Rare mechanicals

[gbb]

1970s I had a Carlton Continental for commuting. I can still see the road now, (still drive along it now)...all of a sudden....sssst ssst ssst ssst....eh, wassat ?.....BANG, like a starting pistol going off .
Instant and complete deflation. ....game over, walk home.

 

[adamhearn]

I have broken a saddle rail. Thankfully was only a couple of miles from home so rode out of the saddle.

 

[Pale Rider]

I have broken a saddle rail. Thankfully was only a couple of miles from home so rode out of the saddle.

My mate with the broken saddle rail completed the 30 mile ride we were on.

He was getting more and more lopsided as the miles passed, but was still in the saddle when we parted near his house.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

a friend had a steel frame snap at the downtube while riding a paris-roubaix sportive…

 

[midlife]

Someone came into our bike shop in the 70's with a bike totalled from the front..... Wheel, forks, top tube and down tube.

"Blimey how did that happen", I said

"I was just pushing it along the pavement and it just went like that so could I have a new one on the warranty." Replied the bloke.

First time I have known a bike self destruct, that must be very rare

Shaun

 

[outlash]

Spangled the rear deraliieur on my son's bike while showing him how to bunny hop a few weeks ago. I'm guessing some kind of chain slap related malfunction.

 

[screenman]

Heard a loud ping looked down and noticed the Allen key head on my quill stem bolt was now missing, the guy holding me up picked it up from the road behind me. This was at the start of a 50tt and happened as I pulled back hard on the bars for the start, I was not tempted to carry on and walked back the the car.

 

[classic33]

Going downhill, on the road, at speed when a crack was heard, I was certain I'd heard one.
Get to a better lit area at the bottom to find that the seat tube had cracked just above the bottom bracket. A very slow seven miles home after that.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

had a rear mech stop working because the tiny bit of aluminium against which the spring sits sheared off...

 

[tyred]

The strangest occurrence was shortly after I had finished restoring my granddad granddad's Rudge, I came back from a ride, went to put it on the kickstand, the crank was in the way so went to move the pedal with my foot when it dropped to the ground - the spindle had snapped off right on the inside bearing cone. Not a fresh break, I assume it had taken an impact at some point but a few minutes previously I had been climbing out of the saddle which could have been very painful.

I also stripped a swaged steel chainset onmy fixed wheel Carlton.

Just this morning on a 3-speed bike, I ran over a stick which somehow shot up and got between the hub and the sprocket and popped the sprocket and circlip off the hub. Easy enough to fix but surprisingly tricky without my favourite little screwdriver I use for doing this at home.

 

[Globalti]

I snapped the rear axle off-roading my Raleigh ten-speed when mountain bikes were still 20 years in the future.

Keo pedal came off its cartridge twice this month - I've glued the thread with Bostik and it's holding.

Titanium stem on my Global mountain bike had an internal pinch bolt, which snapped, leaving the bars swinging freely. I rode slowly back to the car park leaning heavily on the bars to keep the front wheel lined up.

Braking surface on a mountain bike got scored by a stone trapped in ice built up on the brake block, cutting it so deeply that it peeled outwards and the tube escaped, wrapping itself round the frame like an anaconda.

 

[Milkfloat]

I snapped a set of forks at the head tube many years ago, I did a beautiful forward roll over the front, bounced up and landed on my face. That one ended up as a hospital visit and a new bike.

 

[Moodyman]

Seatpost clamp bolt (over tightening) snapped 1 mile into a 14 mile commute at 11pm.

Riding 13 miles standing up was not much fun.

 

[swee'pea99]

Riding along one day, no pressure, and suddenly the right hand drop just came away in my hand, sort of half way between the brake lever & the stem. Managed to ride home holding the remaining stub. I had a saddle rail break too. And I'm a lightweight.

 

[Sharky]

The pawls went on my commute home, with about 15 miles to go. Managed to use a leather toe strap to tie the large sprocket to the spokes and just made it home before it disintegrated.