Night of the Living Gah - now with added public service announcement



T

Tom Anderson

Guest
Well bugger me,

Bike's broken again.

A couple of weeks ago, my chain decided to jump off my big sprocket into
my spokes, and then wrap itself around my mech in an immobile and
all-but-inextricable way, bringing me rapidly to a dead halt; it did this
as i was coming down Pancras Road, in the middle of King's Cross,
surrounded by taxis, which was nice (the lights ahead were red, luckily).
I managed to pry it out and get it back on the cogs; when i rode off, i
found that the gears had gone mad, and wouldn't stay put one one ring for
more than a turn of the cranks. Guided by the lovely Park Tool website, i
readjusted all the screws on the derailer, and everything was working fine
again. Well, actually, i'd left the L screw in a position where i couldn't
get into bottom, but my bottom is unnecessarily low anyway, so i'd left it
like that for the time being.

Now, presumably, the chain jumping incident was because my L screw was
previously too loose; furtherly presumably, that's because it had been set
that way; and finally presumably, this had happened when i'd taken the
bike for its three-month-post-purchase service at Decathlon. Grr.

Anyway, i'd fixed it, so i wasn't worried.

This morning, it unfixed itself again: as i rode off to work, i heard an
entertaining tinkling sound from the rear wheel, which turned out to be a
broken spoke flapping about and playing my wheel like a rotary
glockenspiel. On inspection, i saw that the break was down near the hub,
at the same distance at which the chain got jammed. This is conjecture,
but i think the chain jamming on the spokes bent one, which subsequently
broke.

So, the bike's now in the LBS, waiting for a real mechanic to fit a new
spoke. Once again, i live and learn.

So here's the public service announcement:

Kids! Have you been involved in a chain-jumping-into-spokes related
incident? If so, check your spokes for damage!

Tell you what, here's another:

DON'T GET YOUR BIKE SERVICED AT DECATHLON!

Incidentally, how hard is it to fit a spoke, and what tools do you need?
The LBS guy reckoned it needed something a bit specialist, which i didn't
have, so i left it for them to do, but wonder if i should have bought
whatever tool i needed and done it myself. I presume it involves a certain
amount of re-trueing, which is not something i feel skilful enough to fo.

tom

--
We discovered in Nature's work a pattern of sloppiness, indifference to
basic scholarly standards, and flagrant errors so numerous they completely
invalidated the results. -- Encyclopaedia Britannica
 
Tom Anderson wrote:
> Well bugger me,
> Incidentally, how hard is it to fit a spoke, and what tools do you need?


For the sprocket side, a casette remover and a spoke key. Easy peasy.
5 min job. Other side, just a spoke key. (Caveat : Assuming wheel not
badly deformed).

>I presume it involves a certain
> amount of re-trueing, which is not something i feel skilful enough to do.


If it's just the one spoke the wheel generally comes true when the
tension is just right.

Robert
 
Tom Anderson said:
Well bugger me,

Bike's broken again.

<snip tales of cycling woe>

tom

--
We discovered in Nature's work a pattern of sloppiness, indifference to
basic scholarly standards, and flagrant errors so numerous they completely
invalidated the results. -- Encyclopaedia Britannica

All you need to fix a broken spoke is a new spoke, and a spoke key, Or it's on the drive side rear (which I think yours was), then you also need a cassette removing tool, to be able to put the new spoke in. Only other thing you may need is some new rim tape if the stuff you've got on won't stick back down. apart fmro that you need to be able to true a wheel.

You should he a cassette removing tool anyway (it's a bike tool, therefore you NEED it :), if you haven;t got one they can be picked up quite cheaply (www.mikedyason.com for one place)

Best of luck for when it gets repaired :)

Bryan
 
"Tom Anderson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:p[email protected]...

> This morning, it unfixed itself again: as i rode off to work, i heard an
> entertaining tinkling sound from the rear wheel, which turned out to be a
> broken spoke flapping about and playing my wheel like a rotary
> glockenspiel. On inspection, i saw that the break was down near the hub,
> at the same distance at which the chain got jammed. This is conjecture,
> but i think the chain jamming on the spokes bent one, which subsequently
> broke.


Yup - chain in back wheel = damaged spokes. Not necessarily just bent
either.

> Incidentally, how hard is it to fit a spoke, and what tools do you need?
> The LBS guy reckoned it needed something a bit specialist, which i didn't
> have, so i left it for them to do, but wonder if i should have bought
> whatever tool i needed and done it myself. I presume it involves a certain
> amount of re-trueing, which is not something i feel skilful enough to fo.


For that one, you need to get the cassette/freewheel off. So : cassette
lockring tool + chainwhip, or freewheel puller as appropriate. Then to
actually change the spoke, you need a spoke key - the plastic 'spokey' ones
are the best I've used, because a) they're nice to your fingers and b) they
don't slip.

Replacing one spoke should require much re-truing - it's a good time to
learn!

cheers,
clive
 
BigRab wrote:
> Tom Anderson wrote:
> > Well bugger me,
> > Incidentally, how hard is it to fit a spoke, and what tools do you need?

>
> For the sprocket side, a casette remover and a spoke key. Easy peasy.

And a big spanner or vice and a chain whip.

> 5 min job. Other side, just a spoke key. (Caveat : Assuming wheel not
> badly deformed).


also depends on the size of the sprockets.. It can be easier to get
spokes in and out if the cassette is removed.
>
> >I presume it involves a certain
> > amount of re-trueing, which is not something i feel skilful enough to do.


Almost no skill required to do it, just method. Skill comes in doing it
quickly.

...d

(who has just found his truing stand in time to rebuild the city bike
wheels..)
 
In article <[email protected]>, Tom
Anderson <[email protected]> wrote:
> Incidentally, how hard is it to fit a spoke, and what tools do you
> need?


A cassette or freewheel remover are essential depending upon your
type of wheel. Likewise a spanner if you don't have a QR hub. A
vice or wheel truing stand are helpful but not essential.

> The LBS guy reckoned it needed something a bit specialist,
> which i didn't have, so i left it for them to do, but wonder if i
> should have bought whatever tool i needed and done it myself.


I have 27 different freewheel/cassette removal tools so unless you
get the right one first time you will have a problem.

> I presume it involves a certain amount of re-trueing, which is not
> something i feel skilful enough to fo.


Re-trueing is easy but the way you describe your damage you will need
to renew several spokes, getting them at the right length could be
another problem unless you buy/borrow a spoke rolling machine.

A Spokey is essential - best spoke key I have ever used.

If you cycle for fun then get your LBS to do it - if you want to
enjoy your cycling then diy.

--
A T (Sandy) Morton
on the Bicycle Island
In the Global Village
http://www.millport.net
 
Tom Anderson wrote:
>my bottom
> is unnecessarily low anyway,


You ride a recumbent?
--


Martin Bulmer