Originally Posted by
greg3rd48
Good to see that you are fine Jim! At least it happened at the most opportune place possible.
It's wonderful how much damage you can do to a rear derailleur in a small fraction of a second!
I wrecked the VGT Luxe on my Gran Sport (same color frame as yours) while starting up a long steep hill. I had just shifted from the half-step middle ring--42 teeth--onto the 28-tooth granny.
In analyzing it later, I concluded a loop of slack must have fallen off the tension pulley (as a result of my suddenly throwing a lot of slack into the chain), which then caught on the cage and twisted it into the spokes. I still like the convenience of the old Suntour "quick cage," but I'm more aware of its possible limitations now.
So many ways to fail! I keeps life interesting, I suppose. Glad you weren't hurt and your bike is okay. Nice that it wasn't a frame with an integral derailleur hanger.