sacrifice itself at a much cheaper replacement cost than a new frame.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  11. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    I think separate seatpost clamps were introduced with later aluminium frames as well.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  12. Charterhall
    Member

    I once bent my steel hanger by running into a tree with it. It was in a cross race, I had the bike on my shoulder and misjudged the gap. It was an easy job to bend it back, I used the frame for about another 15 years after that.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  13. Bhachgen
    Member

    Yeah. Steel definitely rules when things like this happen.

    Happened to me a few weeks back on my alu bike. Wheel grabbed dangly bit of mech, separated it from the top half and then the chain pulled it around and into my front mech. Didn't have chain tool in seatpack so had to bend jockey cage sufficiently to remove it from chain and unscrew front mech cage to do same. Just to get the bike to allow me to wheel it to a suitable place for the Mrs to come and pick me up in the car.

    New front and rear mechs, chain, hanger, rear cable required. Oh and a rear tyre which had a bald patch where the whole thing had locked up.

    Nasty.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  14. Ed1
    Member

    On my way back from Calendar on Sunday my rear derailleur broke in to rear wheel I bent out to get home. I had a new derailleur and chain fitted today. On the way home the chain jammed in front gear big back gear big. When home I realised chain was on the wrong side of the bracket on derailleur it had some how managed to get around the bracket. I free wheeled home.

    When I put chain back on I tried bike upside down and as soon as put in back gear large front gear large it jammed again. I realise it managed to come out bracket as the full force of pedal is on the bracket.

    To me the chain seems too small why it jammed and ends up pulling out from bracket on derailleur.

    It works as long as don't use big big ratio. Then it jams. On way home did not realised jammed so pressed then went on wrong side of bracket When try on floor can see the chain has no slack length.

    Could it be the new chain that was fitted is too small, I just need a couple of chain links? I tried googling but not found a too small chain video yet.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  15. jdanielp
    Member

    My old, hybridised MTB commuter currently has an 'extra wide' gearing of a 28/38/48 crankset and an 11-34 (I think) cassette. On my first cycle after having had these components fitted I found that the chain isn't long enough for 48:34 and I am now extra careful to avoid accidentally ending up in that jamming ratio. Luckily, I had just learnt how to remove and fit a chain, and had a new tool which enabled me to fix the problem without returning to the shop, although I was mildly disappointed that they hadn't flagged that up as an issue.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  16. Ed1
    Member

    I had the derailleur and new chain fitted. My bike does have quite a wide ratio 27 speed. I am guessing the chain just came too short. I will order one online as will end up forgetting and break the derailleur. It jammed up a hill the chain bent the bracket on derailleur a little and came off its still fine but imagine if jammed too often will break.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  17. rider73
    Member

    @ed1 is your rear der. big enough for the cassette your running on the back?

    Posted 6 years ago #
  18. neddie
    Member

    Bad luck Ed1

    In other news, “Ed1 has all the breakdowns, so you don’t have to”

    Posted 6 years ago #
  19. Ed1
    Member

    The rear derailleur is Sora my bike came with Sora gears but now has decathlon cassette. Don't know if its big enough shop fitted it. I am guessing its the chain that's too short as I know they have to be sized, did not know derailleurs came in sizes not sure how I could check that. I found a video on line that shows a chain too short and its look like that. I hope its just the chain as I can fit one my self (not like a glove but well enough it runs done it before when snapped away from home)

    Posted 6 years ago #
  20. crowriver
    Member

    There are long and short cage derailleurs: for "megarange" cassettes with very big cogs you need a long cage derailleur: usually made for MTBs/touring rather than road bikes (Sora is a road groupset no?).

