recursive

Yesterday morning I flatted on my commute. Back wheel of course. I was in a rush, so I didn't take too much time to tension the chain. Evidently it was too tight, because by evening, I had reduced my 15 tooth cog to a single tooth. Now I'm enjoying the benefits of a Dura Ace track cog.

I wish I had thought to take a picture.

queerpunk

what.

recursive

Let me explain: if your chain is sufficiently tight, you can snap the teeth off your cog.

hyperRevue

Like super-human, ****ing hulk tight?

recursive

There was literally no slack. I remember noticing it as I started to ride. "Hmmm..", I thought to myself, "I like this nice tight feel."

LóFarkas

Did you throw it away? We want pics!

curlybro

Like cog made of chocolate tight?

schloe mo

what he said.

queerpunk

i find this hard to understand. you pulled it so ****ing tight that you tore teeth off your cog? all at once? what the ****? or did you tear one off, not notice? keep going? until there were fourteen gone?

recursive

I took it to my favorite LBS, and stupidly forgot to ask for it back. Unfortunately, no pics.

The concept really isn't all that difficult.

A cog has teeth on it. If you're familiar with that concept, you should be able to stretch your mind far enough to understand what it means to snap these teeth off. One way to do this is by overtightening your chain.

Does this help you understand? If not, is there a particular word you're having trouble with?

EDIT: sorry for being ******y, my tone was not appropriate.

hyperRevue

No need to be a prick.
It's just that what you're describing is incredibly hard to fathom.

recursive

The teeth didn't come off until I started riding. I'm not strong enough to rip the teeth off with my bare hands, but if you pull the chain tight enough, and ride on it all day, apparently the teeth can snap off.

I didn't notice until there was only one lonely tooth left.

schloe mo

hmmm.

dolface

was it an alloy cog? 'cause if it wasn't then what you're talking about sounds impossible...

the wheel would bind and the bearings would fail before you could get the chain tight enough to shear off a tooth like that.

barba

How did the chain not fall off? One tooth was enough to hold it on?

Wow!

Rikardi151

Basically, what everyone is getting at is...

YOURE A ****ING LIAR YOU PIECE OF ****!!!

(Obviously, this is a joke)

recursive

If it's impossible, then it wasn't an alloy cog. I know it's possible, because I did it yesterday. It was the stock cog on the 2006 Raleigh Rush Hour. I don't know what it is.

I had no idea this was going to be so controversial. Now I wish I did get pics. The guy at the shop was pretty amazed too though.

recursive

I know. I wouldn't have thought so, but it never dropped the chain. I was surprised at this.

EDIT: I suppose it's possible that I broke the last few right before I got the shop. I'm getting the sense that everyone is trying to prove I'm lying. I don't understand this. I'm not trying to impress anyone or anything. If you don't believe it's possible, then that's your choice. I'm just telling you what happened to me yesterday. I'm not one to lie, especially when I have absolutely nothing to gain. I don't have as much mechanical knowledge as many of you, so I can't really get into the finer points of how this is possible. All I know is that it is possible because yesterday morning I had 15 teeth, and yesterday evening I had 1. If you're paranoid enough to think I'm lying about it, then whatever.

schloe mo

we're gonna need the guy at the shop to post as a witness.

and if the cog can be admitted into evidence, you might just have a case.

gorn

How'd he get it off? Vice around the remains of the cog? I'd imagine a chain whip wouldn't work too well

jandops

how'd you(they) get it off the hub?

recursive

He did use a chain whip somehow. I don't know how. The teeth weren't totally smoothed over, there was a little bit of a raised nub where the teeth used to be.

Anyway, I'm getting tired of defending myself. If you don't believe me, call the shop yourself. Phone number is here: https://yellowjersey.org/
(608) 257-4737
(608) 257-7733

Ask about Tom's (me) Rush Hour cog from yesterday. Tim was the guy wrenching the bike. Someone please call so my good name can be restored.

hyperRevue

You're getting way too defensive.

gorn

Yeah I was just asking how he got it off out of curiousity.

mrRed

from Mr. White's site, fyxomatosis. this **** happens.