Thread: Dork disc
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Old 10-01-19, 12:23 AM
  #23  
79pmooney
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Is the cost of perhaps a new rear derailleur, chain, paint, any carbon fiber in the area, the dropout, some spokes (and perhaps the wheel) for a should-never-happen but can mishap OK for you? If so, remove the dork disc. Recently someone here posted about the mishap he just had. The $$ total was impressive.

If you chose not to use a dork disc, see to it if you ride conventionally spoked wheels, that the "pulling" spokes on the drive/right-hand side come off the inside of the hub flange. In other words, if you are standing on the left side of the bike (on most, you cannot see anything behind the cassettes standing on the right), those drive spokes that come off the top of the hub and are pointed back as they go to the rim. Now, those spokes should be coming out of the hub flange toward you; so you cannot see the spoke heads. They are hidden between the flange and the cassette.

If those pulling spokes are indeed on the inside, then, when you do dump the chain off the cassette into the spokes, your non-pulling spokes will do their best to reject the chain and you will minimize damage. With outside pulling, the spokes will suck your chain down deeper and the damage level goes far higher. (If you try to visualize this, you will come to the conclusion I"m full of smoke. This was the word of both my shop mechanic 40 years ago and the local guru-to be who used to hang out at our shop, the then far from famous Sheldon Brown. Also my experience. Actually I've never tried outside pulling but I do look at both the damage and lacing pattern every time I see one of those mishaps. Yes, the worst inside pulling disasters are worse than the best outside pulling disasters, but overall, inside pulling comes out far ahead. I've usually been able to jury rig and ride home. Most outside pulling - that's not remotely an option.

Ben
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