*critical* components that will fail in time????

things that break that can spoil yer day

Freehub pawls: Dunno about downhilling, but if you're strong and pedal uphill, pawls can fail, leaving you in freewheel mode in both directions. I've killed probably 6 or 8 hubs and freewheels on tandems, and 3 or 4 on singles. To get home, use something handy -- fence wire, toe straps, big zip ties, etc -- to tie the largest rear cog to as many spokes as you can on the rear wheel, turning it into a multi-speed fixed gear. It may torque the wheel a little, and you probably can't climb steeps, but you can definitely pedal most terrain and get home. You can even shift gears, just don't use the largest 2 or 3 cogs. And don't try to coast. Once cleaned Pritchett Canyon in Moab fixed gearing a tandem this way, pedaled right back into town. I carry a couple nylon toe straps on backcountry rides for this purpose (and for making splints).
Steerer tube: Lots of aluminum steerers out there, their owners probably don't pull their forks to peer at them closely at least annually, and they should. Steel steerers also can break. Both usually fail right around the crown race. Worth a look, a busted steerer can be real nasty.
Quick release skewers: They usually break right at the threads where the R side end piece screws on. Sometimes the levers fail. Steel and ti, they both break. I carry a spare rear on backcountry rides, with a 35mm spacer to adapt it to the front. Saved a buddy probably a good 6 or 8 hours of tough hiking last summer by having one along.
The wimpy little allen bolts in many 2-bolt seatpost clamps. I've broken several, and now carry a spare.
Seatpost bolt: It'll break when you tighten it after adjusting your saddle height far from home. I carry a spare. The tensioning allen screw in aheadset systems can be used as a seat post clamp, as it's doing absolutely nothing once the headset adjustment is locked in by tightening the stem.
Rear shifter cable: It'll break right at the barrel end, not a crisis, you can always one-speed it out, but inconvenient. For some reason I have never broken a front shifter cable.
Stems and bars depend on their construction, design, age, and use/abuse. Save 10 grams at your peril.

thanks...

should have been more precise on my setup...I have deore, LX shimano, and lesser trek 4500 stock components...Ive craked a crank and rear wheel, chainrings on those downhills...but nothing catastrophic...it seems from bulC post, i need to check my steerer tube, and seat post along those lines...anything that breaks but does not hurt me is not a big concern....I put the HB, and pedals up there, now probably the steerer tube too...

Gabe, not sure what those trails are, you are talking about...the worst i do, is an unmarked downhill/trail nobody uses (not even hickers becasue its too steep) carvedup by rain, so loose rocks, big roots, solid rocks on the sides, 1-3 ft successive drops...its pretty much slide and hoppe side to side the whole way for 10-20 min...i dont do it more than once a week because if i fall there, im done for..and only if im not too tired...it could be an average downhill for the average mtber but, too me, it feels a bit sketchy....

Rainman, i hear you, Im not concerned about the bike per se...im worried what the bike will do to me if i dont worry about it , thanks though...i may be just making a mountain out of a nothing ...the thought of my handlebars breaking on those downhills has me a bit cautious ...

Well, I have found that LX components are usually pretty durable. In fact, perhaps moreso than the "superior" XTR lineup. Given what you're doing and the bike you're doing on it I would be most worried about fractures in structural components, not your drivetrain.

On a regular basis I would inspect the frame, steerer tube, seatpost, stem, and handlebars for hairline fractures. Actually, add the cranks in there too. Repetitive 3 foot drops are going to put a whole lot of stress on a bike like the Trek 4500 which wasn't necessarily designed for that kind of abuse. I check my bikes out maybe once a month. It only takes a few seconds (except for the steerer tube which takes a little longer). I also check after I did a particularly hard ride, cased a jump, crashed, etc.

Anyway, that's my $0.02...

Ok..

I didn't realize you had over 2000 posts....I have badly mis-represented your posts in general..erratum humanum est (sp?), I just happened to read your recent posts by accident (no spin ), where you suggested one should have a seat above the seatpost, and where you wondered why some guys are so thouruoghly whipped by their female counterparts , than the "everything" reply on which I missed the humor (the nature of posts i guess)...my bad.

It seems the moral of the story is that no bike parts require change at set time point before failure, no need to worry, and must check regularly a few "critical" parts instead, including crank and steerer tube...Well, at least to avoid "bad" breakdowns if tahts the goal...

Best.

btw, Gabe, "stress on a bike like the Trek 4500 which wasn't necessarily designed for that kind of abuse"...I always thought that my Trek 4500, if not light, would at least be more resilient even with that abuse thanks to the extra weight (that bike weighs close to 40#s at 21.5"!)...as opposed to those higher end, lighter, bikes that seem to have their frame brake more often (as per the posts here, and others that I know have broken their frames...see Jamis for ex.) since they have less material to sustain the repeated stresses and fatigue...

steve3 said:

Please, I would like you to link the posts in question, but I will also request you link posts on the informational side of things to keep it balanced. There is interspersion of both sides there and you only wanting to post links to your case is called "spin".

"Everything" is a meaningful response with a bit of humor added to it. Every component of one's bike is essential and has the potential to strand the rider when you're out on the trails somewhere.

Click to expand...