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Ok, take it easy on me, "What's wrong with the Dork Disc"?

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Ok, take it easy on me, "What's wrong with the Dork Disc"?

Old 12-23-10, 03:33 PM
  #1  
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Ok, take it easy on me, "What's wrong with the Dork Disc"?

I seem to be "uninformed" on WHY, it's a faux pa to have the "so called", Dork Disc on the rear wheel!! I thought it was there to keep the "chain" from over riding the largest cog, so you all are saying, "it's not needed"?? So I take it that you all are saying that the "derailer" never goes so far out of adjustment that the chain can't override the largest cog?? If it's not needed, why does the mfg'er. of every bike made it seems put one on?? I'd like to be "enlightened" so let me know, thanks!
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Old 12-23-10, 03:36 PM
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Removing the Dork disk removes excess weight from the rear wheel and improves your uphill speed by 2mph.

It is put on the Prolls bikes so that they do not show up the club racers who will take it off to reduce the weight of the bike and improve overral speed.
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Old 12-23-10, 04:10 PM
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Nothing but a "perceived upgrade in appearance" without it. Mind you that perceived value increase is greatly diminished if the chain (or derailleur) shifts into the spokes. An extra few ounces at/near the hub is negligible for most of us.
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Old 12-23-10, 04:15 PM
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If you keep up on the maintenance of your drivetrain, shifting into the spokes is greatly minimized making the ugly disc unnecessary.
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Old 12-23-10, 04:26 PM
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OK, back when some of us were teenagers (and others post-teenagers) the (average) rear derailleurs weren't necessarily the most precise shifting piece of equipment on your pride and joy, so if the monkey behind the wrench at your LBS (who was usually the lowest paid guy there) put it together half-assed, there'd be a chance that the chain would go into the spokes, chew them up, and eventually you'd have really annoying wheel issues down the road. Oh, and back then, the dork disk/pie pans were usually made of steel, so they weighed a bit more than the plastic ones you see now, so removing it took at least a few ounces/grams off your overall bike weight.

Fast forward three decades or so, and nowadays most rear derailleurs are pretty spot on with their shifts, assuming it's not grossly mis-adjusted, and the disks are probably light enough/clear enough that it doesn't take away from the appearance of the bike, so it doesn't really matter if you keep it on or take it off or whatever. But...

The original bottom line, IMO, is if I see a disk on a bike, is it on there because the derailleur's not properly adjusted because if it was, it's an unnecessary piece of equipment. After all, do you see any of the pros riding with them?
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Old 12-23-10, 04:33 PM
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Originally Posted by longbeachgary
If you keep up on the maintenance of your drivetrain, shifting into the spokes is greatly minimized making the ugly disc unnecessary.
This is more aligned with my experiences. The group of riders I grew into cycling with some 35 years ago always felt that no self-respecting cyclist would have this, because "By God, we can take care of our own bikes and ALWAYS have them adjusted correctly." The "pie plate" as we called it then was a sign that you couldn't take care of your own mechanical work.
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Old 12-23-10, 06:06 PM
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Yeah, and newbies to bikes also leave on those front, rear and spoke reflectors. And they always wear helmets and knee protectors.
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Old 12-23-10, 06:30 PM
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I took the dork disk off my first 10-speed because I thought it looked better that way. I'm currently reviving an old tandem which has a plastic d.d. The rear hub uses such a large spindle that my freewheel remover won't fit over it. I didn't think to pull it when I re-lubed the bearings. So unless I want to pull the rear wheel off the bike again, a non-trivial task, and pull the spindle out again, the d.d. will stay where it is.
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Old 12-23-10, 06:52 PM
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I don't see what difference it makes whether it's on or off. I have one bike without it and two with it.

Do people really think I don't do my own maintainace because I have it on the bike? How dumb is that?
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Old 12-23-10, 07:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Makeitso
I don't see what difference it makes whether it's on or off. I have one bike without it and two with it.

Do people really think I don't do my own maintainace because I have it on the bike? How dumb is that?

People who care about riding bikes won't notice if you have one.
People who care about appearing as if they care about biking will snicker.
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Old 12-23-10, 07:55 PM
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My Cannondale has a small minimal disk and it is staying on. I don't feel the need to please anyone but myself when it comes to my bike. I have had a chain over ride the large rear sprocket after a crash put the derailuer out of adjustment and lacing wheels is time consuming when the spokes get torn up from the chain. To each his or her own.

