It is not, it’s to protect your spokes if the chain slips off the cassette. A properly adjusted derailleur will not have the problem. You can ditch the dork disc.
jedv37 on
You can ditch the dork disc. It is not necessary.
bhoose19 on
Dork disc. Not necessary.
dhiltonp on
So long as you keep your derailleur aligned, it doesn’t get damaged and you don’t pedal backwards, you should not have problems.
It’s just insurance in case of user error or component failure. If you’re not sure, I suggest you keep it. There’s no real problem with keeping it.
cjhuffmac on
Dork disc. No.
ToastedSlider on
Simple answer: No. But you might want to keep it if you use the lowest gear and worry about the chain getting stuck in the spokes. With a properly tuned derailleur you won’t have that issue though, unless you get a stick or something pushed into it.
[deleted] on
[deleted]
vaticRite on
It’s not, but it would have prevented one of the most terrifying incidents I’ve ever had on a bike.
I got my bike back from my shop and did the usual drop test, and went for a ride. I was on an arterial road, going slightly downhill, in car traffic but luckily it wasn’t too heavy. Probably going about 30 mph. The light changed in front of me and I downshifted and started braking to stop at the red. When I shifted onto my big cog the chain fell off the cog, wedged between the spokes and the cassette, and my rear wheel locked up.
I managed to stay upright, but holy crap it was scary.
Also had to carry my bike about 2 miles home since I couldn’t get the chain out from between the spokes and the cassette, and couldn’t remove the rear wheel.
Fun times.
I still ride without dork disks on any of my bikes, but I do think about that every time someone asks about them.
youandican on
it has nothing to do with removing the cassette. Why do you feel the need to remove something that is meant to help protect you from ending up with your chain caught between the gears and the spokes
Dirigible1234 on
I guess I don’t understand why you’d remove it? No negative I can see to having it? And a potential benefit to having it?
CoimEv on
Some people don’t like how they look
I have a metal one on my 10 speed and I think it looks fine
I say keep a dork disc. They help prevent a failure that while unlikely does happen
rompthegreen on
O ly if you’re a dork
kombiwombi on
It is to prevent the chain from sawing through the spokes should the derailleur send the chain past the largest cog.
It’s not ‘needed’ as such. Lots of bikes in competition remove it: the deraileur always has the H and L screws correctly set. A bent derailleur means the bike isn’t going to take the rider to a winning position, so if no bike swap is possible then withdrawing from the race is fine.
However for us mortal commuting riders, we don’t want to be sawing into spokes should the deraileur be bent. We want to put the chain back onto the cassette, avoid the low gear, and limp home. Then we can see to fitting a replacement derailleur hanger, checking the H and L limit screws, centering the chain onto the 2nd cog, and then the bike will be ready to ride in the morning for another day at work. For us the bike is a tool.
Recreational riders fall between these extremes and can make their own choices.
sinkas2 on
Keeps the rabbits out
yurahbom on
If you had to ask that question then its better for u to keep it on.
15 Comments
It is not, it’s to protect your spokes if the chain slips off the cassette. A properly adjusted derailleur will not have the problem. You can ditch the dork disc.
You can ditch the dork disc. It is not necessary.
Dork disc. Not necessary.
So long as you keep your derailleur aligned, it doesn’t get damaged and you don’t pedal backwards, you should not have problems.
It’s just insurance in case of user error or component failure. If you’re not sure, I suggest you keep it. There’s no real problem with keeping it.
Dork disc. No.
Simple answer: No. But you might want to keep it if you use the lowest gear and worry about the chain getting stuck in the spokes. With a properly tuned derailleur you won’t have that issue though, unless you get a stick or something pushed into it.
[deleted]
It’s not, but it would have prevented one of the most terrifying incidents I’ve ever had on a bike.
I got my bike back from my shop and did the usual drop test, and went for a ride. I was on an arterial road, going slightly downhill, in car traffic but luckily it wasn’t too heavy. Probably going about 30 mph. The light changed in front of me and I downshifted and started braking to stop at the red. When I shifted onto my big cog the chain fell off the cog, wedged between the spokes and the cassette, and my rear wheel locked up.
I managed to stay upright, but holy crap it was scary.
Also had to carry my bike about 2 miles home since I couldn’t get the chain out from between the spokes and the cassette, and couldn’t remove the rear wheel.
Fun times.
I still ride without dork disks on any of my bikes, but I do think about that every time someone asks about them.
it has nothing to do with removing the cassette. Why do you feel the need to remove something that is meant to help protect you from ending up with your chain caught between the gears and the spokes
I guess I don’t understand why you’d remove it? No negative I can see to having it? And a potential benefit to having it?
Some people don’t like how they look
I have a metal one on my 10 speed and I think it looks fine
I say keep a dork disc. They help prevent a failure that while unlikely does happen
O ly if you’re a dork
It is to prevent the chain from sawing through the spokes should the derailleur send the chain past the largest cog.
It’s not ‘needed’ as such. Lots of bikes in competition remove it: the deraileur always has the H and L screws correctly set. A bent derailleur means the bike isn’t going to take the rider to a winning position, so if no bike swap is possible then withdrawing from the race is fine.
However for us mortal commuting riders, we don’t want to be sawing into spokes should the deraileur be bent. We want to put the chain back onto the cassette, avoid the low gear, and limp home. Then we can see to fitting a replacement derailleur hanger, checking the H and L limit screws, centering the chain onto the 2nd cog, and then the bike will be ready to ride in the morning for another day at work. For us the bike is a tool.
Recreational riders fall between these extremes and can make their own choices.
Keeps the rabbits out
If you had to ask that question then its better for u to keep it on.