A 3-Speed Gain.
Let me explain. I was out for a ride last Sunday, about halfway in to my planned 30mile route the rear shifter went click click thunk, the rear mech went into its lowest gear and stayed there. A quick poke with a multitool confirmed it wasn’t a roadside fix. I thought about calling International Rescue but my better half was otherwise engaged so it was fifteen miles on a single speed bike, (as mine is a 1x11) and one stuck in top gear, but not quite. I still have 3x power assistance options to play with. Welcome to new my 3-speed Gain!
In truth it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, obviously hills were a bit more challenging than normal, but putting the motor on full power and getting out of the saddle got me up them, if making the legs sting a bit. On the flat and undulations I kept the speed up, didn’t have much choice really being stuck in top, but I kept it just on 15mph mark to keep the motor assisting. A different way of riding but quite good fun really
Back home the strip down diagnosis is that part of the plastic cup that holds the nipple of the gear cable within the shift had given way and thus the cable had pinged out when I tried to upshift. Why, I don’t know. A manufacturing fault only now coming to light, plastic fatigue and maybe a sticky cable or gummy rear mech push the problem back upstream, I don’t know, but not a complicated fix and I’m 3-Speed no more.