veganbikes

I do not believe you have dual disc brakes you might be looking at a fixed gear wheel or something but bike wheels don't have dual discs at the rear. Where do you then put your gears?

Correct the rest of the world is not like America but unless you are in some village somewhere that has no access to nearly anything, but then likely no internet as well, than you can do better than just the bottom end. Ebay doesn't deliver they are an auction site and you can risk buying fake stuff if you are not careful. Shamano or Shemano or Shimana is not Shimano.

On cleaning and lubricating your drivetrain once and a while, not all that much. Whatever the cost of a bottle of degreaser and a bottle of lube is and you can use an old t-shirt as a rag for extra cost savings.

preventec47

I took the wheel to a couple of shops today until I could find one that had less
than a two week backlog. We determined that the spokes were 12 guage which I think is NOT the heavy duty spokes but I sure like the idea of going heavy duty especially
where the spokes were the most vulnerable. ( on the side of the sprocket facing the chain.) BTW. it is not just that the chain breaks
spokes... In my case two spokes were broken outright, but also another 3 or 4 spokes
were mangled or now have deep scratches and bends in the spoke. I might call the shop and ask to speak to the tech and see what he thinks about going thicker on the 9 spokes being replaced. I suppose that would then be 10 guage heavy duty. ? IS that correct ?
ALso I have found two types of spoke protectors made by Dimension. One type appears to attach to spokes with 3 hooks. The other type has no hooks and is a round disk with a hole that is a tight fit around the threads that the cassette screws onto.
I read about the fact that the hooks sometimes break so I am leaning toward the disk
protector that is tight on the threads. If I could find a better metal model or carbon
model I am absolutely sold on the idea of a protector. I believe my chain coming off
was a freak accident but my fault even though I had professionals adjust my deraileur
and I had never had a problem before. Like I said I came down a steep hill on a small sprocket like 13 or 15 and coasted way up a steep hill and delayed shifting when I shifted quickly from 13 to 34 with too much pedal pressure before letting the chain
"bite" into the sprocket teeth. Then it skiped right off and my pedal pressure just pulled
the chain into and through the spokes. If the protector can help prevent this from happening ever again it is worth it.

alo

If it was me, I would replace that entire side of the wheel, which is probably 18 spokes.

There is more than one possibility with spoke size. I would say I want the thickest available, and ask what they can get. To get anything strong, would be good.

alo

It is sad you think I never do anything to maintain my bike.

Let's say, worst case scenario, if I don't do anything, and need to replace my derailleur every year. The one I am using now was $2.25. Let's say I replace the chain every year. The one I am using cost $1.40. So that is $3.65. Let's say there is something else, and it costs $10 a year. Do you think I will have financial problems with an expense like that.

I think a lot of others would like prices like that, so they can ride through mud, and not be concerned about the expense.

alo

Go back and read what I actually said.

veganbikes

Did I say that directly...it seems as if from earlier it felt like you are replacing parts often rather than cleaning and maintaining quality ones however maybe you do clean your drivetrain and relubricate but they way you have made it sound is no I don't.

It sounds like you have problems maybe not financial but maybe. A derailleur is not a disposable item generally, chain and cassette yes, brake pads, of course but derailleurs not so much. however when you buy fakes of the lowest quality derailleurs, I guess they are disposable because they don't seem to last long (wonder why?)

veganbikes

I wrote this only because I need to to post it.

alo

I have had one derailleur break, and is was a Shimano. It was on the bike when I bought it new.

I fitted one of these on my bike. It cost me $2.25 in a shop here.



Do you think this derailleur is not strong? Do you think it will break? Do you there is any genuine reason why using this derailleur is a bad idea?

My bike is for going anywhere and doing anything. I don't ride on just the good roads. My bike is exposed to very rough tracks, and a lot of mud and dust. A few years ago, there were floods and I rode through flood water.

I have only recently fitted this derailleur. I believe it wont break from normal use. It is actually stronger than the cheap Shimano derailleurs. But the jockey wheels may wear out faster than normal, particularly because of the mud and dust.

If I replace them, it might cost me another $2.25.

