Destroying parts!

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Pickers
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Destroying parts!

Post by Pickers »

On the back of the shifter thread, I’m surprised at the people that have broken various bits of their bike.

I started riding offroad(ish...) in 1993. I’ve never broken any of the major parts of any bike I’ve had. Plenty of stuff I’ve worn out - including a couple of canti braked rims, one of which let go in the house with a bang!

Even when I’ve crashed hard enough to break the rider the bike has come through largely unscathed.

I used to know a couple of riders that seemed to see rides as an exercise in testing to destruction. Broken cranks, taco’d wheels, broken mechs. With a carry home afterwards. Do we not ride with a bit of mechanical sympathy?
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Jurassic
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by Jurassic »

Sometimes things just break through wear and tear and fatigue (especially aluminium bits in my experience). I've wrecked plenty of rims (mainly aluminium but also carbon) over the years by smacking them on rocks although I've found modern, larger volume tyres tend to offer them more protection even when using lower pressures. I broke the swinging arm on a Scott FS bike landing a jump years ago, I've had an alu road frame snap at the seat tube and I broke the cranks mentioned in the other thread. I don't regard myself as being particularly rough on equipment, I think if you ride a lot stuff does sometimes break before it wears out, especially if it's at the lightweight end of the spectrum.
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BigdummySteve
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by BigdummySteve »

My ‘best’ one was on the cliffs between Dover and Kingsdown, lovely ride which was basically a long climb towards Dover in the way back it was big ring all the way 30mph on chalk tracks with lots of humps. On this occasion I’d inadvertently taken a different track and as I prepared for takeoff I noticed just as I left the ramp that the ground beyond just dropped away and I was about 20 ft up :shock:

Handle bars bent by about 3”
Both pedal axels bent
Bottom bracket axle bent!
One crank arm bent

The bike was unrideable due to the crank now hitting the frame.

Good opportunity for upgrades :-bd
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In Reverse
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by In Reverse »

I destroy bits of the full sus on a fairly regular basis, esp the drivetrain. Being a heavy lump with poor technique really isn't good for bikes if you're riding them hard, nor is the gritty mud of the Dark Peak/West Pennines.

My other bikes tend to be OK though - it's rare that I'll break anything when bikepacking or generally pootling.
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Chicken Legs
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by Chicken Legs »

Rebuilding my hardtail today and on pulling the crank out the Hope bottom bracket came with it, on closer inspection the thread of the bottom bracket where it screws into the frame was stripped, how did that even happen ?
"What is man but the sum of his memories"
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Dave Barter
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by Dave Barter »

Chicken Legs wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 5:16 pm Rebuilding my hardtail today and on pulling the crank out the Hope bottom bracket came with it, on closer inspection the thread of the bottom bracket where it screws into the frame was stripped, how did that even happen ?
Some gas fitter bodging it in probably
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ScotRoutes
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by ScotRoutes »

Broken while riding (other than me);

An aluminium seatpost. Landed hard, seatpost cracked and sheared. Luckily the sharp pointy bit missed my femoral artery.

A bottom bracket once gave out on me around 5km from home. The cup just started spinning in the frame. Ali cup/Ti frame, so a quick clean of the threads and the frame was fine (and is still in use).

A couple of chain links.

Oh - and a frame and forks when a car pulled across me and I slammed into it.
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TheBrownDog
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by TheBrownDog »

Does depend on your riding of course. I've not broken much for a few years because the fear of breaking myself now outweighs the cost of replacing stuff that breaks while riding. But, yeah. Back in my jumpy days: snapped cranks, buckled wheels, twisted forks, mangled headsets and cracked frames over the years.
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fatbikephil
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by fatbikephil »

Not broken much (touch wood). My record for wearing a rim out in the canti / v brake days was 6 months. I did have one rim let go in the middle of nowhere, pushed to a wee shop, bought some parcel tape and wrapped it all up enabling me to ride to the station.

Worst was in the lakes on the trail down from Sticks pass - took a silly line into a one of the side burns, over-balanced where it turned in to cross the burn and fell over a (small) cliff. I was bashed up, the bike went flying and crunched the fork slider. Riding the rest of the route on a bike with rear suspension but not front was a bit odd....

