I was warned.
Shortly after buying my 2007 Dahon Boardwalk last year I swapped the original 7-speed rear gears for a wider spread of 11-32 to allow for faster cruising and better climbing here in Colorado. It worked great...except...
...in the new 32 tooth 1st gear the Neos derailleur was extended completely forward and the chain "chattered" through the jockey wheels when back pedaling. Forward pedaling in first felt and sounded fine, if maybe a little "stiff".
Techs at two shops said the rear derailleur would break under these conditions. One gave it 4 months if ridden daily. I'm a daily commuter, but I don't ride it daily, but maybe about a third of the time. For the last few rides the rear derailleur has been making bad noises under heavy load in any gear.
So yesterday I inspected it and discovered the lower jockey wheel was missing some teeth and the flange by the bearing race was chipped enough to allow the wheel to deflect and dislodge the chain onto a ridge on the cage. Also, the shifter cable has sawed a slot in the barrel of the hollow adjustment bolt that sits in the final ferrule, due the the exagerated angle demanded by the wider gears.
I like the gears so I am getting a Neos adapter and will then put an appropriate rear derailleur on it. I saw no-name brand Neos adapters for $19.99 on Ali Express, but I have had some quality issues with some (but not all) of the components I have bought through them. Instead I bought the adapter for $30 from Tern, which puts its logo right on the part, so I hope this means they are confident in it. The local bike co-op has scads of used rear derailleurs in all sorts of sizes and shapes averaging $15, and in all sorts of conditions including like-new.
I guess the advantage of the Neos compact derailleur is that it tucks under the chain stay and out of harms way when the bike is folded and possibly put on its side because leaning or sitting a bike, folded or unfolded on the drive side can bend the derailleur hanger, as I have done on a couple of my non-folding bikes over the years.
However, I look forward to a more conventional derailleur if it means smoother operation with the wide range of gears I want and need in hilly Colorado Springs.
(Here's the bike in first gear with the Neos)
