Weak links [bicycling]

[rebeccmeister]

Yesterday when I was almost to the very top of the steepest hill on my bike commute home, bad noises happened and I suddenly couldn't pedal anymore. I managed to wheel Frodo to a driveway at the top of the hill to investigate further.

Apparently, I broke my chain, and somehow in the process, my front derailleur got wedged/twisted/entwined with the front chainring. Yikes. What a mess. Even more messy because it has been raining lately and so rather than a full bike clean I just added more chain lube last week. Let's just say "caked on" would be phrasing things mildly when attempting to describe the state of my drivetrain.

In any case, I eventually managed to extract my multitool from somewhere deep in my pannier, and was able to loosen up and reposition the front derailleur correctly. Whew. The front derailleur was NOT destroyed, as I'd initially feared. The driveway wasn't the best spot for dealing with the chain, though, so I coasted down the hill and around a corner to a better spot, where I was miraculously able to remove the broken links and rejoin the chain. I even more miraculously managed to softly pedal Frodo all the way home after that. Shifting even worked.

I didn't have enough time/bandwidth last night to give Frodo a good cleaning and once-over to evaluate what maintenance steps to take next. That's going to have to wait until the weekend.

And so, Princess TinyBike to the rescue!

Comments

[graydon]

Yark. "Uphill in the rain" is at least a highly traditional time. Glad there was a driveway to hand.

shorter chain = less top shifting range, on the one hand, and breaking under load = done on the other. (Have you got a chain gauge? Sometimes "chain wear indicator." Notionally measures "stretch" -- pin wear -- in chains. Ought to let you know if it was one bad pin or the chain's actually done.)

Also, Yay! Princess TinyBike.

[rebeccmeister]

I don't have a chain gauge but I'm thinking there are probably at least 3 good reasons to go ahead and put on a fresh one at this point. It also seems to me that by the time the chain gauge says the chain's done, there's a fair chance it's too late for the cassette. I could be wrong, though, having never been a religious chain gauge user / chain changer. :^)

[graydon]

Cassette is technically independent of chain, but yeah. Certainly worth a look to see if you think the sprockets are still square-toothed (and flat!).

Supply logistics for bike parts isn't in the best shape, but I've been able to get things like brake pads OK with a bit of searching. I would suspect chains are a relatively easy thing to get. Cassettes might be tougher if you need something exotic or specific.

[cmcmck]

I note she's a Brompton which is a decent make!

It's the name of a small town in the area where I grew up.

[rebeccmeister]

Oh wow, I hadn't realized Bromptons were named after a town. Now I know! They are indeed a decent make, and at this point still very hard to obtain in the USA. I was so happy to finally get her this month!

[twoeleven]

Yikes indeed! But I'm glad you were able to jury-rig it enough for some practical use.

[rebeccmeister]

Me too!

I suspect the link that broke was one that I took apart and reassembled to put this chain back on Frodo the last time I cleaned it. The links are never the same after they've been taken apart. I would have used the "missing link" but I was having an impossible time getting it to come apart at all. If it was indeed a reassembled link, the rest of the chain is probably fine.

On the other hand, do I really want to find out, or should I just put a whole new chain on? I think there's a fairly clear better answer to this particular question if the goal is reliability and peace of mind. But on the third hand, do I have a spare chain kicking around at home, or am I going to have to gamble on the unreliable parts market? (bike part supply chains have gotten funky, along with so many other supply chains)

[twoeleven]

bike part supply chains have gotten funky, along with so many other supply chains
So you're saying you have a funky chain chain? I think the 70s want their funk back. :)

But seriously, I'd be tempted to take a look at the weak link out of curiosity for science! in any case. But I realize you're just a wee bit busy these days.