Darth Lefty 

I understand that for a racing bike, these things are embarrassing and disposable. But for a mid-grade, everyday bike, they do serve a good function. Also, when done right, they contribute to the look of the bike.

The dork disk on FB or electroforged Schwinns, like Super Sports, was a giant tin platter with thick chrome - bigger than the front chain wheel and not quite as big as the similar front bash guard. Schwinn didn't screw around with this stuff! The two big chrome rings in middle and rear do tie together pretty well. This shot was posted by @reggieob in the fillet-brazed thread





The dork disk I removed from my Dad's Paramount is a Huret with a metal ring in the middle and clear plastic outer, no great shakes to look at. I'm not sure if it's from the 70's or a little later. I'm thinking of putting it back on; the Nuovo doesn't seem happy in 28t bottom gear and I'm wondering if I should have some insurance.

My favorite that I've seen so far is the Sekine version. This was a Craigslist shot from a few years ago. I've seen a catalog page with one that looks similar but crisper, somehow. Maybe just because it's new and polished in the catalog... but I feel like all the corners were sharper. Could there have been higher and lower grades of dork disk?

bikemig 

Still looking for the ti version; it appears to be unobtanium.

crank_addict

This particular bike see's more off-road use and after a near calamity, I decided on a modified Sachs/Huret with the Campy schtuff. Don't care what others say, but its insurance.

Miele Man

I liked my REALLY BIG carbon fiber Dork Disc that I left it on the wheel when I converted that bike to a single speed. There's a matching carbon fiber Dork Disc on the other side of that wheel too.

IMG_2704 by Miele Man, on Flickr

Then there's the smaller chromed SUNTOUR one on this rescued VeloSport.

#1 Velo Sport with Adamas AX & Suntour Components by Miele Man, on Flickr

Cheers

Road Fan

Once in ancient times I saw a Campy dork disk which excited the Inner Campy Dork. But honestly the NR derailleur is quite stable when the limit screws are set properly. Look in Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, or Tom Cuthbertson's Anybody's Bike Book.

The Huret will do.

The Golden Boy 

I like the look of the Suntour ones as pictured above.

I have a small one- I assume it's Suntour... also a Shimano. Perhaps the crown jewel of my dork disc collection - a near minty Helicomatic...

Haters gonna hate.

Little Darwin

I think that as with many things, the dork disk peaked, and has never recovered from the time when they decided to try to make them less visible by making them plastic. Was that when cassettes came into the mix?

I would love to put a nice shiny dork disk on my modern bikes, but all I can find for cassettes are the plastic ones, which look sub-par, especially once they get older and/or turn yellow.

I have never actually tried to put a vintage chromed one behind my cassette... maybe I will have to try that.

Chombi

I do remember those Maillard Helicomatic spoke discs looking quite nice. I think that both my 80's Peugeot came with them......but of course they were one of the things tossed to the side the minute I got the bikes home, along with all the CPSC mandated reflectors on the bikes. Heck, must have taken off .75 pounds off the bike's do in so (surely an over-optomistic estimate). My brother and I were quite poor back in college, and did not own much other than our Peugeot bikes, but we sure had reflectors and spoke discs coming out our ears!

jefnvk

I've got one of those on my Peugeot as well. Thought about taking it off, not for any dork reason, rather to keep it from getting destroyed some day

clasher

I love the sekine ones too! I'm gonna snag one next time I see one at the co-op.

Rice Wash

Hmmm, I need to get my hands on some metal dork discs and purchase a jewellers saw.

USAZorro

I have installed force-field dork disks on all my bicycles. They install easily with minor adjustments using a small screwdriver.

Reynolds 

Disco Salvaraggi per Campagnolo Cambio Corsa:

noglider 

Yeah, the plastic ones seemed like a good idea but they weren't.

I should use them, but I don't, because of vanity.

Lascauxcaveman 

And that big piece of blue duct tape really adds some class

But the field of dork discs, it's really an embarrassment of riches, isn't it?

My personal favorite is the Maillard Helicomatic, an ethereal beauty which barely exists in the plain of vision when it's in pristine condition. I am the proud owner of two such sparkling rarities:


On the opposite end of my extensive collection, there's the mid-eighties, thick, tough polyethelene Cannondale dork disc; nigh indestructible and almost Soviet in its brutal ugliness:

retrofit

The only one I have: Sturmey Archer

Chombi

No doubt that it must have been a quick ACAD design.....
Brand name, an arrayed shape, plastic spec........and we're dunbar!

Darth Lefty 

I was just thinking, I have a friend who's about to get a consumer grade laser cutter/engraver. I wonder if it would manage this sort of thing.

Drillium Dude 

Just found my next drillium project

DD

dweenk

Here are my dork disks. The only one not pictured is a Helicomatic on a Peugeot PH-501.

Chombi

Interesting that one of the prettiest plastic spoke discs, the Maillard Helicomatic, is one of the easiest, quickest to remove, so it was hard to resist doing so......

Loose Chain

Somethings just have no reason to exist and dork discs are one of those things. Things that are functional and purposeful are beautiful and things that are not, really are not.

I remove them with prejudice.

J

clubman 

Suntour Sprint cuz it tells you something useful.

plonz 

Amen brother. Right up there with door edge guards on your car and vinyl covers on your grandparents couch. Prevent the problem in the first place and no dorky protection needed.

stardognine

I just owned one of those metal Suntour ones not too long ago. I almost put it back on, once I saw it had the Suntour logo, but I was afraid you guys would call me a dork.