Oh dear. Riding along the other day (miles from anywhere, naturally) and somehow, whilst changing gear- I can't work out what precisely happened- the rear derailleur sheared in two. I was going pretty slowly, nothing got caught up in the wheels or anything and the chain didn't slip off the cassette either into the spokes or down beyond the small cog. Maybe the mech itself was just weak?
Anyhow, its definitely broken. The chain broke too. Clearly I need a new rear mech.
I am concerned about the frame though. The dropouts still seem to be aligned properly, the rear wheel still rotates fine, but the bit to which the rear mech is bolted on looks to me to be bent out of true. Or is it? I can't recall exactly what it was like before. I attach some pics. Should the entire structure be aligned in one plane or is there supposed to be a slight kink here?
Bike is an Orange C16r.
If it is bent, is this repairable simply by bending it back? The metal looks pretty solid and there is no cracking of the paintwork.
Is this the area where on a modern bike a rear hanger would be used, avoiding precisely this sort of thing?
Lots of questions I know but I also know that you folk are full of answers!
Anyhow, its definitely broken. The chain broke too. Clearly I need a new rear mech.
I am concerned about the frame though. The dropouts still seem to be aligned properly, the rear wheel still rotates fine, but the bit to which the rear mech is bolted on looks to me to be bent out of true. Or is it? I can't recall exactly what it was like before. I attach some pics. Should the entire structure be aligned in one plane or is there supposed to be a slight kink here?
Bike is an Orange C16r.
If it is bent, is this repairable simply by bending it back? The metal looks pretty solid and there is no cracking of the paintwork.
Is this the area where on a modern bike a rear hanger would be used, avoiding precisely this sort of thing?
Lots of questions I know but I also know that you folk are full of answers!