Oxygen Diva kaput, looks like rear derailleur

[Cricket]

Hi guys,

Excuse the non technical description. I'll try to add a photo to show what's happened...

My OH was just out on the Diva taking it for a spin when he heard a clattering noise. Seems like part of the rear derailleur (think it's a shimano acera) came loose and is just hanging down dragging on the ground. The plate holding the two pulleys has come away from the rest of the mechanism and is now bent out of use. He found the spring that goes from the plate into the other part somewhere up the road.

Can I assume that I need to replace the whole derailleur mechanism or just the plate?

Does anyone have any idea how the plate fixes to the other part - is it likely to have snapped or is it a screw in?

Any idea if this a standard bike repair or is it specific to an ebike?

 

[Cricket]

Think maybe I should have posted this in technical or FAQ's...sorry, not sure how to move it there!

 

[RobF]

Standard bike repair.

It look like the cage - the bit that holds the pulleys - has pinged out of the rest of the derailer.

Might be repairable, but barely worth it given a new Acera derailer is fairly cheap.

Hopefully that is all that's happened.

Quite often the bit the derailer is bolted on to, which in turn is bolted to the frame, bends.

It's called the mech hanger.

That can be straightened or replaced, but you need a straight hanger one way or the other to make the new derailer work properly.

The new derailer will need indexing.

Not the most difficult of jobs, but many people make a mess of it.

Might be simplest to take it to a local bike shop.

A competent bike mechanic could do the job with his eyes closed and shouldn't charge a lot of labour, maybe £15 plus bits.

 

[Cricket]

Standard bike repair.

It look like the cage - the bit that holds the pulleys - has pinged out of the rest of the derailer.

Might be repairable, but barely worth it given a new Acera derailer is fairly cheap.

Hopefully that is all that's happened.

Quite often the bit the derailer is bolted on to, which in turn is bolted to the frame, bends.

It's called the mech hanger.

That can be straightened or replaced, but you need a straight hanger one way or the other to make the new derailer work properly.

The new derailer will need indexing.

Not the most difficult of jobs, but many people make a mess of it.

Might be simplest to take it to a local bike shop.

A competent bike mechanic could do the job with his eyes closed and shouldn't charge a lot of labour, maybe £15 plus bits.

Thank you Rob. You are a star. That info is so helpful, including the approximate cost of a bike shop repair (if we can find one that will touch an ebike!).

It confirms what my husband thought had happened. He just isn't sure how the cage attaches to the rest of the derailer. The cage has a prong/arm & combined with the spring it looks like this just sort of 'slots' into the other part. But you're right - we need to find a bike shop to do this. And a full new part.

 

[RobF]

That's certainly your first step.

Obviously, there are limitations to fault diagnosis by internet photograph.

It is most likely the derailer has come apart due to wear and tear, but something else may have caused it.

A motor or freewheel jam might do that, or a snapped axle.

But if the wheel spins freely, doesn't wobble, and generally spins as you would expect it to, the charges are a new derailer is all that's needed.

 

[Cricket]

That's certainly your first step.

Obviously, there are limitations to fault diagnosis by internet photograph.

It is most likely the derailer has come apart due to wear and tear, but something else may have caused it.

A motor or freewheel jam might do that, or a snapped axle.

But if the wheel spins freely, doesn't wobble, and generally spins as you would expect it to, the charges are a new derailer is all that's needed.

Hmmm, it's unlikely to be wear and tear as the bike is still in pristine condition and only gets used occasionally on short gentle rides. Will take a look at the wheel spin tomorrow in the light and see if there's any wobble...

 

[Cricket]

But if the wheel spins freely, doesn't wobble, and generally spins as you would expect it to, the charges are a new derailer is all that's needed.

Had a look at the wheel and it seems to be spinning freely. Maybe slightly off. The mech hanger is definitely bent. Thanks for that pointer Rob. The only other thing my OH forgot to mention is that the rear mudguard practically bent over double when this happened and the stay cord is bent. He adjusted that mudguard very slightly last week as there was a scraping/rattling noise and the adjustment seemed to solve it. No idea if that had anything to do with it.

Can't say enough good things about Oxygen after service (I'm out of warranty). They're sending the replacement parts free (P&P only) and it turns out our local bike shop is more than happy to fit it for £20. They actually sell a few ebikes so might see if they can give it a full service. It's coming up to three years old.

Appreciate the help & fingers crossed the bike can be easily fixed...

 

[RobF]

Sounds positive.

As you've discovered, ebikes are a bit more mainstream so more shops are prepared to work on them.

Quoted price seems reasonable, the shop would have made a few pounds on the bits had they supplied them.

The wheel probably only needs truing, that's another simple job for someone who knows what they are doing, but a calamity waiting to happen for someone who doesn't.

Establishing a relationship with a competent bike shop is always worth doing, you never know when you may need their services in future.