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What the heck just happened to my bike??

Laura BeckerLaura Becker
in General Training Discussions

I was just out on a ride and my rear derailleur completely snapped off. I was riding easy- in middle gear of my rear cassette. I was switching to the big ring in the front when CRUNCH, CLUNK, CLINK, - at first I thought it was a dropped chain- I put on the breaks and instantly realized that it was much, much more- the chain was off and twisted the derailleur was in between the spokes- it is an AWFUL sight. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?? I was not riding any differently- not cross-chaining---- the metal SNAPPED and CRACKED completely. I am devastated that my bike is a mess. Not the way to start a new year!!

I bought this bike in November of 2013 and have had so many mechanical issues. Its a Trek Speed Concept. 

Thanks in advance for any insight. 

Comments

  • Steve RossSteve Ross
    This happened to me as well years ago on a ride, best guess then and now is metal fatigue with the the stress put on by shifting and spinning. Hopefully no frame issue happened here. Just derailleur, nuts, and bolts a quick fix ?Yes/No Mrs Becker?
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    I dont see the derailleur hanger back there - the part the derailleur is actually bolted onto. Usually, its a separate part attached to the frame and can on rare occaision break off. Doesnt Trek have a lifetime frame warranty? Your Local Bike Shop/Trek dealer should take care of this for you. Maybe drastic temperature changes played a role here?
  • thekidduxcthekidduxc
    +1 to Al above, the rear deraileur hanger has snapped off. Probable a result of all those massive watts you have been pulling in the OS!??

    It's not a difficult fix. (Assuming the rear deraileur hanger is a separate piece that is bolted on and NOT a part of the frame itself). The question will be if your LBS has a rear deraileur hanger in stock. I'm not sure if Trek will honor the lifetime warranty against such a claim as the hanger is not a part of the frame. However it's worth a try.
  • John BayoneJohn Bayone
    Thankfully it did not happen at a high speed and cause you to go down. It does look like the hanger is broken from the photos.

    Good Luck and hope that they can get it fixed soon.
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Definitely have your LBS check it out to see if there is any frame damage and if the DR bolt stripped when it pulled free. If the DR hanger is aligned properly with the frame it should take a lot more than 2 years for that metal to fatigue even though it isn't very substantial. It may have already been slightly bent or perhaps something caused it to bend/break. I've never snapped a DR hanger before, but I travel with a spare one to destination races in case it is damaged in my case ... even though I always remove the DR itself when packing the bike.
  • Brad MarcusBrad Marcus
    Also has happened to me a few years ago on my road bike, and as already said, luckily you weren't hurt! My rear wheel locked up completely when it happened. Why? Who knows....my situation sounds vaguely similar to yours....it just happened. Unfortunately, some bikes (more tri vs road for reason), don't have a rear derailleur hanger and they bolted directly onto the frame. The problem with ^this^ is that when you lose the derailleur like you did, the frame is damaged. I don't know the trek and can't tell from the photo if there was a hanger or not. If there was, it's super easy and inexpensive to get it replaced. If not, and frame is damaged, I'd take the advice in some of the other responses and see if Trek will cover it. Also, make sure the LBS checks, your derailleur, chain, spokes, etc. I had damage to all that stuff when this happened to me. Sorry about this...no way to ring in the new year. By the way, not saying this was the case, but my experience motivated me to keep my bike drivetrain cleaner than I had been. Good luck!
  • Clark MitchellClark Mitchell
    I believe that this is a known issue with some of the Speed Concepts (note the first item under Bike - http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2012/09/the-girls-2012-swimbikerun-gear-i-use.html). For sure check with LBS to see if this was ever officially addressed by Trek.
  • Laura BeckerLaura Becker
    Thank you everyone for your feedback, advice and support!! First- I am SO SO grateful that I did not crash and that I am okay. It was scary but I stopped safely.  I believe that the derailleur hanger broke off. (only wish it was bc of my massive watts David) @Al- I did look up the trek warranty and you are right, now I just have to figure out what exactly happened and what needs to be prepared. Dropped it at the shop but they didn't get a chance to look at it yet. SO I am waiting for the call tomorrow…..But I have more info from all of you to help figure this out and questions I want to ask. So thank you. I will update soon!!
  • Laura BeckerLaura Becker

    UPDATE:

    So you were right- the rear derailleur broke but it also tore two screws out and cracked the frame.  THANKFULLY Al was right and TREK is will warranty the frame!! So cost will be minimal! Apparently there was a known problem of there been a "weak spot" in the metal back there.  There were also a few spokes damaged in my wheel (which is has my PM hub) but those are being repaired as well.  SO POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE- I did not crash, my frame is going to be warrantied and I am getting 2016 version of my bike! AND my bike shop did a lot of leg work and got the bike in THIS week----- I am picking it up tomorrow!!! SO I only had to modify my OS bike workouts this week with a borrowed bike and spin class. WOOHOO!! CAN'T WAIT to see the new ride!!!

     

  • Clark MitchellClark Mitchell
    Wow, that's awesome! Glad to hear everything worked out.
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Like!
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