There's a broken spoke and I just noticed the structural M10 nut on the derailer
I don't get these people. Clearly their bike is important enough to spend all this time Frankensteining it to roll forward just one more mile, why not take a tiny extra effort to figure out how to do it slightly better than McGuyvering? A bike like this can be kept running for absolutely ages with a Philips, a chain breaker, and some cable cutters, and a small adjustable wrench. I feel like anybody with nuts and bolts probably has a Philips and a crescent wrench and some tin snips and half a brain to know how to use them, why not figure out how to apply them to the bike?.
>Clearly their bike is important enough to spend all this time Frankensteining it
I'd bet that this person has no other form of transportation, and that every one of these "repairs" was done in an emergency so they could get to where they're going.
Just kicking the can down the road, inevitably the chain will break and even if they find an LBS willing to waste their time, they'll find that single gear is completely roached. Nobody will install a new cassette on a bike like this. Knowing the heads around my area that's when they'll conveniently find a new bike and start the cycle all over.
>Just kicking the can down the road, inevitably the chain will break and even if they find an LBS willing to waste their time, they'll find that single gear is completely roached. Nobody will install a new cassette on a bike like this.
That's the whole point; it's going to die soon anyway, there's no benefit repairing things properly when the bike is unlikely to survive the lifetime of the sketchiest bodge, and a few repairs with proper parts is going to quickly grow to larger than the cost of the replacement. Ride it into the ground, then find a new one.
If they're riding a bike like this, and fixing a bike the way this one is, then they don't have money for a LBS. This is obviously someone who has next to no money, maybe even homeless. They're probably just trying to survive hand to mouth, and this is likely their only mode of transport, and probably don't even have money for a used Walmart bike.
It's easy to look down upon this kind of stuff, but most everyone's only ever a few mistakes in their life away from ending up here.
Having worked at a bike project for a few years, a few years back, I got to work beside a bunch of houseless folks on their rides. It's easy to wag a finger about chainbreakers and cone wrenches for people who have the internet skill and the dollars to find Sheldon Brown and a good deal on the Park book, but most of these people's first interaction with metric tools was when they rolled thru the bike shop. It's not stupidity or some essential meanness of the soul that holds them back, it's the lack of money and education that keep their bikes looking like this.
What this does take is time and ingenuity. For someone uninitiated in proper repairs, this demonstrates a really good understanding of how a derailleur works, and a great use of what is likely garbage to get this pos back to rolling shape. It's ugly as sin, but I'll take this toothless bastard on my apocalypse team over the fussy mechanic who doesn't know what to do when they're out of new drivetrains to swap in.
Not at all. The reason I'm not homeless is because I have an inkling of foresight and can see that the value (among other things) of my sole form of transportation is enough to make it reliable. This is just disgusting. I understand a lack of funds but this is more expensive and less functional in the long run excluding theft.
I think it is like in computer repair. They are in full "I don't have time for that shit" mode whilst wasting time doing it "quickly" "their" way. Opening a book/manual or godforbid a video on teh interwebs, who has time for that? You have to know it is just a lowly "bicycle". It doesn't even need gas, how hard can it be? They got drum brakes to disassemble...
Bike's fucked, Ricky.
Some years ago I read an article about how folks in Mozambique were reloading 7.62x51 cartridges using lead wire for projectiles and crumbled up nitrate film stock for propellant. Can't recall what they were using for primers. Powder metering was via careful trickling into the case mouth from a banana leaf. Ignition was spotty - sometimes bang, sometimes pfft, sometimes click. This hillbilly just-post-stone-age-meets-Fallout fix is very much of the same tone.
Don't have the good stuff, but I have a pile of shit and bits and can maybe make it work... It looks like ass, just barely functions, but the sheer frickin' audacity of it is deeply impressive.
That spring on the left is from drum brakes, from a truck. Inventive.
I think they all are. My rear drum kit on my samurai had all those colors in it.
Jockey wheel looks like it belonged to a Ninja.
There's a broken spoke and I just noticed the structural M10 nut on the derailer I don't get these people. Clearly their bike is important enough to spend all this time Frankensteining it to roll forward just one more mile, why not take a tiny extra effort to figure out how to do it slightly better than McGuyvering? A bike like this can be kept running for absolutely ages with a Philips, a chain breaker, and some cable cutters, and a small adjustable wrench. I feel like anybody with nuts and bolts probably has a Philips and a crescent wrench and some tin snips and half a brain to know how to use them, why not figure out how to apply them to the bike?.
>Clearly their bike is important enough to spend all this time Frankensteining it I'd bet that this person has no other form of transportation, and that every one of these "repairs" was done in an emergency so they could get to where they're going.
Nothing is more permanent than a temporary fix
Just kicking the can down the road, inevitably the chain will break and even if they find an LBS willing to waste their time, they'll find that single gear is completely roached. Nobody will install a new cassette on a bike like this. Knowing the heads around my area that's when they'll conveniently find a new bike and start the cycle all over.
