I do get kinda a sadistic satisfaction out of helping out when others break down. Like a superhero, I'm always ready to spring into action (there's a reason my camelback feels like a brick...all those tools!) to come to the rescue.
This last time out, I must admit, I was even surprised at what I was facing. Mike's Magura brake lever had self destructed, ending up with a lost pivot barrel into the leaves somewhere in the vast Mohican wilderness. The pivot barrel is crucial, as it is the piece that stabilizes the lever, allowing it to rotate and provide leverage/travel. Without it, the lever just flops around worthlessly, attached only by the hydraulic cylinder.
Hmm...what to do?
Like McGyver (that famous TV show where the main character can build a nuclear bomb out of toothpicks, bubble gum, and a ginseng leaf), I quickly looked around for options and bammo, here ya go...
Take one knife and one stick...
Whittle down until it fits tightly...
and press it in place...
The fix has lasted for two days and numerous miles. Hope it holds up until Magura gets me the replacement parts :)What's been your craziest trailside repair?
Have a good weekend all,
rody
9 comments:
Whoa, nice one. No good fixes here.
Wow! that is great.
I am usually the one in the group to have the tools to fix most problems.
My good ones all seem to involve zip ties. I once zip tied the rear triangle on a friend's Fisher caliber together, it made it back to the cars which were 15 miles away (it is a single pivot full suspension and the tube connecting the chain stays and seat stays cracked). I also used zip ties and duct tape to fill in the gap in the same friend's cassette after he destroyed one cog in the middle. As long as he did not shift into the gap and stayed in the larger cogs he was good for the rest of the ride.
oddly enough no bailing wire fixes yet......
wow, nice carving job there!
back in the day, when i started riding single speed, i used an old suntour road derailleur for keeping the chain tension. in my first race as single speed rider the main spring inside the pivot cracked (i also had a punctured tire earlier in that race). pretty bummed i did some quick brainstorming and as i always carry some pieces of old inner tubes (you never know...) i managed to tie the derailleur cage to the chainstay with enough tension. it lasted to finish the race and also a little longer, till i got myself another chain tensioner.
here's an image i took in the finish area: http://tr.im/kYjp
btw... i loved to watch mcguyver when i was a kid, :D
Superman-that is why you are a firefighter...
Roadie emergency: On a very rare road ride, 12 miles up a lonely canyon road on a 50 mile loop, I had the freewheel of a 7 speed Arris setup begin to come apart. It was working its way off of the hub and over towards the dropout and beginning to spill necessary bearings into the roadway. I reasoned that if I could just hold the freewheel body in place, I could make it home.
I found a plain, old napkin and a popsicle stick on the side of the road. I stuffed pieces of the napkin into the crevice of the freewheel with the popsicle stick. It worked so well, despite a menacing 'knocking' sound when pedaled, that I finished my ride.
It even shifted well. Go figure.
Excellent fix, Rody. Here's one: A rider had her FD cable housing disintegrate on her, and she was stuck in the granny ring on a fast fire-road ride. Found an appropriately sized pebble and stuck it in the front derailleur parallelogram, which kept the FD in the middle ring.
Awesome fixes guys...I'm always amazed at how simple items found in the midst of the emergency can provide such success...Bravo!
rody
I broke the downtube 17 miles into a 35 mile backcountry Pisgah ride. I got out of there my splinting the break with the pump from my pack, 10 zip ties, and a yard or so of duct tape. I was able to ride it down the gravel road and back to the car via pavement. I looked down and saw the computer during one downhill. 19 mph with a broken downtube!
Eric @ pisgahproductions
I once had a low-end SRAM front shifter explode on me mid-ride. I jammed a small stick - not dissimilar in size to your surrogate Magura pivot - into the front mech to keep the chain on the larger of the two chainrings. It stayed there for about 18 months...
Have also had to do singlespeed conversions to get myself and others home at least three times. One time, I watched helplessly as a friend's rear mech went into his spokes and ripped the gear hanger off his lovely Pace RC-200 frame before my very eyes...
Post a Comment