Kevin
Thanks for the quick responses guys. I just hadn't thought about hard debris like that. I knew that the mud and grit would cause wear but hadn't thought about the sticks and stones getting caught in the works. Like I said, I'm a road rider!
Great fun to watch cross though!
Kevin
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What is happening in Kevin's corner of the bike world?
http://the-whir-of-spokes-in-air.blogspot.com
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From: craig austin
To: Kevin
Sent: Mon, October 26, 2009 1:15:16 PM
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] a question about deraileur breakage on Cyclocross
A number of things, including collisions, can cause it, but in muddy 'cross or road races, something often gets caught in the chain (small piece of gravel or even a small stick, stalk of grass, blackberry vine, etc.) travels along the chain to the derailleur pulley. When it gets there, unless you stop pedaling, the pulley jams and you push the whole derailleur up and over, snapping off the hanger or sometimes breaking the derailleur cage. Often it also forces the derailleur cage into the spokes of the rear wheel.
The cassette cogs also get clogged up with mud/grass/gravel, and can cause the same thing. You're quite often pedaling hard, even standing, to get through a thick muddy section, so you don't back off when you encounter resistance.
On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 1:01 PM, Kevin wrote:
Okay, I don't ride cross, I'm a road rider, but I've watched a few of the events. Why are there so many broken deraileurs? Collision? I'll bet a saw a half dozen folks at Hillsboro carrying/walking bikes with broken deraileurs.
>
>Just curious.
>
>Kevin
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>What is happening in Kevin's corner of the bike world?
>http://the-whir-of-spokes-in-air.blogspot.com
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
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