    If your big rear cog is larger than 28 teeth I estimate it will need an MTB rear mech just to be on the safe side.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  21. Ed1
    Member

    Yes its larger than 28, 33 I think counting. When decathlon changed the cogs the ratio is different than the original sora my bike had. I think will have to take to my local bike shop at some point as my bike spec is not orginal. I did intend to do that initially but totally broke on the way to work. It does work at the moment as long as don't use big front and big rear cog at the same time.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  22. If you put too long a chain on to get around your jamming problem, and the rear derailleur is not a large one, then your chain will end up too slack on the small cogs on the cassette. Best get a proper bike shop to sort it for you I think.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  23. rider73
    Member

    sounds like the rear der. cannot cope with the bigger cassette... i have 32 rear cassette with a SORA rear mech, but its a long cage SORA and i run 9 speed.

    if your running 9 speed (or less) you can use any rear der. long cage for 9 speed, road or mountain as the shift ratio is the same, if you using 10speed+ you have to buy a specific rear der i.e. a road one if your using drop bar road shifters or a MTB one if your using MTB shifters.

    if you still think its the chain, then if you have any spare links then just make the change longer (use those SRAM power links to add in the new links) then if you dont get a jam you know exactly how long to make any new chains.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  24. Ed1
    Member

    On the way to work chain went on to wrong side of bracket after jamming. Think deraliour may be too small it is 9 speed my bike has. It may be another free wheel home 8 mile think will use car till get fixed

    Posted 6 years ago #
  25. amir
    Member

    Yes - sounds best not to use it until sorted. Also very much avoid crossing the chain over (so don't use big cog and big sprocket).

    Two potential causes - capacity of derailleur (if you have a short cage derailleur you may need a medium or even long derailleur - the latter is more available these days for road gears due to larger cassettes being used) - length of chain. Check the first cause first - no point in lengthening the chain until you have the right derailleur. Derailleurs are pretty cheap compared to some components. Chains cheaper. If in doubt, call a friend or get a good mechanic.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  26. ejstubbs
    Member

    Good article here about cross-chaining: https://www.roadbikerider.com/latest-rbr-newsletter-2016/227-issue-no-709/2044-to-cross-chain-or-not-to-cross-chain. Couple of excerpts:

    cross-chaining on the big/big is the most common cause of a chain getting hung up and not being able to be shifted down off the big cog or chainring. The cause is usually a chain that’s been sized too short.

    The other issue you might run into when using the big/big cross-chain position is having the chain fall off the chainring when you shift from the large chainring to the small chainring. This can happen if the front derailleur isn’t perfectly adjusted. It’s more likely to kick the chain off shifting from the big/big because the chain is as far to the inside already since it’s on the largest cog. The chain is also tensioned as tightly as possible when it’s on the big-big.

    The combination of the spring tension and chain position makes it much more likely for an out-of-adjustment front derailleur to throw the chain off. The fix is dialing in the front derailleur adjustment. If you can’t do that on the ride, change your shift sequence and shift down onto a smaller rear cog before shifting from the big to small chainring – and you won’t have the chain fall off.

    Although the taboo against cross-chaining seems to be diminishing these days (SRAM, for example, seem to think it's fine), it feels like a distressing lack of mechanical sympathy to me, particularly if done deliberately and/or for an extended period.

    (A suspicious person might suggest that SRAM might not be inclined to advise people against cross-chaining if it leads to them selling more chains, chainwheels and sprockets to replace ones which have worn out quicker than they otherwise might have done.)

    Posted 6 years ago #
  27. Ed1
    Member

    Even when bike is upside down it jams in the big big ratio . Think will take bike back to Halfords and see if can fixed otherwise will end up having to push bike home again, up to 8 miles depending where it totally jams it currently . Easier to get the bus. If tomorrow still does not work correct will take on train to local bike shop in currie as its open late on Thursday.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  28. Ed1
    Member

    took it back to shop chain was just too short working again now so no bus and long walk home today.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  29. crowriver
    Member

    Glad you got it fixed!

    Posted 6 years ago #
  30. ejstubbs
    Member

    "Think will take bike back to Halfords"

    I think you might have identified the root cause of your problem right there. (Though I'm a little confused about how Decathlon apparently come in to the picture.)

    BTW: since - from your reference to 27 speeds - you have a triple chainset, cross chaining big to big is an even less of a good idea (and arguably less justifiable for short periods) than it is on a double/compact.

    Posted 6 years ago #

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