Hey there, I’m on a cycle tour in West Africa, currently in eastern Guinea (relevant as there are no bike shops around here).
Today a stick or some thick shrubs got caught in my rear derailleur, to the point that it was pulled backwards and the rear wheel locked.
I think the derailleur is slightly bent now as the chain isn’t landing smoothly on the first cog at the bottom of the derailleur. Hopefully the video demonstrates this.
I’ve tried cautiously just bending it with my hands but wanted to get some advice as that didn’t do too much.
Any tips? I can cycle it as is, it’s just loud and probably not great for the bike. Before I tightened the bolt that connects the derailleur to the frame, the derailleur was hitting the spokes when in the lowest gear :-/
1,000 miles from a mechanic and I’ve bent my derailleur
byu/JudeMakesMaps inbikewrench
by JudeMakesMaps
4 Comments
That looks fine, just get some pliers and work it a bit so it’s straight. You’ll need to apply some force, just make sure you don’t also bend the derailer hanger.
Double-check limiting screws. Not that the chain drops off during shifting.
Tough one. If at home I’d get the derailleur hanger tool out and see if the hanger is bent or just the derailleur. Then I’d bend it all back not worrying about thing breaking as the shop is around the corner. In your shoes I’d assess my tools. Spare hanger? Spare wheels? Chain breaker? If you don’t have these things id probably just ride it while it is clicking around. It may not take much to straighten it enough to stop clicking, but if you break the hanger, and you can’t shorten the chain to make it a single speed, things could be worse. Good luck! Enjoy your adventure.
That can be fixed with some pliers and some “percussive maintenance”.