Dork disc
 

I have read several pros and cons. Trying to decide whether to keep it or remove it.

Blowtorch.

If someone offered me one today, preferably a shiny, metallic one, I would seriously consider putting on my Cervélo.

My bike didn't even come with them, nor did my fancy hoops. I'm just not cool enough.

Check first if the dork disc is an illusion. :innocent:

TNT was originally invented to remove them.

Like aero frames and drop bars?

Adjust your RD properly and you don't need one. :thumb:

It looks odd on a sexy bike IMO...

My question would be more ''Why would you need one'' rather than ''Should I keep it or not''. If it has no real purpose, get that thing out of yoooo sight.

It all depends on you. If your bike falls over or you crash, do you:

A) check rear derailleur alignment and shift through all of the gears while off the bike, or
B) just hop back on and ride

If you're the type to recheck everything, you may be able to do without a dork disc. If (B) describes you, definitely keep it on. ;)

I bet the wind tunnel shows it saves a couple seconds in a 40 Km TT, with it being aero and all. Right?

I haven't had a roadie with one in 47 yrs, and I've never had a problem.

My wife and daughter do consider me a bit OCD with my bike maintenance though....YMMV

Pro TT bikes essentially have one giant dork disc in the back, so if it’s good enough for them I don’t see why rec riders keep removing them.

I leave 'em on with new-to-me older bikes, at least until I'm sure the rear derailleur is properly adjusted. Eventually the all plastic dork discs break so I remove 'em then.

An older Araya/Suntour wheelset came with a metal and plastic dork disc. I used it with the original Suntour freewheels because it seemed to serve as a spacer. When I switched to SunRace freewheels the rear flange was very slightly thicker so the dork disc required tweaking the RD barrel adjuster and limit screw, or just removing the dork disc. I removed the dork disc.

If I had a classic older bike with all metal dork disc I'd leave it on. It adds just the right amount of wrong.

The dork disc goes, right after the warning labels :thumb:

If you have one of those Mavic dork discs with all the little hooks for the spokes, the correct removal procedure is to remove it, take a dump on it, pour petrol on it, and then to set it on fire.

I never got the big deal. I don't bother with them until they get weathered and brittle then they go as they're not worth replacing.

Just to clarify, because this is the 41, you set them on fire after you remove them from your wheels.

Depends how much esteem you have for Mavic...

This seems like the most sensible advice so far. As far as aesthetics are concerned, and providing you are not (B) from above ^^^, I think the only time they look good is when they are the metal 'pie plate' variety and only on vintage bikes with perfectly horizontal top tubes.

I voted remove but for certain C&V bicycles, the chrome metal ones they kinda look cool.
Like on my old Sears Freespirit ten speed.
Wouldn't put it on my steel Bianchi though.

I don't even know what a "dork disk" is. Does that mean I need one...or not?

I'm so easily confused. Maybe I am a dork disk. :foo:

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

Dork disc, those plastic, aluminum or chromed steel discs between the rear wheel spokes and the freewheel/cassette. Common on lesser derailleur bikes from the early '70s on. Their purpose is to keep the derailleur from hitting the spokes when either poorly adjusted or the derailleur hanger is bent. They may also keep the chain from falling into the gap between cog and hub or minimizes the subsequent damage if it does happen. Basically good, simple insurance that no respectable roadie would ever be caught dead with.

Ben

I would put it on my Cervélo strictly pour épater les bourgeois and, judging from the above, it would.