Stop Pedaling!

We see a lot of broken bikes and bike parts here at Gregg's but we rarely see something quite this messed up.
In this case a few things went wrong and the person riding the bike didn't recognize the problem quite fast enough to prevent further damage. The first thing that went wrong was beyond control. Our best guess is that the chain was not pinned correctly at the factory and came apart during the ride. The second thing that went wrong is that the rider kept pedaling through the problem. So, the chain broke and spread just enough to grab the derailleur, as the rider continued to pedal the chain pulled the derailleur not once but twice around the cassette and embedded it along with cable and housing into the cassette. Not an easy task!

After taking this picture, I talked to the Service Manager at the Greenlake store, Garick Matson and asked him how this could have been prevented. "When you feel something is wrong, stop pedaling, get off the bike and check it out" was the short version of his reply. We've all been, "Just Riding Along" when we feel or hear something that is not right with our drive train. Maybe a stick if you are out Mt. Biking or in this case a broken chain. The best thing to do when you hear or feel something like that is to stop pedaling and check it out. If you can't check it our right away, at least stop pedaling and coast until you can stop to check it out. This will save you a lot of money! This particular incident would cost anywhere to from $350 - $450 depending on labor costs. That's an expensive mistake that could have been prevented by simply stopping you legs.