Suicidal Derailleur

[jdtate101]

Well on today's outing my rear derailleur decided to end its life in spectacular fashion by trying to mate with the rear spokes. It's life was ended by being ripped in half and loosing parts of itself all over the road. Fortunately for me I was able to get out a multi tool, break the chain, remove the knackered part, shorten the chain and turn my cross bike into a single speed. Limped home slowly with my dead part in my back pocket, but made it safely back. New one is already on order, so normal service should be resumed soon. Of course this did have to happen 12miles from home, but life is always full of adventures....

Anyone else got good tales on botched up roadside repairs.?

 

[smokeysmoo]

 

[Paddygt]

Ah! Makes you wonder how that happened......

 

[Herzog]

Very eco!

 

[oldroadman]

Saw a bar break in a race once, halfway up a three km 10% climb. Fair play to the rider, he just sat down all the way and flogged himself to the top, and down the descent(!!) one handed, until the road was wide enough for the team car to get to him and sort out a bike change. At least he had a free hand to stick in the air....

 

[Biker Joe]

Wow. A real bummer.
!0/10 for the roadside repair.
Well done.

 

[albion]

Saw a bar break in a race once, halfway up a three km 10% climb. Fair play to the rider, he just sat down all the way and flogged himself to the top, and down the descent(!!) one handed, until the road was wide enough for the team car to get to him and sort out a bike change. At least he had a free hand to stick in the air....

I was looking at a carbon bar advertised at something amazing like 115 grams.
Thought about it and decided 'not quite worth the risk' for saving 40 grams or so.
If I was someone competing I guess I would with the 115.


I guess the positive note of suicide carbon is that it would certainly make one very focussed with weight balance etc.

 

[screenman]

What has carbon fibre got to do with it? that is an alloy bar and the gear were badly adjusted.

 

[Rob3rt]

If I was someone competing I guess I would with the 115.

Most of the pro's ride with alu bars.

 

[albion]

oldroadman never said.

So are you saying its only non pros who dare to go with carbon bars?

 

[Drago]

A lot of hardcore MTBers change bars, stem and post every other season because of the painful risk of failure.

My best bodge was stuffing a tyre with grass then I collected a P and my pump decided not to work. It was a slow ride home, but quicker and less humiliating than pushing.

 

[compo]

A lot of hardcore MTBers change bars, stem and post every other season because of the painful risk of failure.

My best bodge was stuffing a tyre with grass then I collected a P and my pump decided not to work. It was a slow ride home, but quicker and less humiliating than pushing.

You can't pump up grass!
(I will pretend not to realise a mistype).

 

[taximan]

A lot of hardcore MTBers change bars, stem and post every other season because of the painful risk of failure.

My best bodge was stuffing a tyre with grass then I collected a P and my pump decided not to work. It was a slow ride home, but quicker and less humiliating than pushing.

I once used a length of hose pipe and rode it for about 40 miles to get home

 

[EltonFrog]

How the blumen 'eck did that happen?

 

[Rob3rt]

oldroadman never said.

So are you saying its only non pros who dare to go with carbon bars?

On road bikes with drop handlebars, most pro's are indeed running with alu, even when there is a carbon option available, there is no need for carbon here. Take Zipp for example, they offer a number of carbon bars but the pro's tend to choose the Service Course SL line of bars which is aluminium. They also take the matching stem vs the SL 142 carbon beast or the other carbon offerings.

Carbon versions are used extensively on the TT bike handlebars but these do not need to be as robust, weight limits can be approached differently and carbon allows a significant degree of "sculpting" to get an aero shape, so it makes sense to use it here. But on a road bike, carbon offers very little benefit in this context.

I don't know who uses carbon road bars, probably sportive riders and maybe some triathletes.