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What causes rear derailleur to break?

rmillerrmiller
in General Training Discussions

Twice at IMLP, I came across folks on the side of the road with broken rear derailleurs.  Ironically, they both happened within like two miles from each other, on the road to Wilmington.

What causes this?  Is it a wear component that just suddenly decides to break out of the blue?  Is there a warning?  Or is it caused by how the equipment is treated - ie, trying to shift up or down in a high power, low cadence scenario?  

Comments

  • Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch
    My only experiences with broken rear derailleurs have always been due to some outside influence (crash or foreign object that gets stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time).
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Did the rear derailleur break or did the derailleur hanger break? It's a big difference in the cause but both can result in problems or complete failure of the derailleur. If a bike is shipped and the deraiileur not removed, then it is possible for the hanger to get bent in transit. When I use TBT, I always shift my derailleur to the biggest ring on the rear cassette to get it out of the way. When I pack my bike in my case, I remove the rear derailleur completely.
  • rmillerrmiller
    I'm not sure in these cases - I think the derailleur hanger broke, but as I was rolling on by, I never got a good look.

    OK, well if the general consensus is that it is external factors, I won't worry too much about it suddenly happening due to wear. Thanks!
  • John BayoneJohn Bayone
    On the road to Wilmington from Jay I saw those guys ...and by the time that i went by they were talking about the hanger being broken while they were waiting for some support out there.
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