BubbaDog

EDIT: My mistake, it's an SRAM ESP 3.0 derailleur and not Shimano. I can't see any way to edit the message title, ooops

I was doing some general maintenance on a friend's Trek 7100 hybrid, and was unpleasantly surprised to find the the rear derailleur pulleys are riveted rather than mounted with screws . Using a can of spray solvent with an extender nozzle and some teflon chain lube with a needle attached, I was able to flush and relube the idler pulley well enough so it turned pretty freely again. However, I was not successful with the same approach to clean and lube the jockey pulley. It still has a fair amount of drag and binding in it .

So, have derailleurs (albeit cheap ones) become something you throw away rather than service? Seems a pretty p*ss poor idea to me, do they think folks will just shell out bucks to their LBS for a new derailleur and installation labor when their pulleys get dirty? What's the possibility of drilling out the rivets and replacing them with screws? I know I'd have to use nuts on the back of the screws, since the back plate of the cage is plastic/nylon and probably not good for tapping with threads. Grrrrr.....

B'Dog

supcom

Are you sure they're riveted? I seem to recall SRAM pulley bolts using a pretty small hex wrench. I believe I have this derailleur on my commuter and have removed the pulleys.

If nothing else, a brand new one is all of $22.00 at aebike.com.

BubbaDog

Supcom,
Unfortunately not, they are definitely riveted. When I called the LBS where my friend purchased the bike, they also said that they had a small allen hex head. When I told them the head was perfectly round, and the back end was rolled over they went and checked one on the floor and seemed surprised to admit that they actually are riveted. I checked the SRAM website for the service docs, this is the only model without pulley removal and servicing docs. My friend bought this bike in late August and has logged over 2400 miles since then, mostly all city street riding. The idea of having to replace the entire derailleur @ $22 plus shipping plus install labor at LBS (or hassle of DIY) every 3-4 months puts this bike in the same category as a POS Wally World special. I guess I'll tell him to go up to the SRAM 4.0 for about $40 so he can get a fully servicable derailleur....

B'Dog

cuda2k

I'll have to take a quick look at my friend's 3.0 next time I get over to his place, but suppose on a part this low end & cheap there would be some serious corner cutting. Get a 4.0, I've got one on my mtb and been pleased with it thus far.