Defunct Derailer

[Pink Kona]

Looking for advice....

A woman on a recent century ride had her cable housing come out of where it connects to her handle bars. (Sorry, I don't know the proper terms for those gear junkies out there...) She was able to put her bike on a fixed gear and ride it into a repair station on the ride, however, what if one were out on a solo long ride and such a thing happened? Any advice of books or resources for MacGuyver fixes?

[Irulan]

I've been on several rides where deraillers have broken off, and yep, you single speed it the rest of the way.

I carry a spare hanger for those kind of issues. My solution is to ride with guys with tool kits. ;-)

seriously, Zinn and the art of MTB maintenance has a whole chapter on trail fixes.

Irulan

[Adventure Girl]

Originally posted by Irulan
I've been on several rides where deraillers have broken off, and yep, you single speed it the rest of the way.

I carry a spare hanger for those kind of issues. My solution is to ride with guys with tool kits. ;-)

seriously, Zinn and the art of MTB maintenance has a whole chapter on trail fixes.

Do you really carry an extra hanger? Wow! Were you a boy scout? (Always be prepared!! )

When $hit happens, you have to improvise. Have you ever heard of fixing a flat with dead leaves? My friend was out on a trail and got 2 flats. He had one tube and no patch kit. He put the tube in the back tire. Then he took a bunch of dead leaves and stuffed them in his front tire until it was full enough to ride on. That was pretty resourceful and he didn't have to walk out or ruin a rim!

And back to Pink Kona's original question, it sounds to me like single speeding WAS a good MacGyver fix.

[Irulan]

Do you really carry an extra hanger? Wow! Were you a boy scout? (Always be prepared!! )

yes and no. I had to drive 15 miles to get a Kona hanger, so I bought two and threw the extra one in the bottom of my bag. Ya never know. Other than that, I only carry a multi tool, the usual tire stuff, and spare SPD (cleat) bolts.

I'm learning how to do more of this stuff all the time.

Irulan

[kimba]

I just signed up for a maintenance course at my LBS- they'll offer two programs- one is emergency fixes- ie: broken derailleur, chain, fixing flats.

The other is a 2 day course on maintaining your bike, and ensuring it'll run well...taking off and rebuilding basically all your components and how to know when they're adjusted properly....

last time out... I got 2 flats...after I fixed the last one I started up the hill again- and the chain broke.
Ah yes- a ride that simply was not meant to be....


Kimba