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i'm clueless and my derailleur is broken

Old 02-20-07, 10:40 PM
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i'm clueless and my derailleur is broken

hey all,
i just bought a nishiki bike from the thrift store, problem is, i'm pretty clueless about bikes and my rear derailleur is crunched up into the spokes (a friend of mine figured this one out for me!). i'm not totally sure what to do now, since i just got it and don't know much about bikes, anyone with experience with nishiki's would be a great help! how to do i figure out how many speeds i have so i know what kind to get? (seriously, i'm really that much of a noob). i'm a college student, so if anyone has tips on where to get a really cheap one that will work for just riding to town and such, that would be awesome as well. thanks!!!
-munkygobananas
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Old 02-20-07, 10:45 PM
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Any chance you can get us a digital photo?

As for determining speeds, how many gears are at the rear?

As a college student, capitalization is your friend...

Sorry, couldn't resist.
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Old 02-20-07, 11:44 PM
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Hello "m"

Ok 1st off. If the Derailleur did a wrap around. The first place to start is called the drop outs. This would be where the wheel connects to the frame. Also where the derailleur mounts. You need the right tool to do this. Older derailleurs used their on clamp on drop. Newer models have a Derailleur hanger they bolt into. If you have the newer version which also takes a special tool. this will become very soft when you bend it back. My guess is you have what we used to call the 70's type of bike. If so the tire size will be 27 x 1 1/4 and all you need is to have the wheel drop outs checked.

You can still get older derailleurs made by "Yes " Shimano Tourney or Sun Race generic. Cost $10.-15.00 us.
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Old 02-20-07, 11:47 PM
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I can put a photo up tomorrow. As for the capitaliztion, bicycle crisis + midterms burnout = lack of capitalization (I understand though, I'm usually quite a grammer nazi!).
I think it has 6 chains, but I don't really know what that means. Do bikes come with 6 gears? Ha, I though it was only 5 and multiples of 5. Whoops.
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Old 02-20-07, 11:54 PM
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The number of "speeds" = # rear cogs X # chainrings.
IF it has 5 cogs in back and 2 chainrings (crank sprockets), it would be a 10 speed.
The rear derailleur (RDER) should have a brand name on it.
IF it's an old bike, SunTour was common.
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Old 02-21-07, 02:15 AM
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Does the number of speeds matter for which derailleur you buy? I've been looking online and a lot of them don't say what speeds they're for (especially the cheaper ones). Is there a "universal" derailleur? Sorry I'm asking so many questions, I am extremely new at trying to fix bikes!
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Old 02-21-07, 03:13 AM
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You wouldn't go to an auto parts store and expect to get the correct part without telling them what make of car you had, would you?

A RDER maight be more forgiving in this respect, but we still have to have an idea what ball park we're playing in.
Some bikes have up to 10 cogs in the rear. If a bike has 5 or 6, it may be from the 70's to being a new bike from Wal Mart. The same RDER probably wouldn't be appropriate for both.
Other bikes may have 7,8 or 9.
We need the information to help you, not because we're nosy. We can only give as good of advice as the information you give us or else we're pretty much guessing. That doesn't do either of us any good.

IF you can take severeal photos, it would be more helpful. Close ups of specific parts like the RDER (most important for this topic), chainring(s), etc.

Anything you find written on the parts, like brand names, part#'s etc. Even as one poster pointed out, tire size can even help date a bike.
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Old 02-21-07, 06:32 AM
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It's evident the o.p. is as clueless about this as he claims to be and the best advice to give him is directions to the nearest bicycle repair shop.

It's a straight forward repair to you or me but if you don't even know what you're looking at, forget it.
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Old 02-21-07, 07:24 AM
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Agree, take the bike to a shop. Don't buy a rear derailleur until you know if you really need one. This could be as simple as an adjustment or straightening the hanger or replacing the add on mount in the dropout. Then again, if the DR was in the spokes & broke some, you may need a new rear wheel or some spokes replaced. Don
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Old 02-21-07, 06:24 PM
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So I got some photos, I am looking for a good but non-costly bike shop in the area as well. Anyway, here they are.










Thanks guys!
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Old 02-21-07, 06:33 PM
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The bad news: That RD is destroyed
The good news: I've got a box full that will work on your bike

What part of the East Bay are you in? I live over in San Ramon, and have probably got everything you need. If the wheel/spokes aren't damaged, I can get it going for you.
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Old 02-21-07, 06:35 PM
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I'm in Hayward...I have a friend who fixes bikes, as long as I get the parts, he's just super busy and hasn't had time to look at it and tell me what to get. However, if you would do it, I could probably pay you a little for labour!
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Old 02-21-07, 06:42 PM
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Originally Posted by munkygobananas
I'm in Hayward...I have a friend who fixes bikes, as long as I get the parts, he's just super busy and hasn't had time to look at it and tell me what to get. However, if you would do it, I could probably pay you a little for labour!
Either/or. You can have the derailluer for free. PM me and we can hook up. If you bring the bike along, I can better see what all is damaged and needs replacing.
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Old 02-21-07, 07:10 PM
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"The bad news: That RD is destroyed"
The good news: That RD is destroyed

Hopefully bigbossman can fix you right up, maybe better than what was on it.

I'd suspect the chain may have gotten "kinked" too! I'd expect to have to replace it, or at least maybe a section of it.

It appears to me to be a 6 cog freewheel with a 44 T chainring.
The 6 cogs I've seen have been 14-16-18-21-4-24-28T.
This will give you 6 USEFULL gears out of 6, which ain't bad.
Not too much of a step down from a 21 speed with 8 usefull gears!
It might be a bit "tall" if you have any serious hills though. But then you're relatively young!
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Old 02-21-07, 07:54 PM
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OMG, I actually cringed when I saw that. Is there a flat spot on the rear tire? Worst carnage
I've ever seen, I didn't know that was possible, lol.,,,,BD
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Old 02-21-07, 08:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Bill Kapaun
The number of "speeds" = # rear cogs X # chainrings.
IF it has 5 cogs in back and 2 chainrings (crank sprockets), it would be a 10 speed.
are you sure?

reminds me of 'a scanner darkly'
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