Mama Platy in need of repair!

[GirlGangRider]

My 2.75 year old toddler and I went on a short errand 3.6 miles away from our home. I decided to take the scenic route and enjoy the ride as I pointed and talked to my daughter along the way. We saw a very cool dragon in front of a house alongside some other Halloween decorations. When it was time to go back home, I finally checked the time to see that it was 10:40 AM. My husband was at home with our younger 12 month old daughter and he had an online class at 11 AM. There was no way I was going to make it in time for his class so I immediately messaged him and told him I would be a little late.

I told my toddler, "We need to get home as soon as possible, Mama is going to take a different route than the way we came so we can get home sooner." I rode down a busier street and felt so lucky that I was getting every single green light. My daughter was cheering me on to go faster and the downhill ride made it all that more exciting. Naturally, I wanted to shift my gears to change my cadence. I listened to some weird sound as I shifted once and then twice. In hindsight, I should have immediately stopped trying to shift and ride in the same gear until I got home. Then ask my husband to check out my bike. (If you haven't read Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!'s posts on ticking sounds, I highly recommend it! I have now learned my lesson to always be cautious of sounds on my bike.)

I shifted a third time and while I was crossing an intersection heard a very loud crack. I tried to pedal and did not feel the usual resistance on my bike. Fortunately, I did not freak out and just slowly glided to a stop with my brakes out of the intersection to safely disembark. I looked down and saw the chain had come off. Originally, I thought that maybe I could put the chain back on. I was wrong. "Mama bike broke?" said my daughter, "Yes, mama bike broke." I video-called my husband that instant and showed him my chain, derailleur and gear hub. His words were, "What the f&*# happened? I have never seen that before!" In my stomach, I felt the biggest pit of remorse and regret. Have I just messed up my beautiful Platy? The bike that I love riding so much! Was it ruined forever?

The Platy was not rideable. It was barely walkable. I was still about 3.1 miles away from home. I had a broken bike and a 26 pound toddler. My husband told me to call my brother-in-law. Maybe he could come and pick up my toddler and I could take the bus home. I was only 20 yards from a bus stop. I decided that I would try taking the bus on my own with my toddler and my broken Platy. We waited for the bus and it was time for me to lift my bike (with rack and Yepp seat) onto the bike rack. I tried to pick it up once and it barely got off the ground. Another hmph and I could only get the front wheel off the ground. Taking a deep breath and looking at my daughter on the sidewalk, I summoned all the Mama Hulk strength I could muster to get my Platy on the bus bike rack. We rode on the bus till our stop. It took another three tries to get my bike off the bike rack. I knew we would have to take another bus back home. Luckily, this one offered level boarding so I wheeled it inside and asked a friendly bus rider to help me carry it off the bus.

We made it home. My husband came downstairs and gave me the diagnosis. When I shifted, the derailleur got caught inside the spokes (the derailleur hub had been previously bent somehow and this is why I should never ignore strange noises!). My derailleur was broken in half. A spoke had been bent and broken off. There was a small crack in the frame where the derailleur is attached (we are hopeful it is just the paint). 

I am devastated! I will send updates on the repair as soon as Mama Platy is in working order.

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

My poor, poor RivSister!!!!! Ugh, my heart is actually bleeding just reading this. Your beautiful Platypus! And you were riding with your cherub on the back! I’m SO glad you both are ok. And your Platy will be, too. I know it feels desperate (I have cried actual tears in several bike shop parking lots) but I think they will be able to get this righted so you and your cherubs can be out on the open roads again looking at cool dragons and Halloween decorations. 

You are right about noises. I have learned that they MEAN something, and it’s my job to find out what - usually enlisting professional help at shops or from the good folks on here. I learned this after riding around up and down my mountainous city with a very loose headset. Like, very loose. There is so much I’m still learning. 

Anyway, please keep writing on here. You are a kindred spirit and a delight! 

Leah

[st nick]

Howdy and sorry that happened.

I know that's frustrating as it's happened to me twice in my decades of cycling and once to my wife on her bike.

All 3 times it was caused by the rear derailer limit screws not dialed in exactly to prevent over shifting.

There are 2 limit screws , usually marked with an L for low or an H for high.

The low one sets the limit of the derailer to not go beyond the big cog of your cassette or freewheel to prevent sending the chain into the spokes.

The high screw prevents the derailer from over shifting to the outer most small cog of the cassette or freewheel to prevent sending the chain off the cassette causing it to get stuck between the cassette and the drop near the derailer hanger possible bending it.

From my experience sending the chain into the spokes is the worst as it can bend or break spokes which will cost even more to repair.

Either direction of an over shift sucks.

It's made be paranoid about double or triple checking when I install a new derailer.

As to dropping a chain into the spokes that's why many bikes come with the so called 'dork' disk that fits between the cassette and spokes.

One bike shop owner/mechanic on YouTube that calls himself the Bike Farmer insists on installing new disks because he's seen that over shift happen so often causing damage.

Two times on my incidents the two bikes had replaceable derailer hangers and it was fairly simple to resolve.

Once my derailer broke in half just like yours.

Another time it wrecked 9 spokes and it was a $60 repair bill to replace and true the wheel.

