Derailleur in spokes
 

On Tuesday, June 7, 2011 3:21:25 AM UTC-4, Chalo wrote:

There is a simple, lightweight, reliable and inexpensive device that
prevents just this sort of failure. It's called a spoke protector,
and it works. It's cheaper than buying a new bike frame (or
replacement dropout) and sundry parts every so often.

I know who among my customers is most likely to need one. But a good
rule of thumb is, if you suspect you need one, you do. If you have no
idea whether or not you need one, you do. And if you aren't clear
about what a spoke protector is for, you need one.

The spoke protector has been unduly maligned. It is to chronic or
occasional obliviousness what fenders are to rain. And everyone is at
least occasionally oblivious.

Chalo

In my case, I don't think a spoke protector would have made a difference. The problem was not a maladjusted limit screw. I believe it was the pulley cage that went into the spokes. I would have needed a spoke protector that was more than half the diameter of the wheel.

Ken

Derailleur in spokes
 

Ken wrote:

Chalo wrote:

There is a simple, lightweight, reliable and inexpensive device that
prevents just this sort of failure. *It's called a spoke protector,
and it works. *It's cheaper than buying a new bike frame (or
replacement dropout) and sundry parts every so often.

In my case, I don't think a spoke protector would have made a
difference. *The problem was not a maladjusted limit screw. *I believe
it was the pulley cage that went into the spokes. *I would have needed
a spoke protector that was more than half the diameter of the wheel. *

Most of the good sized spoke protectors I deal with at work keep the
derailleur cage from making contact with the spokes. Some of them let
me know this by making a scraping sound when I shift the bike into low
gear on the stand. I reckon a few of these bikes have must have had
limit screw problems ever since they were new, decades ago.

I even installed a minimal plastic ring spoke protector the other day
that _only_ deflected the derailleur cage, not the chain if it were to
fall off the inside of the cluster. That seems like a bad idea, but
surely better than nothing.

For some customers (chiefly pedicabbers), I will modify a big old
metal spoke protector and fit it to their cassette-hubbed wheels with
zip ties at the spoke crossings. This even provides some defense
against a cabbie who just keeps stomping instead of stopping to
investigate a strange noise when climbing a grade with passengers.

Chalo