Have you ever had to walk your bike back to the trailhead due to a mechanical failure?

18 Comments

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mstateglfr Iowa // 2024
Sep 8, 2024

The broken chainstay pic being used made me chuckle. I guess a broken frame is a 'mechanical', but whenever I hear someone say they had a mechanical issue, it's with something that is attached to the frameset. Broken spoke, snapped cable, broken hanger, snapped bar, snapped chain, etc etc.
All things that can be quickly fixed at home, if not while riding.

A snapped frame seems much more terminal.

2 reply

andyeugene Connecticut // 2024
Sep 8, 2024

Broken spoke.

1 reply

thebadpixel Delaware // 2022
Sep 9, 2024

In 35 years of riding, only once, back in 1998. Was climbing up a hill when my rear rim failed. The sidewall separated and caught on the V-brakes, tearing the aluminum 1/3 of the way around the rim. The tube ballooned out and blew and I was left with a tangled mess of jagged aluminum and rubber that utterly removed to spin. There was no pushing... I had to carry that pig back to the lot 5 miles away over my shoulder.

1 reply

Gerow Washington // 2014
Sep 10, 2024

There have been a couple shameless walks out, but far more trailside fixes that limped it in. I secretly love these challenges.

I recently broke a driveside rear spoke that lodged betwix my cassette and other spokes, stopping the cassette and rendering my bike a fixie with a derailleur. Bad combo. Fortunately, the freehub body on I9 Hydra hubs pulls off easily. I removed the rear wheel, pulled the cassette and freehub off as one unit, removed the spoke carcass, and continued on with 27 steel stripes holding it all together.

1 reply

Hap Proctor Florida // 2014
Sep 8, 2024

Unlucky/lucky situation at Galbraith Mountain on my first visit to Bellingham. Less than 4 miles in when I snapped a chain. No quik link; but was able to find a DH return trail that allowed me to roll down fast enough to enjoy the day. Came out a half a block from my car, which was all I had to walk.
This could totally been avoided if I had been prepared. I added a couple quick links to my back pack. Still carry them 9 years later.

1 reply

Missin_Lynx Antarctica // 2024
Sep 9, 2024

Yup, I've been MTBing for 20 years and had to walk 3 times. First time was when I snapped my 9spd XT rear derailleur off on my 2005 Giant Trance, shortened the chain and tried to set it up SS, but chain kept popping off due to chain growth I guess. Second time I went out in anger for a ride to cool my head and didn't take anything with me, didn't check tyre pressures, was riding a very rocky trail and hook my tyre down in some rocks, twisted, burped it and had no pump. Third time, broke my chain and when I went into my spares, didn't have a quick link left, had given them out to others over time and forgotten to replace, now I'm very reluctant to give out spares.

1 reply

[email protected] California // 2022
Sep 9, 2024

A little more than a year ago I installed a new Rock Shox Recon fork. About a month later during a ride the top of the fork brace broke sending me over the bars resulting in minor scrapes from sliding down an embankment. The company replaced it under warranty, of course. My local bike shop had never seen anything like this happen.

0 reply

busserg Victoria // 2007
Sep 13, 2024

Blew a freehub, calling it a wheel, on the Anderson Truck Trail in Alpine CA. Fortunately it was (sadly the fun bits have been removed) an uphill out and back trail so it was mainly rolling back to the trailhead.

0 reply

wkent70 Australia // 2017
Sep 13, 2024

Freehub decided to free in both directions, not a happy camper. Local shop 'fixed' it, on first ride after, it slipped again. =/

0 reply

Greg Heil Colorado // 2008
Sep 9, 2024

I answered "broken wheel," but specifically I've blown up a freehub before that was a ride-ender because I was on the wrong side of the mountain and couldn't pedal back up and over. Ended up coasting down to a road and hitchhiking around the mountain.

0 reply

Greg Heil Colorado // 2008
Sep 9, 2024

I've broken tons of other things, including frames, but most of them have been rideable or sort-of fixable.

0 reply

moctav Texas // 2014
Sep 10, 2024

I did bend a wheel after slipping and sitting on it during a hike-a-bike section. But I was able to bend it back well enough that I didn't have to actually walk back to the trailhead. I just rode slowly.

0 reply

Sunspot Colorado // 2019
Sep 8, 2024

Jeff... I thought you were taking better care of your bike!!

0 reply

j_donaldson 2018
Sep 8, 2024

My trail ride/walk out is short so I don't carry a tire repair kit. And I did have a broken spoke on the brake side of the rear wheel and didn't want to risk the problem becoming more expensive

0 reply

DavidLex New Jersey // 2023
Sep 8, 2024

Rear caliper seized closed on a park day.
Tried to just ride it down, rotors were glowing
Hike a bike downhill lol

0 reply

DavidLex New Jersey // 2023
Oct 12, 2024

Seized rear brake at a DH park
I tried my best to deal with it but every drop & jump tried to kill me with the rear wheel locked
Amazed I didn't melt something, rotors were glowing when I finally decided to walk

0 reply

moctav Texas // 2014
Sep 10, 2024

The only time I've ever had to walk back to the trailhead for a mechanical reason was due to a flat tire I couldn't fix. This was the incident that pushed me to start using a tubeless tire setup instead.

0 reply

ironhead700 Ontario // 2009
Jan 12, 2025

sheared pawls in the free hub while riding Dupont. Luckily got hooked up @ a LBS with set of Stan's Flow wheels and I9 hubs.........still going strong years later!

0 reply

Tagged: mechanical failure, survey, gear

First published September 8, 2024 @ 3:11:00

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