Cue frame breakage on the Highland Trail....
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Chicken Legs
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by Chicken Legs »

Dave Barter wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 5:20 pm
Chicken Legs wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 5:16 pm Rebuilding my hardtail today and on pulling the crank out the Hope bottom bracket came with it, on closer inspection the thread of the bottom bracket where it screws into the frame was stripped, how did that even happen ?
Some gas fitter bodging it in probably
Anything is possible Dave !!
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Charliecres
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by Charliecres »

Other than dinging rims, the only ‘breakage’ I can remember was a pedal strike to a stump that stripped the pedal threads and spilled me so hard on the ground that I rearranged my innards and needed an ambulance.

Tell a lie - I snapped a steel crank clean in half while honking up a steep driveway on my paper round in about 1978.
vdubber67
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by vdubber67 »

I've had CX races where I've broken two mechs and mech hangers in one race. Expensive days out....
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PaulE
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by PaulE »

I seem to have grown out of it somewhat, but have broken most bits of bikes by now - mostly from DH racing, trying silly jump lines or just abusing unsuitable bits.
Snapped at least 3 frames and cracked a few others. Bent a couple of pairs of forks. mangled wheels, snapped and bent cranks, pedals, bars, seat posts and saddles. Snapped brake levers, torn tyres etc. Don't think I've ever broken a stem, but that's about the only part I can think of.

Possibly the most memorable were snapping a chainstay on a Kona cindercone about 30 minutes into an early UK singlespeed championship at Thetford forest. Finished about 10th in the ss race - luckily it was the driveside chainstay so chain tension and gaffer tape held it in place. Won a crate of beer for that one, and then brazed it back together on the Monday.

Also managed to rip a pedal out of the crank threads on the start line sprint of a leisure lakes race in about '95. Rode the race 1 footed, standing on the crank arm for downhill bits... Seems a bit foolish now, but never really considered dropping out.

Generally stronger parts combined with less weight weenie tendancies, more cowardice and decent brakes have pleasingly reduced the destruction rate now.
rudedog
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by rudedog »

Broken/cracked 3 rims and 1 hope hub, mangled 2 derailleurs, knackered 2 sets of cranks, smashed 2 pedals, bent a set of bars and the seat rails on 3 saddles.
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thenorthwind
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by thenorthwind »

Very much depends on the type of riding you do and the parts you buy (expensive lightweight parts or cheaper, heavier, but more durable ones, generally - not a hard and fast rule).

I like to think I don't do too badly usually, but I did have an off on my old full-sus a while ago where I broke the rear mech and hanger irreparably - first time I've broke either. It happens I guess. Only I made it worse by singlespeeding it so I could carry on. And then enjoying the novelty of singlespeeding and doing another ride shortly afterwards, whereupon I snapped the chain, which with hindsight, was obviously going to happen.
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ledburner
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by ledburner »

I've stripped a drive crank lock nut on old ralaigh tourer, sq taper BB are drill so cranks are bolted on, not protruding screw threads and lock nuts. I keep having to tighten it up, it made a slow 15 mile journey home. also a right hand pedal unwound, it can't have been tight enough or was worn any way. when the wobble was noticed, it was already stripping crank threads. broken chain when cracking away from traffic lights, missed toe clipping in, heavy landing on cross bar, I seem to remember- its not recommended :-O
Ding rims aput a flat on it when I hit a big pot hole but kept on rolling.
the only close call was 60 miles from home
ran over metal 'strappining took out front 23mm tyre which disappeared into the front rim. going round a roundabout trying to stop with a hgv behind you was un-nerving.
swapped front & rear tyre. patch & boot on'
tyre V cut, then rode to nearest station & train home..
out mtbing no issues,...besides brake pads &punctures, worn cables & wayward mudguards....
but I've seen a few like cracked frames, mangle rear mech & chain.. . .
All on same ride, same bike & same mile.... :o
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Cheeky Monkey
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by Cheeky Monkey »

Broken a few things riding and have had other things manifest as broken due to my workshop efforts :oops: Occasionally I just hamfist it in the garage :oops: :oops:

All are becoming rarer as I get older and probably ride more sedately :roll:

Sod's Law dictates I will now break everything, including myself, for the next several months :|
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PaulB2
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Re: Destroying parts!

Post by PaulB2 »

I’ve just stripped the threads off crank arms - once when fitting a pedal and once when a pedal came out taking the threads with it. Both times were drive side so expensive.
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