Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Spray WD40 is good: clean the RD and cage up as much as possible. Then . .
Most pulley wheels rotate on an axle which is a bolt from one side of the RD cage to the other.
Disassemble (note which was top and which was bottom) and clean. The pulley wheels will either have tiny bearings with a simple plastic seal on top (a) or they'll be Shimano type ones (b) with bushings - they 'fall apart' once out of the cage plates.
a) Prise off the plastic 'seal' with the tip of a sharp knife, push some grease in and click the seal back on. Repeat on other side.
b) Disassemble, clean, grease, and reassemble.
OR buy a new pair of pulley wheels (?$13).
[Your text amended]
On losing chain end bits:
Derailleur chains have vestigial sleeves in the form of short collars on the side plates to support the roller on the outside. But during cleaning or, in extremis, repair at the roadside, the exposed 'inner link' roller can come off. At home/workshop this is a pain but can be sorted even if the roller is lost. By the road: less so, without shortening the chain (so it won't go large/large). Mitigation: carry a link and a half (1.5") of chain as well as a chain tool and a 'quicklink' (or two).
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