Complete Noob! Serious FAIL.

J_asonR

Hi guys and girls(the few that I've noticed on here),

So I've just been out for my first XC ride on my old Saracen Mantra 1 which I've been doing up over the past month to get it rolling again..

All it really needed was a new crank set, tinkering with the brakes, new tubes and little bit of help on the gearing from the LBS.



Anyway, back to todays ride... So in the end it clocked in at around 20kms in probably about 80mins plus a couple of 5 minute stops.. Which to me sounds quite a long time, not sure what an average is though and I wouldn't say I was going too slow...

Anyway, the ride was coming to an end, with about 3 kms to go till home, and I decided that instead of getting off to walk through a small gateway I would try and roll over a small bridleway step over thing for horses (I'm sure if you've been out on bridleway you've probably seen the things), and the below happened... I lifted the front wheel over but probably a bit high and slammed down on the outer chain ring! Luckily it bent outwards and not inwards otherwise I would have been walking the rest of the way home and wouldn't be able to ride it until I got a new chain ring.. Luckily, I didn't use the outer one much so I won't really be needing it in the near future, or at least before I can get a replacement..



Anyway, that's the story, tell me your thoughts on this epic FAIL and whether you've had similar experiences?!

Chunkers1980

Nope, but do you know how to fix it?

supersonic

Bend it back with an adjustable spanner - it should be fine!

J_asonR

My version of fixing that would be to get a replacement.. But I'll definitely give the adjustable a go, could possibly chuck it in the vice and give it a good push too! Would it need heating to make sure it doesn't snap?! Also, I don't know if you can see, but the top of a few of the teeth are pretty squashed as it was a metal bar running across the top of the hurdle that I hit.. Could I sand these down or something like that?! I think it's going to be a Sunday bodge jub, because Saturday is a day full of riding on this thing!

Curious Yellow

Remove the bent ring and go to a double if you can?

J_asonR

Curious Yellow wrote:

Remove the bent ring and go to a double if you can?

Yeah was thinking that in the last 3 kms, just get that bad boy outta there! Maybe I'll go for that if the bending back doesn't work.. Would probably be more money spent at the LBS doing my gears AGAIN though as I don't have a clue how to swap out the front duerailer (or however you spell it) for a 2 speed one..

jimothy78

J_asonR wrote:

Would probably be more money spent at the LBS doing my gears AGAIN though as I don't have a clue how to swap out the front duerailer (or however you spell it) for a 2 speed one..

I don't think you'd need to swap anything - just set the limiter screw so that the arm doesn't move beyond the middle position.

benpinnick

Doesn't look terminal. Whack it with a hammer.

J_asonR

I'm sure that will be done on Sunday too! I'll let you know how it goes..

cooldad

benpinnick wrote:

Doesn't look terminal. Whack it with a hammer.

This. I bent one on the trail a while back, thought it was stuffed and Ben battered it with a rock for a while.
Still on and working perfectly.

(See I gave credit this time)

dhobiwallah

No need to swap dérailleur, a triple front mech will work fine on a double if you simply set the adjuster screw to prevent it shifting into the biggest ring (which is no longer there).

You could always replace the big ring with a bash guard to stop that happening again to your middle ring.
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/shimano-fc-m800-item95158.html#info

J_asonR

dhobiwallah wrote:

No need to swap dérailleur, a triple front mech will work fine on a double if you simply set the adjuster screw to prevent it shifting into the biggest ring (which is no longer there).

Thanks, on the pic above, is it one of those two screws that will need to be adjusted? Or is it elsewhere on the derailleur?

cooldad

Read 'Read this first' below first.

J_asonR

cooldad wrote:

Read 'Read this first' below first.

Thanks, it's now also in my Bookmarks Bar

cooldad

Very handy site.