Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.soma5
09-23-07, 01:29 PM
Today was just perfect for a ride, and I was about 10 miles from the end of a really pleasant 48-miler where I was feeling really strong for the first time since starting to ride again this year after 12 years of sitting on my rear. Then it happened - my chain somehow got into the rear spokes, the derailleur got into them as well and the bike just stopped rolling. I initially thought I'd dropped the chain and waved my riding buddies on. I put the chain back on the derailleur pulleys, stepped over the top tube and tried to ride. No go. I got back off and looked closer. The rear wheel was now wavy, due to the damage that the chain and derailleur had done to the spokes. Great. I was only 10 miles from the finish but 10 miles is 10 miles. Aha! My kids had gotten me a new saddle bag for Father's Day this year. It was larger than my old one so I put in various tools. I had a spoke wrench in there. I trued the wheel as best I could. It was just good enough to pass between the brake shoes when I opened the brakes up as far as they would go. I'm afraid that rim is toast. The derailleur no longer worked well enough to trust so I put it on the 19 cog. I could shift my front derailleur between the 53 and 39 so I could still ride the hills after a fashion. The chain made noises, it skipped, the rear wheel wobbled but I was able to ride in. I'm back home now (duh) but I can't bear to look at the bike. At a minimum I'll have to lace on a new rear rim. Quite likely, the rear derailleur (a Dura Ace from the early '90s) is bent beyond repair. I now have to figure out what to do. I can't ride a "standard" bike comfortably. I have a long torso and short legs. My current frame that I got some 15 years ago when I raced is a custom one with the proportions I require. So I can't just go out and buy another bike. The Dura Ace group has gone from 8 to 10 speeds and the old stuff seems unavailable except by miracle as new old stock and I'm not counting on a miracle (I wouldn't want to use up my allotment of miracles in cycling equipment anyway). So I'm left with deciding to 1) do a minimal repair involving some jerry rigging and nurse it along or 2) upgrade to a whole new group. Nothing in the middle seems very attractive or even all that possible. Nothing seems like it will be done in time to get me back on the bike by next weekend. Color me "frustrated."
-soma5
-soma5