Even though I've been riding for over 10 years, I've never been very mechanically inclined, and so there are some pretty basic, stupid maintenance things that I sometimes leave to the local bike shop rather than deal with myself. But after what happened this weekend, I think I'm going to have to take care of these sorts of things myself from now on:
I brought my two-year-old Bianchi Vigorelli in to a LBS yesterday to have the (worn) chain replaced. The next morning, about 3-4 blocks into my ride, I heard a loud crunch, my drivetrain locked up, and I looked down and saw that my rear derailleur had flipped up into the spokes, bending the derailleur hanger in the process, and munching the chain.
Seems to me that the chain was the likely culprit, and I'm wondering if either the mechanic didn't install the chain properly (like it was too short, or maybe he didn't insert the pin correctly), or if the chain was somehow defective. I've never had a single issue with the bike before this.
I took it back to the bike shop today. The mechanic who did the chain wasn't there, but I left the bike with them and they said they'd assess the damage and get back to me in a few days. I'm still not sure how much (if any) responsibility they're going to take for this.
I'm attaching a few pics of the damage. Just wondering if anyone else thinks the chain is the culprit or if this is just a crazy coincidence?