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Old 12-23-10, 08:01 PM
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I've never removed them from any of my bikes that had them. It's more trouble than it's worth. Elitists used to scorn such things as 'safety' brake levers and stem mounted shifters as well, but I rode with them since the early 60s, and still have a bike with them (a great vintage Motobecane). They work fine, and I've never had any issues with them.

It's more about perception, than reception....

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Old 12-23-10, 08:01 PM
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If the limit screws are adjusted correctly and you don't ever screw with them (no pun intended), then the dd isn't needed. Unfortunately many newbies think those screws are some kind of an adjustment for fine tuning the shifting.
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Old 12-23-10, 08:11 PM
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It's only a faux pas in the mind of posers desperate to imagine themselves superior to some being other than their parents' dog. Many of their parents don't buy that notion of the family hierarchy making the situation dire and spiking the scorn levels.
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Old 12-23-10, 08:31 PM
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Originally Posted by RonH
If the limit screws are adjusted correctly and you don't ever screw with them (no pun intended), then the dd isn't needed.
That's it. The limit screws keep the chain from going too far. Now if you ride a bike without proper maintenance (chain gets gunked up, no lube, stretched, cables not adjusted, etc.), it's maybe a concern. IHaving one doesn't really distract from the bikes performance that much but it does send the message that the rider doesn't do a lot of maintenance.
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Old 12-23-10, 08:37 PM
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Nothing wrong at all.



If you're a dork.
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Old 12-23-10, 08:59 PM
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Old 12-23-10, 09:48 PM
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Originally Posted by stapfam
Removing the Dork disk removes excess weight from the rear wheel and improves your uphill speed by .00002mph.
Fixed.
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Old 12-23-10, 10:15 PM
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Originally Posted by NOS88
This is more aligned with my experiences. The group of riders I grew into cycling with some 35 years ago always felt that no self-respecting cyclist would have this, because "By God, we can take care of our own bikes and ALWAYS have them adjusted correctly." The "pie plate" as we called it then was a sign that you couldn't take care of your own mechanical work.
Pie plate...now that's got to be connected with a pie ride
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Old 12-23-10, 10:22 PM
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I have been losing the dork disk for 35 years now.
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Old 12-23-10, 10:57 PM
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Originally Posted by StanSeven
...but it does send the message that the rider doesn't do a lot of maintenance.
Not sure I agree with that statement. One could do plenty of maintenance and still keep the d.d., don't you think? Whether it sends a message or not is in the mind of the receiver in this case.

Originally Posted by patentcad
Removing the Dork disk removes excess weight from the rear wheel and improves your uphill speed by .00002mph.
Fixed.
Shouldn't that be "improves your uphill speed by 200mph? Or did I drop a decimal place somewhere?

Originally Posted by Garfield Cat
Pie plate...now that's got to be connected with a pie ride
I've never seen a sig in BF that read "I like dork."
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Old 12-23-10, 11:17 PM
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They look dorky.
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Old 12-23-10, 11:22 PM
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Nothing wrong with dork discs in my opinion. After 10 years or so they'll usually crack and start rubbing on the cassette, then it should be removed or replaced.
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Old 12-23-10, 11:24 PM
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They are one more attempt to make the modern bicycle idiot-proof, much like the "lawyer lips" on fork dropouts. When slobs pedal, they do NOTHING to maintain their bikes, and thus experience rear-wheel-chainsuck from running their garbage into the ground.

I prefer the term I read several years ago -- it's what my co-worker/riding bud and I call them at work -- from MOUNTAIN BIKE magazine; they had a column called "Uncle Knobby", kinda like dirt's version of "Style Man". A reader wrote in, lauding the 'coolness' of the DD, asking where he could get one, as his bike didn't have it. Knobby told him to go to any LBS and ask for a "big wedgie"...they always have them in stock, never run out, and always a good price.

So, at my place of work, they're called "big wedgies". Every 6- and 7-speed freewheel-equipped bike has one.
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Old 12-23-10, 11:25 PM
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If you don't really know what it is, then it is best to leave it on.
If you understand what it is and have the ability to keep things in proper adjustment, then take it off.
There used to be some really heavy chrome-plated steel ones which were great for helping get up to speed downhill.
If you really are a dork, then you are obligated to leave it on.
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