The 585

Good afternoon! Shortly after picking up my used Surly Pacer road bike, I ripped off the "dork disc" spoke protector because I thought it looked dumb. However, it could have saved me when my rear derailleur sent the chain off the biggest cog and into the spokes.

The limit screw has been adjusted since, but now I'm thinking it would be a good idea to pick up a new dork disc for cheap insurance. Are they universal, or do I need to buy a specific one to fit my bike? I have 10 gears on the back.

Also, I'll need to replace several of the rear spokes because they've been slightly bent and damaged. Is there a way to know the specific size I'll need to get?

Thanks in advance!

fietsbob

Cassette spoke protectors have 3 or 4 hooks over the spokes , so spoke count divisible evenly by 3 or 4 .. ?


remove one and measure its length.. inside of the J bend to the end.







...

Bill Kapaun

I think you have to match the spoke count to the protector. A 32 is different from a 36....

Without having a clue to what rim & hub you have, spokes could be 60-70 different lengths.
Easiest is to remove one and measure, lacking that info. If you do this, you may want to look at how close the end of the spoke is in relation to the screw driver slot in the nipple.
You want flush. if a bit long or short, you can adjust by a mm or 2. OR, if that brand/model spoke is only available in 2mm increments, you would know which way to favor.

Gresp15C

They should make dork discs that look like an extra cog. Problem solved.

Bigbus

Unless you've never had a chain jump into the gap between gear and spokes, you know why they put them there. Mine are all gone because they turn brittle over time and disintegrate so I make a point of keeping my bikes adjusted to prevent the chain jump. It still happens when a piece of grit or something pulls the chain over when I'm riding trails.

bobwysiwyg

Quick, patent that!

The 585

So I have 10 cogs in the back (largest being just under 4.5 inches in diameter) and 32 spokes. Could someone recommend to me a dork disc that would fit this setup? The ones on ebay are super cheap but not very descriptive. Thanks again!!

fietsbob

As in my 1st post.. Q: Is the spoke count on right side divisible evenly by 4 or 3 ?

cassette spoke protectors clip over a spoke .. they come with 3 or 4 hooks ..

The 585

Ah... divisible by 4! So 4 hooks is what I'm looking for?

fietsbob

Yup

The 585

So I guess my second noob question is... what diameter to go with? Does it matter? I don't want it to be too big and look werid, but I know it also should be bigger than the largest cog.

HillRider

They also come in different diameters depending on the largest cog size. In the past I've seem them marked "28T", "32T", etc. so pick the right diameter. Too large is better than too small except for appearance.

ThermionicScott 

Already been done. It's called a "bailout gear", no self-respecting cyclist uses it.

davidad

You have seen that the problem is that the dork has taken off the spoke protector.

The 585

Ahhhh ok I see! The largest cog has 28 teeth, so I'll keep a lookout for 28T!

LOL! Incredibly true!

veganbikes

The issue here was an improperly set up derailleur. Keep your bike maintained and that cheap piece of plastic is not needed. I have a lot of bikes and many of them with derailleurs and none of them with any sort of spoke protection other than a properly adjusted derailleur and if I notice something is wrong I take a look at it before it becomes a major issue and try and get it fixed or replace the part as needed.

If you are regularly mangling derailleurs then maybe a lesson in shifting might be helpful.

Gresp15C

If you add one more, people will wonder where you got the newfangled 14 speed cluster. Or 15... 16...