It's not a coincidence that both things happened at exactly the same time. What are the alternatives, for the same event to cause both a chain derailing and a broken spoke?

The chain was so loose that when he hit a pothole really hard and broke the spoke, the shock also knocked the chain off. Or - Some very solid object, a bolt or something like that, flew into the chain in front of the cog somehow, bound against the spoke and the leverage was enough to both break the spoke and wedge the chain off. I tried that with a pencil and it's possible, it does bind on a spoke. But these two are so unlikely that his idea that the broken spoke derailed the chain is probably the answer.

Over-thinkers usually miss the most obvious things. My guess is that the chain derailed to the inside of the cog and the spoke was broken when it made contact.

Just wondering if there's some kind of list of desirable frames to keep an eye out for on Craigslist and the like. I know personal preference plays a big part, but what are some quality frames you would snatch up if the price was right? Also what should be avoided? Anything that's an obvious red flag? Thanks

Two things to avoid:
1) Anything described as a "sweet fixie" on CL.

B) Anything else on CL.

-Bandera

The herd mentality is strong here.

I think CL is fine if you know what you're looking for and have some discretion from experience

Yeah, I don't go to CL looking for specific stuff, but I'll browse it just to see what's around. It's like the internet's thrift shop.

This is less likely than my scenario, IMHO. The chainline is dead straight, the chain wasn't loose, and the chain and cog are both fairly new and in good condition. Throwing the chain without a lateral external force seems really unlikely. Also, to lend further credence to my theory, when I was walking my bike in the garage, the back wheel suddenly started dragging, because the broken spoke got caught between the chain and cog. Anyway, I have a wheel to repair.

I don't think his theory is even possible. Whether that's over or under-thinking it, I couldn't say. Good luck with your repair.

Really? Because I replaced two broken spokes and one nearly broken spoke on a customer's wheel a few weeks ago and that's exactly what he said happened.

Maybe he just made up that story because he didn't want to say how a bolt or some other hard object magically appeared and flew into the chain in front of the cog.

Granted, people are looking for different levels of quality, fancy-ness, aesthetics, and so forth. Here's what I look for.

1. Horizontal dropouts or track ends

2. Prefer steel, so I can mess around with the dropout spacing, and take care of minor alignment issues if needed

3. Avoid irreparable damage of course, such as bikes that have been obviously crashed and bent

4. A frame that comes with a usable seatpost is a benefit, since there's no standardization of seatpost sizes and it's hard to measure a frame for the correct post. Make sure that you can loosen and adjust the seatpost, because a stuck post is a nightmare

5. In general, the more usable / desirable parts on the frame, the fewer that you have to buy, at least right away. A nice cotterless crank that can be disassembled and fit with different chainrings is a plus.

6. Clearance for wider tires, if that's your preference

7. Bring a tape measure, so you can confirm the dimensions per your preferences

I believe that a lot of 1980s bikes had similar quality lugged steel frames that are good enough for building into a decent single speed bike: Schwinn, Raleigh, Fuji and the Japanese brands in general. If they weren't all made in the same factory, they might as well have been. I don't tend to look at bikes that carry a brand premium, because the sellers want too much for them. Trek comes to mind in my area.

Thank you sir. This is what I was looking for!

Will a standard lock ring tool, such as this one:

Shimano chain whip and lock ring tool

work on a Phil Wood 6-notch lock ring? I see a special tool for the Phil that mimics a cog, so you can loosen the lock ring using a chain whip. I don't want to buy something that specialized if I don't have to.

Don't ask me how I've been loosening my lock rings. You will cringe.

I have that tool and it's served me well for a while. I know the Hozan lock ring pliers get a lot of love and I'm sure they're great but the nice thing about the TL-SR22 is the added chain whip so you can remove lock rings and also cogs with one tool.

Just curious, how were you removing lock rings w/o a lock ring tool before? Couldn't be worse than a flat head screwdriver and hammer.

That's exactly why I like the combination tool. The Hozan pliers seem like a great tool, but they're 45 bux. For that same money, I could get the Shimano lock ring tool + chain whip. I've got a 3/32" chain whip, but not a 1/8". For the cogs, I've been getting by with a scrap of 1/8" chain clamped in a vice.

Certainly not! I'm not a Neanderthal. I use a proper pin punch and hammer. (Relax--I support the axle on wood blocks, so the spokes and rim aren't taking the force of my hammer blows.) I warned you not to ask.

Only when I can't find my hammer. Big plumbing tools are an adequate substitute for striking the punch. (See my last post.)

Speaking of which, I've been meaning to repurpose one of my old channel locks into a lockring plier by grinding the jaws down.

crude but effective i guess, still cringe worthy. I'm sure the wheel would be fine assuming you're not removing the lock ring like that on a regular basis. I'd be more worried about the lock ring itself. Make sure the pin punch hasn't deformed the notch in the lock ring or else there's a higher chance the hook form a proper lock ring tool will slip out stripping the lock ring.

Easily done:



DIY Lockring Pliers

Exactly! I also want to make a couple for my co-op because all our lockring wrenches are damaged, but it's only worth it if I can source several channel locks for cheap. Gotta hit the flee markets

The modified Channelock looks pretty good.

Maybe a cheap Harbor Freight or Northern Tool pair would do the trick.


-Tim-