Nearly all of us with enough years and miles in the saddle have similar stories to tell. I'll add - and this is something the previously mentioned Bike Farmer repeats nearly every time he mentions "dork discs" - derailleur hangers are easy to bend, and you usually don't know you've done it until you shift the chain (or worse, the derailleur) into the spokes. I'm a professional bike mechanic so this is something I see all the time, but my number one piece of advice is, first - never lay your bike on it's side. BUT, if you absolutely have to lay your bike down, NEVER lay it on the drive side. My experience is that derailleur hangers get bent three ways. Most common is a crash. Even something minor that causes the bike to be laid on the drive side is a reason to check shifting and alignment ASAP. Second is loading the bike in a car/van/truck. Again, NEVER lay it down on the drive side, (or stack anything on top of the rear derailleur area.) Third is bumping the derailleur with something. It's often another bike, and this can often happen in a bike rack when you're not looking.
Hopefully your bike returns to you good as new. And now you know (good advice for all riders) If you're experiencing anything newly "off" in your shifting, stop and check it out. This goes triple if anything sounds like it's touching your rear spokes when you shift. Derailleur hangers get bent, and spokes and derailleurs get broken when riders "push through" an overshift off the big chainring. Mike M On Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 10:04:51 AM UTC-7 Michael Morrissey wrote: > > > Hi! I'm glad you and your little one are ok. I know it's a lot more > stressful to have mechanical problems with a little passenger aboard. > > Consider it a badge of honor for you to bust a drivetrain like that. All > day on eBay there are Rivendells that are 10, 20, going on 30 years old > that have no scratches at all and appear brand new. Your bike is not one of > them, and that's a good thing. Sure, your bike looks good standing still > but it looks better in motion. > > From the picture, it looks like maybe you were in the highest (biggest) > chainring on the cranks and the lowest (biggest) gear in the back. That > might have added a little stress to the drivetrain system, but it is not > your fault and should not have been enough to have a big bust like you did. > You may want to consider ditching the front derailleur and going with a > "one-by" system for simpler shifting, which is what the majority of new > mountain bikes have. Perhaps post where you are and someone else could > recommend a good shop to help you. > > Happy trails! > > Michael > > > On Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 6:13:35 PM UTC-4 Josh C wrote: > >> What a bummer. I'm glad that you and your kid are safe. My wife rides the >> same bike and loves it. For some reason her drivetrain has been loud from >> the day we got it. No matter which bike I ride next to her, her bike is >> always way louder. I've done everything I can to adjust that bike and it's >> just a noisy derailleur/drivetrain. I don't have a hanger alignment tool, >> but may have a mechanic friend check it out, as I've been thinking it may >> be the issue. If that's not it, it may just be the cheap >> derailleur/cassette combo, aside from the wheelset it's the kind of the >> worst part of the stock build. >> >> For the record, dork discs are the worst, even though it doesn't seem >> like it'd have helped in this situation anyway. >> >> On Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 1:41:07 PM UTC-4 GirlGangRider wrote: >> >>> Thank you all for your kind words and problem solving capabilities! >>> Fortunately, my Platy is in good hands and in repair now. I hope it will be >>> ready soon so I can go for another ride and share our adventure. >>> >>> On Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 6:39:48 AM UTC-7 [email protected] >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Another RivSister checking in to share in your misery. So sorry to see >>>> this happened! Wishing you a quick repair so you can get back out there. ♥️ >>>> >>>> Diana >>>> San Francisco >>>> On Monday, October 7, 2024 at 2:38:00 PM UTC-7 Joe Bernard wrote: >>>> >>>>> I agree with all that limit screws should be properly adjusted and >>>>> dork discs are useful, but I don't think that was the problem here. It >>>>> looks to me - and sounds from your description - that your derailleur got >>>>> bounced into something, bending the derailleur hanger. Then when you got >>>>> to >>>>> the lowest gear the derailleur cage was pointed into the spokes instead >>>>> of >>>>> being straight/vertical. Not good! I'm glad you survived this mishap >>>>> without injury to you or the little one. >>>>> >>>>> Joe Bernard >>>>> >>>>> On Monday, October 7, 2024 at 8:15:26 AM UTC-7 GirlGangRider wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> My 2.75 year old toddler and I went on a short errand 3.6 miles away >>>>>> from our home. I decided to take the scenic route and enjoy the ride as >>>>>> I >>>>>> pointed and talked to my daughter along the way. We saw a very cool >>>>>> dragon >>>>>> in front of a house alongside some other Halloween decorations. When it >>>>>> was >>>>>> time to go back home, I finally checked the time to see that it was >>>>>> 10:40 >>>>>> AM. My husband was at home with our younger 12 month old daughter and he >>>>>> had an online class at 11 AM. There was no way I was going to make it in >>>>>> time for his class so I immediately messaged him and told him I would be >>>>>> a >>>>>> little late. >>>>>> >>>>>> I told my toddler, "We need to get home as soon as possible, Mama is >>>>>> going to take a different route than the way we came so we can get home >>>>>> sooner." I rode down a busier street and felt so lucky that I was >>>>>> getting >>>>>> every single green light. My daughter was cheering me on to go faster >>>>>> and >>>>>> the downhill ride made it all that more exciting. Naturally, I wanted to >>>>>> shift my gears to change my cadence. I listened to some weird sound as I >>>>>> shifted once and then twice. In hindsight, I should have immediately >>>>>> stopped trying to shift and ride in the same gear until I got home. Then >>>>>> ask my husband to check out my bike. (If you haven't read Bicycle Belle >>>>>> Ding Ding!'s posts on ticking sounds, I highly recommend it! I have now >>>>>> learned my lesson to always be cautious of sounds on my bike.) >>>>>> >>>>>> I shifted a third time and while I was crossing an intersection heard >>>>>> a very loud crack. I tried to pedal and did not feel the usual >>>>>> resistance >>>>>> on my bike. Fortunately, I did not freak out and just slowly glided to a >>>>>> stop with my brakes out of the intersection to safely disembark. I >>>>>> looked >>>>>> down and saw the chain had come off. Originally, I thought that maybe I >>>>>> could put the chain back on. I was wrong. "Mama bike broke?" said my >>>>>> daughter, "Yes, mama bike broke." I video-called my husband that instant >>>>>> and showed him my chain, derailleur and gear hub. His words were, "What >>>>>> the >>>>>> f&*# happened? I have never seen that before!" In my stomach, I felt the >>>>>> biggest pit of remorse and regret. Have I just messed up my beautiful >>>>>> Platy? The bike that I love riding so much! Was it ruined forever? >>>>>> >>>>>> The Platy was not rideable. It was barely walkable. I was still about >>>>>> 3.1 miles away from home. I had a broken bike and a 26 pound toddler. My >>>>>> husband told me to call my brother-in-law. Maybe he could come and pick >>>>>> up >>>>>> my toddler and I could take the bus home. I was only 20 yards from a bus >>>>>> stop. I decided that I would try taking the bus on my own with my >>>>>> toddler >>>>>> and my broken Platy. We waited for the bus and it was time for me to >>>>>> lift >>>>>> my bike (with rack and Yepp seat) onto the bike rack. I tried to pick it >>>>>> up >>>>>> once and it barely got off the ground. Another *hmph* and I could >>>>>> only get the front wheel off the ground. Taking a deep breath and >>>>>> looking >>>>>> at my daughter on the sidewalk, I summoned all the Mama Hulk strength I >>>>>> could muster to get my Platy on the bus bike rack. We rode on the bus >>>>>> till >>>>>> our stop. It took another three tries to get my bike off the bike rack. >>>>>> I >>>>>> knew we would have to take another bus back home. Luckily, this one >>>>>> offered >>>>>> level boarding so I wheeled it inside and asked a friendly bus rider to >>>>>> help me carry it off the bus. >>>>>> >>>>>> We made it home. My husband came downstairs and gave me the >>>>>> diagnosis. When I shifted, the derailleur got caught inside the spokes >>>>>> (the >>>>>> derailleur hub had been previously bent somehow and this is why I should >>>>>> never ignore strange noises!). My derailleur was broken in half. A spoke >>>>>> had been bent and broken off. There was a small crack in the frame where >>>>>> the derailleur is attached (we are hopeful it is just the paint). >>>>>> >>>>>> I am devastated! I will send updates on the repair as soon as Mama >>>>>> Platy is in working order. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/71e19b86-337f-416d-865c-b7c875d3ba32n%40googlegroups.com.
