keeps your chain from colliding with your wheel spokes. Keep it on.
SnowmanTS1 on
I don’t think commuting has much to do with it. Removing the ‘dork disc’ is always a tradeoff of style vs potential damage if you drop a chain. I have one bike with and one bike without, you do you.
synth_this on
>If all I do is commute , is taking this disk off as bad?
Worse. Commuters get knocked about in parking racks, fall over, etc. The main cause of the chain and derailleur making an excursion into the spokes is … a bent derailleur hanger from a knock to the derailleur.
Imnothere1980 on
These are generally put on cheaper bikes to make up for bad tuning or sloppy components. A lot of people take them off for style. It’s cheap insurance though. Sooner or later they turn yellow and crack off, as yours is.
MookieFlav on
It’s to protect your spokes in case your rear derailleur low limit is improperly set, which can cause the chain to go off the cassette. I always remove them for aesthetic reasons. If your shifting is working well then there’s no real need to keep it. You will need a cassette removal tool and chain whip to properly remove it or you can just rip it to bits with a pair of pliers while it stays mounted, especially when they are discolored and cracking like yours, it’s a pretty easy job.
Fizzyphotog on
Take it off. The way it is, cracked like that, is a danger to catching your derailleur cage and pulling it into the spokes, destroying the derailleur and wheel. It doesn’t serve more than a theoretical purpose anyway.
foilrider on
You can take it off whether you commute or not.
Number4combo on
Like some said it’s ok to take off if your rear derailleur is properly adjusted. Of course if the derailleur hanger gets bent there might be a chance it’ll make the chain go into the spokes then.
Tactical_Teapot_7 on
If your limit screws are correctly set, it can come right off.
DopeBikes on
I’m a bicycle mechanic. I rip them off. They look bad. I just make sure I give my bikes a good derailleur adjustment. I limit the derailleur well. It’s not too hard.
miklayn on
If your derailleurs are properly adjusted and maintained, you don’t need the dork disc.
Stiller_Winter on
Let it on. All this hype about these discs is crazy. For commute, the weight is minimal and in case you will damage your derailleur in a small incident, you can still ride without damage to destroy the whole wheel.
clemisan on
I did it. And I learned it’s not good. So the next time I’m taking of the cassette I’ll put on a new dork disc, on all of my bikes were I removed them.
AddeDaMan on
Definitely not, go right ahead. Im in the same boat and tore that thing off first thing 18 months ago – haven’t had a single reason to regret it. “Ditch the dork disc!” as my colleagues shouted.
marcove3 on
I would say if you lock your bike in public racks maybe it’s worth leaving? you never know if someone else accidentally knocked your derailleur out of alignment and next thing you know if your chain is stuck between the spokes and the wheel.
BicycleIndividual on
Your dork disk is old and yellowing. It has become very brittle. I imagine if you did drop the chain between the sprockets and the spokes it would crack apart providing little protection (and even in good condition the benefit is questionable). I’d probably remove at this point (I do leave them on when they are in good condition, but I do not replace).
oldfrancis on
You can remove that disc if you want to but, you better make sure that your derailleur limit screws are set properly and that you never ever ever ever ever ever have a stick or some foreign object go into your derailleur and try to push it into the spokes.
Fragrant_Milk_7456 on
hahaha….ve been removing them for yrs…ride in all weather all the time…no issues and my bike is a bit lighter
TeejMTB on
Look at the beautiful patina on that dork disc. Why risk damaging it by removal?
drewbaccaAWD on
Benefit outweighs any cost, but if your derailleur is properly set up and maintained, then it doesn’t matter.
I keep mine on unless they start falling apart from age. But I don’t go out of my way to add one or replace it.
21 Comments
?? Why do you want to take it off
keeps your chain from colliding with your wheel spokes. Keep it on.
I don’t think commuting has much to do with it. Removing the ‘dork disc’ is always a tradeoff of style vs potential damage if you drop a chain. I have one bike with and one bike without, you do you.
>If all I do is commute , is taking this disk off as bad?
Worse. Commuters get knocked about in parking racks, fall over, etc. The main cause of the chain and derailleur making an excursion into the spokes is … a bent derailleur hanger from a knock to the derailleur.
These are generally put on cheaper bikes to make up for bad tuning or sloppy components. A lot of people take them off for style. It’s cheap insurance though. Sooner or later they turn yellow and crack off, as yours is.
It’s to protect your spokes in case your rear derailleur low limit is improperly set, which can cause the chain to go off the cassette. I always remove them for aesthetic reasons. If your shifting is working well then there’s no real need to keep it. You will need a cassette removal tool and chain whip to properly remove it or you can just rip it to bits with a pair of pliers while it stays mounted, especially when they are discolored and cracking like yours, it’s a pretty easy job.
Take it off. The way it is, cracked like that, is a danger to catching your derailleur cage and pulling it into the spokes, destroying the derailleur and wheel. It doesn’t serve more than a theoretical purpose anyway.
You can take it off whether you commute or not.
Like some said it’s ok to take off if your rear derailleur is properly adjusted. Of course if the derailleur hanger gets bent there might be a chance it’ll make the chain go into the spokes then.
If your limit screws are correctly set, it can come right off.
I’m a bicycle mechanic. I rip them off. They look bad. I just make sure I give my bikes a good derailleur adjustment. I limit the derailleur well. It’s not too hard.
If your derailleurs are properly adjusted and maintained, you don’t need the dork disc.
Let it on. All this hype about these discs is crazy. For commute, the weight is minimal and in case you will damage your derailleur in a small incident, you can still ride without damage to destroy the whole wheel.
I did it. And I learned it’s not good. So the next time I’m taking of the cassette I’ll put on a new dork disc, on all of my bikes were I removed them.
Definitely not, go right ahead. Im in the same boat and tore that thing off first thing 18 months ago – haven’t had a single reason to regret it. “Ditch the dork disc!” as my colleagues shouted.
I would say if you lock your bike in public racks maybe it’s worth leaving? you never know if someone else accidentally knocked your derailleur out of alignment and next thing you know if your chain is stuck between the spokes and the wheel.
Your dork disk is old and yellowing. It has become very brittle. I imagine if you did drop the chain between the sprockets and the spokes it would crack apart providing little protection (and even in good condition the benefit is questionable). I’d probably remove at this point (I do leave them on when they are in good condition, but I do not replace).
You can remove that disc if you want to but, you better make sure that your derailleur limit screws are set properly and that you never ever ever ever ever ever have a stick or some foreign object go into your derailleur and try to push it into the spokes.
hahaha….ve been removing them for yrs…ride in all weather all the time…no issues and my bike is a bit lighter
Look at the beautiful patina on that dork disc. Why risk damaging it by removal?
Benefit outweighs any cost, but if your derailleur is properly set up and maintained, then it doesn’t matter.
I keep mine on unless they start falling apart from age. But I don’t go out of my way to add one or replace it.