I actually think this is an ideal derailleur for use in these conditions, because the jockey wheels, or the entire derailleur can be replaced so inexpensively if they ever needs to be replaced.

veganbikes

It is a low quality older Shimano tourney knock-off. Should anyone need to say more?

If your bike is exposed to rough riding a good quality derailleur and good maintenance practices will help more than having to replace it often. Mud and dust won't destroy pulley wheels poor maintenance combined with poor quality will. Pulley wheels will eventually wear out but good quality ones are unlikely to wear out so fast unless you never clean anything and re-grease as needed.

alo

From the days when they used to build them stronger.

veganbikes

They were still crap. The quality wasn't better materials were marginally more durable but not by huge leaps and bounds.

SkinGriz

Thats my experience. Plastic, disintegrated. Not pulling the freewheel to put one on.

SkinGriz

Here is something I’m trying to learn and live out.
Always be frugal, never be cheap.

It’s ok to buy bottom barrel parts. I would just say to think about it like a time/money graph whereas by spending more money you are likely getting a part that last longer, which saves you time as you go longer between repairs and adjustments. So the constraints are cost, time, quality.

What is your time worth? And if you find enjoyment from tinkering and saving money then that might be time well spent.

If your bike is your transportation and you are late to work because cheap parts broke, then maybe that was not a great decision.

It’s also possible that if the patent expired you could be buying the exact same part without the brand name and markup.

alo

People are saying, if it is that cheap, it cant be good. Look at the picture of the derailleur in the post above. Do you think it will ever break? If this derailleur never breaks, is there a problem? Even veganbikes said:

The jockey wheels will wear out, but so would the jockey wheels on another derailleur, particularly when exposed to mud and dust.

If I was in a place where something different was for sale, I might buy it. If I was in a place where I paid much higher price for the same thing, I may choose something different. If my bike wasn't exposed to a lot of mud and dust, I might choose something different.

The best thing to do in one situation, may not be the best thing to do in another situation.

I am sure, most people would be happy to pay the prices I pay here. I paid less than 25% of what the same item costs on Ebay, and Ebay is cheap when buying things from S E Asia.

shelbyfv

I am sure you live in cycling paradise, happy for you.

preventec47

ALO - Where exactly do you live where bike parts are only 25 percent of USA cost ?

I assume the bikes sold in the USA in Walmart and other Department store bikes and their
components are what you are talking about. I agree that a lot of those bikes can last a long
time and take a lot of abuse and cost just a fraction of the name brand bikes sold in bike shops.
The main problem I have found is that when something breaks often times you cannot find
a replacement part that fits causing you to junk the whole bike minus the parts that might be salvageable.
Knowing this, most of the bike shops wont accept the bike for repair as they can spend a lot of time
trying to repair and fail and then not get paid. Some say that after having to junk a few bikes, the savings accumulated has evaporated and you could have just bought a brand name bike in the first place.
The main reason I have a dept store bike, is on occasion I need a "Beater" that folks wont want to steal
and if they did I would not cry too much.

alo

It is a fun place, but not because of the price of bike parts. If people have lived in another part of the world, and come to Asia, it is different. You can go out cycling, and see things you have never seen before. Which makes it interesting. Also people are friendly, so you can easily make a lot of friends. When you have a lot of friends, you can have a lot of fun.

veganbikes

My XT derailleur from 1994 still has the original jockey wheels on it. 27 years old and still works just fine in any conditions. Granted these days it doesn't see mountain biking but I do abuse it. My older XT from the 1991 has NOS jockey wheels on it but only because they are purple anodized the old ones weren't damaged that is going to see a fair amount more dirt and grime and mud as soon as I finished tuning the bike.

I would not be happy paying anything for fake stuff. I like the real deal with warranties and support behind it and a product that will last quite a while. I mean almost 30 years of service ain't bad for a mountain bike derailleur. But hey I guess 6 months for a knockoff hunk of junk is not bad for, you know, that level of quality.

alo

I have only fitted it recently, and don't know how long it will last.

