Mechanical failures whilst commuting?

[fossyant]

My rear derailleur is failing on me now. I think it go an little bit dirty and now despite cleaning it and oiling it I have significant problems shifting up gear. In fact the only way it shifts up is if hit a bump in the road. I'm actually aiming for potholes!

So if anyone has any ideas how to fix it you could look in the know how section....

Check the section - SPRING is most likely given what you say.

 

[goo_mason]

Broken spokes, and a number of gear cable snaps through normal riding.

Once on ice I managed to fall off five times in one commute, demolishing my light bracket, a bar-end, my rear mudguard and fatally wounding the rear derailleur.

 

[Amanda P]

I've had one major mechanical failure... but that was mediated by a heavy collision with a car.

 

[Panter]

I've been exceptionally lucky really, only had a mudguard fall off.
My commute is very desolate though so I'm paranoid about ensuring the bike is in tip top condition.

I also carry:

Pliers
2 Tubes
Pump
P****ure repair kit
Tape
Phone
Spoke key
Spare spokes
Multi-tool
Powerlinks
Cable ties
Spare cable
Torch
Spare batteries

Just in case

 

[Matthames]

While commuting, I have had various fairy visits, crank arm fall off, spoke nipples break and the bolts that go hold the pannier rack to the frame come undone and fall out.

Not actually commuting, I have had the chain break then jam itself into the jockey cage bending the rear mech around into the brand new wheel I built. Luckly the wheel came to no harm.

 

[palinurus]

Mostly punctures, but not often.

In 22 years I've needed my chain tool twice. Once chain ended up between cassette and wheel thanks to badly-adjusted gears, chain broke. Once rear mech came apart due to rubbish re-assembly by self, had to do a roadside singlespeed conversion to get home as one of the jockey wheels went missing.

Apart from those occasions there have been two broken spokes and maybe a brake cable or two and that's it.

Oh, and the time I hit a big flint and cut the tyre and bent the rim. Had to hammer it flat with a rock (steel rim- it was a long time ago that one)

 

[Downward]

Rear Gears kept skipping after the chain came off about a mile from home in the pouring rain. Luckily it was downhill with just a 40ft climb home so I held the gear shifter and pedaled slowly

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Weirdest one was a knackered SA 5-speed shifter - something inside holding it all together just snapped and it all "exploded" - typically it was on a camping holiday (OK, not a commute then so slightly OT but NVM). Only things I could get from the LBS near the campsite were 3 speed levers.

Ever seen those shifters on trucks where one position of the gear lever can be multiple gears depending on the position of another lever?

That was kind of what I had with 2 3-speed levers set up to pull each cable, one lever inverted and put by the left brake lever. The ride home was fun and I was glad it was mainly flat.

 

[davidg]

didnt put on a left pedal correctly and shredded the screw of the crank arm....pedalling with one pedal is less than ideal...

 

[boydj]

Check the section - SPRING is most likely given what you say.

Magnatom - another possibility is the cable. A couple of weeks ago my rear mech got very reluctant to go onto smaller cogs. Found the cable frayed inside the brifter - or rather a bit of the frayed cable sneaked out and stabbed me under the nail on my thumb to alert me to the cause of the problem while I was checking the adjustment after I had stripped, cleaned and re-atttached the mech.

 

[magnatom]

Magnatom - another possibility is the cable. A couple of weeks ago my rear mech got very reluctant to go onto smaller cogs. Found the cable frayed inside the brifter - or rather a bit of the frayed cable sneaked out and stabbed me under the nail on my thumb to alert me to the cause of the problem while I was checking the adjustment after I had stripped, cleaned and re-atttached the mech.

Umm, no it wasn't the mech. Just been to the LBS and the mech is gubbed. That's a mech runied in just over a month. In my defence, the weather has been extreme, very cold, lots of salt and grime, and with a new baby in the house, time for bike care has been limited....

Oh well, I've introduced myself to my new local LBS!