Well, I was out on a nice ride through the 'hood, pedaling up a somewhat steep hill when my chain decided to misbehave on me. Slipped off first, got it back on and tried to limp home, less than 50 feet later I'm taking the walk of shame and had to leave the remains of a Chinese chain behind. Who else has had to take the walk of shame due to parts misbehaving?
Broken Chain Club
- Thread starter TubatronSXT
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:
I've had 2 failures leaving me to make the walk of shame. Both on group rides, and both in Northampton Mass. Blown out rear tire once and a broken crank last time we rode. That one was bad, but could have been so much worse.
This (and crappy modern hubs) is why I almost always run a front brake.
It doesn't have to be cheap Chinese for a grown man to flex off the chain or pop a poorly fit or crapped out snap ring on a coaster bike, especially when climbing or launching with a tall gear. Coaster bikes frames without these issues tend to be either expensive, or old and crusty and heavy like an anchor. :| (or both :mrgreen: )
It doesn't have to be cheap Chinese for a grown man to flex off the chain or pop a poorly fit or crapped out snap ring on a coaster bike, especially when climbing or launching with a tall gear. Coaster bikes frames without these issues tend to be either expensive, or old and crusty and heavy like an anchor. :| (or both :mrgreen: )
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2010
- Messages
- 12,545
- Reaction score
- 2,885
I have done the "Walk" many times, especially when I haul stuff to the scrapyard. I catch little bits of scrap metal in my tires all the time. Lucky for me the owner knows I mess with bikes and sells me complete bikes that are scrapped for $6-$12 so I have a stock pile of tubes from bikes I have parted down so it's just a quick walk home and I'm back up and running in 5 minutes. Another recent failure was when I was riding my KHS and 4 out of the 6 bolts that hold the rear disk brake to the hub wiggled out and the other 2 were on their way out. I stopped and removed the disk and got new bolts and put them back in with Loctite.
I can only imagine that lovely feeling of squeezing the lever only to find that the rather expensive disk brake is about to die. I used to run a front brake but I'm in a bad spot money wise so I can't afford a better fork and brake system than the old worn out (and dangerous) one I have.
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2010
- Messages
- 96
- Reaction score
- 85
Iv only had a few failures and I get lucky when they do happen. Twice I rode about 30 miles then got a flat about a half mile from the same bike shop. One of those times it blew the old tire right out of the bead ring and i had been doing 30mph just a few miles before! Another time right near that same bike shop my stem and bars pulled out while crossing traffic ! I didnt have a wrench and the bike shop was closed. Would have been a long walk home but i looked down and found the right wrench right there on the side of the road. lucky day 
On some of the monthly rides we do here there have been an assortment of breaks.
I've busted a brake strap causing the brake arm to spin and catch the fender brace bending things up. I've also had a bottom bracket bearing cage disintegrate causing a car ride back.
Some other problems we've had are a few pedal shafts snapping, a tire skid that went through the tire (cardboard repair), a couple skip tooth chains and some puking brakes from downhills in San Francisco.
We've also had some broken people which included me taking a hard hit over the bars after dropping a chain while doing a standing spring; a fender catching and over the bars causing a busted up face; a hard fast crash clipping a chain link fence on a downhill; and a busted leg caused by a pair or trolley tracks.
I've busted a brake strap causing the brake arm to spin and catch the fender brace bending things up. I've also had a bottom bracket bearing cage disintegrate causing a car ride back.
Some other problems we've had are a few pedal shafts snapping, a tire skid that went through the tire (cardboard repair), a couple skip tooth chains and some puking brakes from downhills in San Francisco.
We've also had some broken people which included me taking a hard hit over the bars after dropping a chain while doing a standing spring; a fender catching and over the bars causing a busted up face; a hard fast crash clipping a chain link fence on a downhill; and a busted leg caused by a pair or trolley tracks.
latest was Sunday afternoon testing shifting on a flipper I got the day before at a garage sale.
shifted to lowest cog, and the deraileur blew the chain into the spokes.
Luckily I was a half block from the house. Others were a much longer walk,
shifted to lowest cog, and the deraileur blew the chain into the spokes.
Luckily I was a half block from the house.
Others were a much longer walk, 
Danimal said:
you are NOT riding my bikes anymore.
CCR
Mouth-Breather
Went on a weekend vacation a couple weeks back, got some rental bikes to ride on this scenic trail in the Ozarks. I had just slapped a RRB sticker on the bike I had, tried to wheelie when we left for the next stop and thought I had broke the chain and it got hung up in the guard be cause the pedals weren't flopping but something popped and it was hard to pedal. Turns out I snapped the pin of the crank ... called from the trail to let them know the bike was broke. The asked what kind of bike and said a guys bike with pink wheels and flowers on the seat. I thought the bikes were pretty rough to begin with but they dropped off the most uncomfortable girls bike I have ever ridden to replace it with a front wheel shaped like a pringles chip :lol:
I've taken that walk three times with my brand new Deep6. Talk about a heartbreaker. $700 bike and I'm walking it 6 blocks home. That histop hub is a P O S. Since I replaced it with the SRAM 2spd it's been smooth cruising since.
Danimal said:ifitsfreeitsforme said:Danimal said:.... Although I seem to recall your bike having an issue too that night.
Touché.
The Renaissance Man
__CERTIFIED DIVER__ (Open Water & Open Dumpster)
Staff member
Moderator
Pro Member
While riding with my kids earlier this year, I broke this chain due to pedaling hard up a hill about a half mile from home. I was able to hold on to the rack of my sons Monark and he towed me in. Toward the end of the ride is a steep down hill that I coasted down with no chain and therefore no brakes! That is a disconcerting feeling to say the least. I guess I could've walked it down, but that wouldn't have been nearly as much fun!
The Renaissance Man
__CERTIFIED DIVER__ (Open Water & Open Dumpster)
Staff member
Moderator
Pro Member
Thanks, the Monarks where my first two balloon Resto-Rats from several years ago (before I found RatRodBikes).Danimal said:
About half of the way down, as my speed was topping out, I began to question the sanity of my decision to trust a 60+ year old bike with no chain. :roll:TubatronSXT said:
Only broken one so far. Was going through some grass ona short cut through the next neighborhood. Standing up peddling it decided to pop. I fell forward a bit and my foot slipped off. Luckily I caught myself before I fell over and recovered. Good thing as it wouldn't have been good to catch a Odessy triple trap to the back of the calf. I had my seat low enough to kick back home.
i got a 10 speed murray for my birthday in 1984 , wasnt use to the drop bars yet - (most my bikes were cruisers or had apes )- and tried to shift while going up a slight incline while pedeling standing up , chain broke, i panicked and locked up the wrong brakes , the front brakes- i went over front handlebars - breaking my left arm in 3 places ,broke my collar bone ,fractured skull, and severly dammaged the bike .....
