On 2nd March 2014 at 12.30am Richard Mueller’s call
woke me up, in much agitated and nervous voice he said the plastic thingie
under the bottom bracket shell on his road bike has broken into two pieces.
Richard was near to 900Km mark on 1200Km Daal Baati Brevet in Rajasthan. This
small plastic part is shifter/gear cable guide. Both front and rear cables are
routed through this cable guide as they pass from shifters to derailleurs.
Without the guide the cable would rub against the frame
under the BB and this is what had happened in Richard’s case, the cable rubbed
against the frame, frayed and got stuck. The only solution was to remove the
chain, cut it to appropriate length and pass it on to 5th or 6th
rear cog (bypassing the derailleur) converting the bike into a single speed.
Richard tried that with the help of fellow rider but, the thing did not work as
the chain kept jamming between the cogs.
Unfortunately Richard had to give up and Dr. Belinda his
wife, continued alone and completed the 1200Kms in 89hrs 50mins, 10 mins before
the cutoff time (First Woman in India to do so).
I kept wondering why this must have happened on a new road bike !
then I recollected the information in one of Richard’s ride update messages, it
had rained and his bike was full of muc. The Rajasthani Muc must have done it,
the muc ought to be grainy/sandy, the frequent movement of rear shifter cable along
with abrasive muc must have cut into the plastic cable guide, shearing it
laterally into two pieces.
During the ride, Periodically Cleaning off the muc from the
guide with water would have saved the guide and Richard’s ride ! anyways no one
would have anticipated this !
Bikers take care, give some TLC to this little part when you
are on loooooonggggg ride in wet
conditions
