Does anyone carry a rear mech

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Dirtyhanz2

Senior Member
I was out with the wife about 10 miles from home when her rear mech shimano XT decided it was having enough and literally snapped in half its quit old and done many thousands of miles not a big problem for us today but if we where in the middle of big tour or in a remote place could have been a real problem
Got me thinking should I carry a spare from now on does anyone else carry one
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
No. Shorten the chain and run single-speed to a bike shop.
 
OP
OP
D

Dirtyhanz2

Senior Member
Yes that's what I did
But not that easy in the middle of long tour or in remote places
Couple of years ago we spent a couple of weeks in remote parts of Iceland that would have give us real problems
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Nope. We had a mech snap at the start of last April's Cycle Chat MTB Weekend at Llandegla - unfortunately, the bike shop on site didn't have one, but one of us had to do a dash to Wrexham for a new mech. He was sorted by the time we got back for a second lap.
 
Location
España
It really does depend on a multitude of factors.
First of all your own tolerance of weight or bulk, your ability to actually carry out the repair and your own motivations.

Tour length. For a short tour a good review and service should be sufficient, unless something drastic happens.

You also need to think of the likely availability of your rear mech (or anything else) where you will be touring.

There's the need to consider your bodging skills to get you to a replacement.

There's group size. A large group could conceivably split a large amount of spares between them without too much hassle.

There's route and terrain and weather conditions. I've read many accounts of rear derailleurs getting banjaxed in heavy, heavy mud.

However, unless in out of the way places I'd be unlikely to think it necessary. People are generally friendly to people on bikes and lifts and assistance are usually readily available.

I'd be more likely to think that flexibility in plans is probably more important than carrying spares - allowing a bit of extra time to deal with the unexpected. Truthfully, dealing with hiccups on the road is often very satisfying and lives long in the memory.

There's Murphy's Law too - the very thing that breaks will be the one you don't have a spare for!

Finally, there's a danger that thinking I have to have a spare X can easily lead to thinking "I need Y & Z too". Often these thoughts can lead to folks never heading away at all!

There's a "disasters" category on CrazyGuyOnABike that makes for interesting reading - both from the point of view of what goes wrong but also how people deal with it.

As with all things touring, I think that what's between your ears and beating in your chest is far more important than what's in your pannier.

Good luck!
 

RobinS

Veteran
Location
Norwich
The OP had a rear mech break - better carry a spare rear mech
I had a rear wheel rim break up - better carry a spare wheel
I had a tent pole break - better carry a spare...…….
I am sure that between us we could come up with reasons to carry an entire spare bike, plus a spare tent, sleeping bag, mattress and stove!

Or we can just look at the actual likelihood of stuff breaking, and how easy it is to get fixed/jury rigged to get back on the road. Personally in my 50 years of cycling I have found that complete breakdowns that cannot be fixed/bodged are very very rare.
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
The OP had a rear mech break - better carry a spare rear mech
I had a rear wheel rim break up - better carry a spare wheel
I had a tent pole break - better carry a spare...…….
I am sure that between us we could come up with reasons to carry an entire spare bike, plus a spare tent, sleeping bag, mattress and stove!

Or we can just look at the actual likelihood of stuff breaking, and how easy it is to get fixed/jury rigged to get back on the road. Personally in my 50 years of cycling I have found that complete breakdowns that cannot be fixed/bodged are very very rare.
The risk of breaking a bone or two, preventing you from continuing, is much greater than a mechanical fail.
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
carry a spare mech hanger
This ^^ if your frame has one. Would never carry a spare RD.
Besides usual stuff, on long (ie over 300k) rides which I really want to complete (in time - audaxes and/or for logistic/remoteness reasons) I carry a spare tyre (622-25 so <220g).
 
Location
London
I had a tent pole break - better carry a spare...…….

Actually I would carry a spare length of tent pole and a hacksaw blade. Weighs next to nothing and easy to pack.
I once abandoned a fairly local camping trip because I had no simple means of repairing a broken pole.
Not even a splint.
 

ozboz

Guru
Location
Richmond ,Surrey
If you are going on a touring holiday , to a remote place , maybe replace existing with new before you set off , especially if your components had as you say done a lot of miles, It would be a shame to spoil your tour because of a faulty part. I have over the years seen jockey wheels on the road and trail some broken some not , good for thought if your planning such a trip
 
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