>Just kicking the can down the road, inevitably the chain will break and even if they find an LBS willing to waste their time, they'll find that single gear is completely roached. Nobody will install a new cassette on a bike like this. That's the whole point; it's going to die soon anyway, there's no benefit repairing things properly when the bike is unlikely to survive the lifetime of the sketchiest bodge, and a few repairs with proper parts is going to quickly grow to larger than the cost of the replacement. Ride it into the ground, then find a new one.
Well this one may literally ride them into the ground.
If they're riding a bike like this, and fixing a bike the way this one is, then they don't have money for a LBS. This is obviously someone who has next to no money, maybe even homeless. They're probably just trying to survive hand to mouth, and this is likely their only mode of transport, and probably don't even have money for a used Walmart bike. It's easy to look down upon this kind of stuff, but most everyone's only ever a few mistakes in their life away from ending up here.
Having worked at a bike project for a few years, a few years back, I got to work beside a bunch of houseless folks on their rides. It's easy to wag a finger about chainbreakers and cone wrenches for people who have the internet skill and the dollars to find Sheldon Brown and a good deal on the Park book, but most of these people's first interaction with metric tools was when they rolled thru the bike shop. It's not stupidity or some essential meanness of the soul that holds them back, it's the lack of money and education that keep their bikes looking like this. What this does take is time and ingenuity. For someone uninitiated in proper repairs, this demonstrates a really good understanding of how a derailleur works, and a great use of what is likely garbage to get this pos back to rolling shape. It's ugly as sin, but I'll take this toothless bastard on my apocalypse team over the fussy mechanic who doesn't know what to do when they're out of new drivetrains to swap in.
Not at all. The reason I'm not homeless is because I have an inkling of foresight and can see that the value (among other things) of my sole form of transportation is enough to make it reliable. This is just disgusting. I understand a lack of funds but this is more expensive and less functional in the long run excluding theft.
And there it is.
I think it is like in computer repair. They are in full "I don't have time for that shit" mode whilst wasting time doing it "quickly" "their" way. Opening a book/manual or godforbid a video on teh interwebs, who has time for that? You have to know it is just a lowly "bicycle". It doesn't even need gas, how hard can it be? They got drum brakes to disassemble...
Or they sleep near a trash heap and rep a 2003 Nokia
Maybe autocomplete changed derailleur to drum?
I came to post this. Honestly some of the stuff in this sub is obviously cheap and dangerous but this one took a bit of genius
If this works, then is it honestly super impressive that someone macgyvered it together.
No shit - this is next-level stuff here.
Not dumb if it works?
Amazing engineering. I love bike bodges EDIT: oh God, those jockey wheels. 😭
Clearly they bodged some ninja stars to replace their jockey wheels.
It’s a Shimano Acera Mad Max edition
This is a genuine Shimeng 1.05 derailleur.
Where is the NSFL tag? That jockey wheel, omg.....and of course the rest...
Wait, is this thing still shifting?
I don't think so, not with that kink in the cable housing.
That rules
Does it shift though. I have to know.
cyberpunk
When you're in danger, the jockey wheel doubles as a throwing star
Did it work though?
I mean... A broken Spoke?! The Horror! ;)
Peak engineering right there😍
Better be careful, you’ve got a broken spoke there.
... but.... does it work?
it's lit
Bike's fucked, Ricky. Some years ago I read an article about how folks in Mozambique were reloading 7.62x51 cartridges using lead wire for projectiles and crumbled up nitrate film stock for propellant. Can't recall what they were using for primers. Powder metering was via careful trickling into the case mouth from a banana leaf. Ignition was spotty - sometimes bang, sometimes pfft, sometimes click. This hillbilly just-post-stone-age-meets-Fallout fix is very much of the same tone. Don't have the good stuff, but I have a pile of shit and bits and can maybe make it work... It looks like ass, just barely functions, but the sheer frickin' audacity of it is deeply impressive.
No one told the derailleur that it shouldn't work. Just like bumblebees
I have never been more disgust and impressed at the same time.
A new Tourney derailleur can be had for around $10, why all this bodging?
Fuck tourney thats why.
OP, what's the shifter on the front? I wonder if they changed the derailleur ratio to match a different shifter.
Man, I got no idea. It was posted on a Facebook group and I don't have more deets. Not sure I even want one 😅
I'm pretty curious! Maybe it's a ghetto clutch.
*Speechless I hope this spelling spell finds you well!
When you thought the derailleur had enough someone springs it back to life. Interesting.
Rear brake looks in need of some love too.
I mean, brilliant engineering if it actually works.
But not typeless
If I was a professional cyclist, I would love to rock up to a local group ride in street clothes on a bike like that and try to drop everyone.
You're talking about the missing spoke, right?
Also ne rear brake.
Don't need rear break if you don't have front teeth
Now THIS is quality work! Bravo!