Bike completely messed

[karimali831]

Hi,

On my Saracen Mantra bike I changed the gears to gear 1, the chain then went behind the cassette, the chain then became stuck forcing the gear part, I think they are called "derailleur pulley" and "rear derailleur" to bend all the way to up to the center of the wheel.

The derailleur pulley (shown on the image below, circled blue) got stuck on one of the spokes of the back wheel, I had to force bend it back into shape but by then it just snapped off. I did that because I wouldn't of been able to move the bike unless I picked it up of course and I was hoping to bring it back into place. The derailleur pulley is now disconnected, the chain still on it but that is it. Also, I need a new headset as this one has cracked.

I'm bringing it to Halfords tommorow for repair. Any ideas how much all this will cost? I'm still under my 6/12 month warranty also.

Summarize:-

Derailleur Pulley -Completely disconnected, the chain can not move round as one of the sides of it is bent therefore I will need to buy a new one. Metal one this time.

Rear Derailleur -Bent back into place, gears are still function as tested. Not sure though if anything is damaged. (Seems ok)

Chain - Full grease, partially rusty. When I'm at a particular gear, the chain will trip somehow when I push down onto the pedals (hard) Not sure if GT85 will do the trick otherwise it may be better to get a new one.

Headset - Cracked. The bike will rock fowards when I apply the front brakes.

I'm assuming when I was on gear two, the chain was at its toppest of the cassette and when I went up to gear one, it went behind it. Perhaps something was too loosen or too tight.

Thanks for advice.

 

[karimali831]

Unless the cage, that houses the jockey wheels is seperate then you will need a new rear mech.

Lube and wipe your chain weekly to stop it rusting, if it is jumping in certain gears then it may need indexing.

Your headset, fair enough it does sound like you need a new one.

headset, prob about £20-£30

depends on the cost of the real mech, should imagine about £10-£15 to fit.

Try cleaning and oiling your chain because it sounds like it has some life in it yet.

Also get the wheels checked because they may be out of true because of the damaged spokes (if they are)

Thanks for your post.

I used sunflower oil which did optimize performance.
GT85 was just no good for my chain!

Though now it seems very greasy, harder to bend because it is partially rusty. I would prefer to buy a new one, but not sure how much extra it will cost for them to put it on.

Will check on the spokes later.

Cheers.

 

[Ivan Ardon]

Avoid taking it to Halfords, they're very variable and many stores will find replacing a rear mech and a headset difficult to get right. They'll also replace more than necessary, rather than repair.

Find a local bike shop and have then fix it.

 

[ASC1951]

I used sunflower oil which did optimize performance.
GT85 was just no good for my chain!

I would avoid any vegetable oils as lubricants. They dry out very quickly and leave a sticky residue when they do.They are meant for eating. Use a mineral oil on a bike.

 

[Randochap]

This is a common occurrence when someone either allows the limit screw on derailleur to get out of wack, or, more commonly, bends the derailleur hanger in, causing mech to overshift.

You'll probably need a new derailleur and hanger now. Sounds like you haven't done any maintenance if your chain is rusty.

Take your bike to a reputable LBS

 

[karimali831]

I should go to another bike store other than Halfords to get my bike repaired even though I'm still under my 6 and 12 month warranty?

They say it covers defective parts of the bike.

 

[punkypossum]

Might be an idea to at least clean the chain before taking it to Halfords, otherwise they might just say the damage is due to neglect...

 

[mickle]

Randochap has hit the nail on the head, rear hanger (the bit which the rear mech. bolts on to) was bent inwards at some point, often caused by dropping the bike, and it has subsequently over shifted. The rear hanger is designed to fail in a crash, the theory is that it absorbs the load which might wreck a rear mech or even a frame. It's a sacrificial component. Trouble is many of them are made out of cheese and bend far too easily causing this kind of wheel-wrecking incident.

I repaired a bike today with just this issue. I managed to straighten the rear mech. cage plates by removing them and bashing them with a hammer which saved the cost of a new mech.

New hanger; £12
Spoke and true; from £10 depending on the damage.
Labour; £12
Rear mech if not repairable; from around £15 depending on the model.

The headset should be covered by warranty.

 

[Randochap]

The headset should be covered by warranty.

Unless it was crashed. The OP said the headset was "cracked." Does he mean the actual headset, or the head tube? I meant to comment on that.

Now I have.

 

[karimali831]

The guy said it is not most probably not covered by manufacturers warranty as it is a non-moving part or moving part. Not sure what he said out of those two. He then told me, £11.99 for the headset and an extra £20 to fitting it on.

 

[karimali831]

Well I was thinking it would cost around £50-70 to get the new components. Any cheaper the better but there is no local bike stores around here.

 

[screenman]

Sounds like Halfrauds put it together in the first place, there will be a LBS you are just not looking.

 

[ed_o_brain]

I recently binned a Saracen X-ray with a cracked head tube.
It had only had light use. Not enough to wear even the brake blocks or tyres out.

 

[Randochap]

I recently binned a Saracen X-ray with a cracked head tube.
It had only had light use. Not enough to wear even the brake blocks or tyres out.

I don't know that this bike had an "integrated" head set, but if it did, that would probably be the cause. The trend towards these garbage head tubes/sets is an abomination -- the worst devolution of bicycle design in a century.

Unfortunately, the industry has rushed to embrace this shite and the cycling public have to pay for it with rattling headsets and trashed frames ... all to save an ounce. Ridiculous!

Want to know why? Download this illustrated PDF technical explanation.

 

[karimali831]

Ok, I've looked everywhere for a LBS. It seems to be veryy far from where I am and Halfords is just down the road. Anyway, they told me it will take a week to fix the headset and 2-3 weeks to fix the bike altogether. I brang it on Wednesday and they told me to come another day because they are busy and they disallowed the bike to be at the store!!