Breaking Stuff

I think I forgot to mention that in my crash Monday I also broke my SRAM shifter. Broke the upper lever on the right shifter clean off at the pod. That in addition to my helmet made for a pretty expensive ride.

It's part of the mountain biking experience though. If you ride hard for very long you will be experiencing the broken part blues. Hopefully it's not something that causes you to crash that breaks, but something that breaks because of a crash. Either way, it can get kind of pricey these days to have things break.

My SRAM shifter pod won't cost an arm and a leg, but it isn't going to come for free either! Some other bits I've seen broken in crashes lately include hydraulic brake lines, hydro master cylinders, brake levers, and wheels tweaked beyond repair. I've broken brake calipers, handle bars, and even a suspension linkage before on mountain bikes. All stuff that costs money, and sometimes lots of it.

Even "minor things" like tires, saddles, and grips add up and are constant casualties of trail abuse. Tubes for tires are another thing that can add up in the long run. I suppose mountain biking is not for the weak of heart or wallet!

Thankfully I am a decent enough rider that I don't biff all the time. The parts are also fairly robust these days too. It used to be that you could brake something by looking wrong at it, seemingly. That was back in the 90's CNC craze. I don't miss those parts at all. Especially that $250.00 CNC American made derailluer I grenaded....................twice! At least you can almost always fix the bike. The rider? Well..........this one's never been right!

Here's to breaking stuff and living to tell the tale!