Monday, December 15, 2014

How I Rode Home With A Broken Gear Derailluer

I admit I do not take good care of my things so I accept it when they fall apart; and that is just what happened as I was bicycling on my way home.

I should have taken warning when the eight year old bicycle was complaining in the morning. I could sense it was not happy because with each turn of the crank there was bumpiness in the feel of the chain. I looked and discovered that the derailleur was bent and the bottom roller was slightly sideways. That it was bent was not surprising since it was a cheap part made out of sheet metal for a bicycle that sold at a toy store. It probably is more amazing that it lasted as long as it did- considering I rode it almost daily.

I carry a few tools these days since the bicycle has been showing signs of rebellion or senility and I have had to stop and fix little things on the way lately. I took a pair of pliers out of my backpack and twisted the soft metal one way and another to make it straight again. The metal must be suffering from fatigue because it was bent sideways again by the time I got to work and the roller was bumping on the inside.

I was naively hopeful of making it home after work without calling my wife for a ride. I got about one block and my chain fell free of the derailleur and began to beat against the spokes. I saw the roller was gone, the metal was twisted in two ways and the one side was flipped up.

There was not a hope for a roadside repair. I had about six miles to go so I started to walk. I admit I am a little slow in the brains, so it took me about a mile to figure out that I could sit on the seat and push myself along. If I rode in the gutter my right foot could push against the curb nicely and like a scooter I was riding again. At the top of the first hill I just sat on the seat and coasted down to the bottom. I rode the momentum until the bike slowed to almost stopping.  I kept on with my curb scooting for a while and made it over the next hill this way.

Now I began to think, I still had three miles to go and the scooting against the curb was getting old so I figured why not lay the chain over the front sprocket by hand and lay it over the back gears, since the power is on top and if the bottom dangles it shouldn't matter. I would be riding as if it was one gear. So I gave it a try and with only gravity and tension holding the chain in place I pushed off and began to crank. It was working! But after about twenty feet the bike hit a bump and the chain bounced off the gear, the front sprocket spun freely and flung my foot forward. I tried again and got about fifty feet, and the same thing happened again, I just had to be careful not to hit an potholes. But I couldn't keep the tension up and the chain came off again letting my crank spin freely. I kept tying it again and again but my frustration got the better of me after about two miles of going a hundred feet at a time and then resetting the chain.

There was nothing for it but to walk where I had to and coast where I could. It was about the only time I was thankful for the rolling hills because after pushing to the top I was looking forward to a long coast to the bottom.

It was after dark when I got home. I just put the bike under the tarp in my back yard and tried not to think about it.