Perhaps 'dork' disks are not such a bad idea although I don't currently have any on my bikes I do really pay close attention to the derailer limit screws.

I'm sure there are others that can give a better or more precise explanation but maybe that helps some.

I hope you get your Platy  back on the road quickly.

I have a similar rear seat on one bike to carry my granddaughter.

Safe riding,

Paul in Dallas

box_liam on Instagram 

From the picture it looks like your chain stuck on the outside.

[st nick]

I just remembered another incident that broke a rear derailer and that was caused by a too short chain.

The bike was in the big ring on the crank probably a 46 tooth ring.

I think the rear cassette had a 34t big cog.

I had reused a too short chain and should have known better and sized the chain before riding the bike.

Riding in the big ring on the crank I shifted into the big 34 T on the back and it was too much for the derailer stretching it way passed where the cage should go and broke it into two pieces.

Another lesson learned...make sure your chain is sized to the proper length for your bikes drive train.

[Chris Halasz]

Clem with well adjusted Low and High limiters, proudly accessorized with dork disc. Belt and suspenders! 

[Liz Tilton]

I’m so proud of you for getting yourself out of that mess! For thinking, for figuring out, for hauling, for lifting, for making your bus transfers, and for doing it all while hanging on to your toddler! 

Dang well done. 

Liz in Cincinnati

Sent with delight from my iPad

On Oct 7, 2024, at 12:21 PM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

My poor, poor RivSister!!!!! Ugh, my heart is actually bleeding just reading this. Your beautiful Platypus! And you were riding with your cherub on the back! I’m SO glad you both are ok. And your Platy will be, too. I know it feels desperate (I have cried actual tears in several bike shop parking lots) but I think they will be able to get this righted so you and your cherubs can be out on the open roads again looking at cool dragons and Halloween decorations. 

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[Joe Bernard]

I agree with all that limit screws should be properly adjusted and dork discs are useful, but I don't think that was the problem here. It looks to me - and sounds from your description - that your derailleur got bounced into something, bending the derailleur hanger. Then when you got to the lowest gear the derailleur cage was pointed into the spokes instead of being straight/vertical. Not good! I'm glad you survived this mishap without injury to you or the little one. 

Joe Bernard 

[Diana H]

Another RivSister checking in to share in your misery. So sorry to see this happened! Wishing you a quick repair so you can get back out there. ♥️

Diana 

San Francisco 

[GirlGangRider]

Thank you all for your kind words and problem solving capabilities! Fortunately, my Platy is in good hands and in repair now. I hope it will be ready soon so I can go for another ride and share our adventure.

[Josh C]

What a bummer. I'm glad that you and your kid are safe. My wife rides the same bike and loves it. For some reason her drivetrain has been loud from the day we got it. No matter which bike I ride next to her, her bike is always way louder. I've done everything I can to adjust that bike and it's just a noisy derailleur/drivetrain. I don't have a hanger alignment tool, but may have a mechanic friend check it out, as I've been thinking it may be the issue. If that's not it, it may just be the cheap derailleur/cassette combo, aside from the wheelset it's the kind of the worst part of the stock build. 

For the record, dork discs are the worst, even though it doesn't seem like it'd have helped in this situation anyway.

[Michael Morrissey]

Hi! I'm glad you and your little one are ok. I know it's a lot more stressful to have mechanical problems with a little passenger aboard. 

Consider it a badge of honor for you to bust a drivetrain like that. All day on eBay there are Rivendells that are 10, 20, going on 30 years old that have no scratches at all and appear brand new. Your bike is not one of them, and that's a good thing. Sure, your bike looks good standing still but it looks better in motion.

From the picture, it looks like maybe you were in the highest (biggest) chainring on the cranks and the lowest (biggest) gear in the back. That might have added a little stress to the drivetrain system, but it is not your fault and should not have been enough to have a big bust like you did. You may want to consider ditching the front derailleur and going with a "one-by" system for simpler shifting, which is what the majority of new mountain bikes have. Perhaps post where you are and someone else could recommend a good shop to help you.

Happy trails!

Michael

[velomann]

Nearly all of us with enough years and miles in the saddle have similar stories to tell. I'll add - and this is something the previously mentioned Bike Farmer repeats nearly every time he mentions "dork discs" - derailleur hangers are easy to bend, and you usually don't know you've done it until you shift the chain (or worse, the derailleur) into the spokes. I'm a professional bike mechanic so this is something I see all the time, but my number one piece of advice is, first - never lay your bike on it's side. BUT, if you absolutely have to lay your bike down, NEVER lay it on the drive side. My experience is that derailleur hangers get bent three ways. Most common is a crash. Even something minor that causes the bike to be laid on the drive side is a reason to check shifting and alignment ASAP. Second is loading the bike in a car/van/truck. Again, NEVER lay it down on the drive side, (or stack anything on top of the rear derailleur area.) Third is bumping the derailleur with something. It's often another bike, and this can often happen in a bike rack when you're not looking.

Hopefully your bike returns to you good as new. And now you know (good advice for all riders) If you're experiencing anything newly "off" in your shifting, stop and check it out. This goes triple if anything sounds like it's touching your rear spokes when you shift. Derailleur hangers get bent, and spokes and derailleurs get broken when riders "push through" an overshift off the big chainring.

Mike M