Originally Posted by
Wil Davis
I understand your point, but I'm curious to know how many times you've come across the phenomenon, either personally or 2nd hand.
- Wil
Originally Posted by
Cleave
Hi, if you keep your rear derailleur properly adjusted then you don't need the spoke guard. I never thought about a broken rear spoke getting caught in the drivetrain and I suppose it happen could but in 40 years of racing and a few hundred thousand miles of riding, I've never had a broken rear spoke get caught and I've never seen that happen to anyone else. My hypothesis is that the probability of that kind of catastrophic failure is very very low.
I've never had a spoke go into wheel cassette/chain/derailleur, but I did have one break at the hub(old comfort) and who knows what would've occurred had the guard not been there.
There was a post I remember reading where the spoke broke off and went into the chain and destroyed the derailleur. I did a search and this is what I found(see below) but I know I've read it in a post more recent than what I found...or my recall is slipping. I'm not saying this is common...I would think that it is a very, very rare occurrence. More likely it would be the chain going into the spokes. I'm just saying that I see nothing wrong with someone leaving it on and I certainly, if it were my choice to remove the plastic ring, think anything less of the cyclist who kept it on--I certainly wouldn't say or criticize him or her for leaving of the guard on the wheel.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=1#post2892895