However, the jockey wheels in the genuine Shimano which came with the bike when new, were wobbly enough for the chain to rub on the side of the derailleur in less than two years.

I do more kilometers than many people posting on this forum, but there are some others who also do a lot of kilometers. You can't compare mine with those only doing short distances.

Mine is exposed to a huge amount of mud and dust. No doubt, that causes it to wear faster.

Because of what has happened, I plan to replace the jockey wheels or derailleur, as soon as the chain starts touching the side of the derailleur. An intelligent guess, suggests that might take about one year. The cost is so little, it would not be a problem if I changed them more often.

I am sure, if you just checked bicycles at random on the street, a significant number of them would have the chain rubbing on the side of the derailleur, particularly those which had done a lot of kilometers. In most cases the riders will tell you there is nothing wrong. Except for the few, where the chain actually catches on the derailleur and causes damage.

alo

It would be an interesting exercise for anyone interested, to check if the chain touches the side of the derailleur at all. It can be your own bikes, or the bikes of others.

Let us know whether the chain touches the side of the derailleur, or the only places it touches are the jockey wheels.

veganbikes

I am sure you do all the KMs so many, you are the best rider ever and the most rideiest rider!

I don't see a lot of bikes that have a chain rubbing the side of derailleur unless it is a front derailleur and the bike is not properly set up or needs a tune up. We really don't need to replace pulley wheels that often and I have seen plenty of pretty darn rough bikes. I am not saying it doesn't happen but if a pretty well abused derailleur can still be going on original pulley wheels from the early 90s I think a derailleur should be able to last more than a year. Granted yes a fake derailleur with cheap pulley wheels probably won't but we already knew that.

Dirt and mud can cause premature wear if the bike is poorly maintained but cheaper components will generally wear out faster as well so combine cheap components and poor maintenance and you are replacing derailleurs every 6 months to a year like a sucker.

Chuckles1

I got a bikes direct bike with a dork disc years ago before I read the forum. I just thought it was protection for shipping, as there were lots of protective plastic parts to protect from shipping damage. So I tossed it along with the other shipping materials. I was peeved when I learned about the kind of damage they can prevent. I didn't replace it, but I double check the low limit screw on RD of that bike every spring.

jccaclimber

Lots of off topic bickering in this thread.
I don’t personally run a spoke protector, but I accept that I might find myself relaxing a wheel one day as a result.
To those who think poor maintenance is the only cause, accidents happen. I nearly needed one on my road bike recently. I was at the shop getting a part, with a friend watching my bike. He’s not used to the area, and a strong wind blew my bike over. It landed on the drive side, and unbeknownst to me bent the derailer hanger. It bent it almost exactly one cog, so the shifting wasn’t all that bad, and I didn’t notice it was off by one cog. Riding home up a hill I downshifted and heard the cage rubbing the spokes mid shift. Fortunately I backed off, stopped, and bent it straight enough to ride home before properly straightening the hanger. Had I finished the shift, or simply had a shorter cage derailer that would not have rubbed the spokes I could have trashed my wheel and gone down in traffic.
Admittedly poor maintenance, but I had an upper derailer cage screw back out mid ride years ago. The result was the upper pulley moving inboard. I was on friction shifters and didn’t notice the gradual movement. Eventually the chain dumped off the inside. Fortunately I was on a trispoke at the time and the chain simply rode on the hub until I shifted back, but I suspect that would have been a long walk home had I been on a normal wheel.

I advise wearing helmets, wearing seatbelts, using tail lights in traffic, and kneeling your spoke protectors, even if I don’t always do those things.
Thicker spokes might keep you from breaking a spoke at that moment, but the grooves cut in them will eventually break. Better to use the appropriate spoke size, and either protect them with a disc or accept the risk.

shelbyfv

Yep, add operator error to poor maintenance as a cause of problems.

capnjonny 

Our local boutique bike shop regularly gives the bike Exchange front, rear, and spoke reflectors and all the spoke protectors they get in the box with the new bikes they get. The spandex peacocks that buy 4 and 5 figure bikes from them don't think safety or good sense applies to them so we get all the castaways to use on our donation bikes.