[ORVH]

Weather here in East TN is great, so I went out for a really nice ride - no trail traffic, great scenery, the works. Then I endo'ed going down a steep chute I have done 20 times before, and upon inspection found a stick the size of my finger stuck in the rear derailleur, but most importantly, the main body that covers the spring was broken clean in half. Never seen anything like that (although I have only destroyed one other der - on a rock.) It was an '05 XT. Unless someone can convince me otherwise, another XT will go on tomorrow (I have a front XT and LX shifters that are in good shape.) Kinda ruined the end of a great ride, though. I am not generally one to destroy equipment, so this was definitely a bummer. rft:

 

[29Colossus]

Hmmm.... yeah... go ahead and install another rear derailler. I'm sure no one is really all that concerned with what type you use.

Have fun now!

:thumbsup:

 

[NoahColorado]

Whatever you do, don't put on a Shimano or SRAM rear derailleur!

 

[cactuscorn]

xt is as good as any shimano product for day to day use. lotsa bang for the buck. sorry ya had a bad day. wanna trade for 6 hours of shovelin snow? at least i got outside and found a workout. made the neighbors happy too.

 

[S-Works]

xt is as good as any shimano product for day to day use. lotsa bang for the buck. sorry ya had a bad day. wanna trade for 6 hours of shovelin snow? at least i got outside and found a workout. made the neighbors happy too.

CC, you got to get yourself a snowblower for that part of the country. God knows I could use one this winter our here.

 

[dHarriet]

i've got an XT rear der on right now...it's doing well...and it cost me all of $34...and it's tuned really well...the wrench who tuned it is a drivetrain ninja! so it has definitely given me bang for my buck...:thumbsup:

there is a part of me that wishes the thing would bust though...so that i could use that as an excuse to upgrade my drivetrain to SRAM! :devil: but so far, no go...

 

[Bikezilla]

I came This >< Close to toasting my der last ride. A twig the size of a straw threaded itself into the lower jockey wheel and drew the cage right into the spokes. If I hadn't been creeping over a rock I would have shreaded the der and probably taken a few spokes with it. Lucky!

The XTs are indeed great bang for buck equipmnent. I use to love the Shimano drivetrain but after running a Sram on one bike and Shimano on the other I came really appreciate the simplicity of setup and tuning the Srams have...and more importantly they hold a tune much longer and are much easer to tweak while riding when they do go off.

I wouldn't switch if I just busted a der... too much money and time getting new pods. The XTs are cheap and reliable...probably more reliable than the XTRs.

 

[Sixty Fiver]

My last new derailleur was an Acera that got me through a few thousand km with no problems until it got turned into a tensioner when the Trek got turned into an SS. I guess I got tired waiting for it to fail me in some way.

My favourite derailleurs are the old high end Suntours and I wish modern components were built this beautifully and functioned so reliably.

I always carry a quick link in the event I end up toasting a derailleur (or break a chain) as that quicklink (and a chain tool) can be used to make your multi speed into a single speed for the rest of the ride and might mean the difference between riding and hiking a goodly distance.

 

[cactuscorn]

yep. we have a big honkin snowblower in the garage and thats where its stayed since i moved out 4 winters ago. those are for wussies and old people. plus they work like ass on the steps and wouldnt be as much fun when i wanna toss a load of snow on one of the unsuspecting dogs.

 

[ORVH]

CC - hopefully you get to use the snow for a something fun - ski, etc. I lived in MA for a while and can relate to being snowed under. Guess I should be thankful for good weather in January! Usually rainy/cold here. This also gives me a good reason to replace both der cables. Sixty fiver, you are a wise man; this taught me to carry a quick link for the chain - fortunately I didn't have to walk very far. Hopefully some of you got in good rides this weekend as well...

 

[Random Drivel]

This is just God's way of telling you that you need to go single speed . . .

Just kiddin. XT is good stuff.

CC, I'm jealous--in this part of the country, we have to go to a health club to get a workout . . . . .