Occasionally, a trailside repair may involve improvisation & use of existing tools found in the forest. Although we normally carry a fair assortment of tools on the trail, the ROCK & STICK technique is sometimes the better way to go. While it is hard to recall all the times we have used this for our trailside repairs, it is not unusual during a breakdown to grab the nearest rock or stick. Selectivity of the proper shape and size is usually easily accomplished with the wide variety sometimes available. Bigger is not always better.... The most recent incident comes to mind>>>> *PROBLEM - The second largest rear cog in the rear cassette is bent up against the third largest cog in the cassette and the chain will not go onto either cog. This can sometimes occur due to shifting, and not because of a wipe-out. *FIX - (Manimal's technique) Brace the opposite side (non-drive) of the bike up against the nearest stump or log. Position the chainstay securely up againt the stump. Use a medium size rock with a good flat area, and a medium sized stick broken off with a flat spot on one end... Place the stick on the bent cog, and hit with the rock to bend it back in position. (Cog Wedging techniques with traditional tools usually don't work) After a few hits, examine the result, and continue until the cog is in line. Check by rotating the pedals and looking from above see if the cog "wiggles" or still shows a bent area. When finished, simply throw out the tools, and AWAY YOU GO! This technique is also great for those times when you chain comes off of the rear cassette and lodges between the cassettte and the spokes - however, in this case you just need the stick... Sometimes, you just need the rock - for example, when your freehub body is stuck and you want to free it up. When this happens, the pedals turn even when coasting!! Use the rock to hit the freehub and it just might loosen it up again... Here, you should consider this a temporary repair until you can get a new freehub body when you return from your ride... |
