Is it OK to remove it?

I’m conscious of how close the derailleur sits, and I’ve seen them ruin frames. But providing the gears are set up properly, it should be OK, right?

yup.

Bin it, you’ll be fine. I’ve never, ever had the chain come off the top of the cassette.

(Someone will be along shortly to tell you that you’ll die if you take it off. 😉 )

Don’t do it, you’ll die if you take it off…

Told you…

Sometimes it is needed to get the cassette to clear the hub/spokes. I know this is for sure on the Crank Brothers wheelsets combined with certain cassettes.

Do not confuse a hub spacer with a clear plastic spoke-guard.

Hub spacer is needed to keep the cassette spider from hitting the spokes on some configs.

Plastic guard is just a carry-over from a child’s bike. Remove it.

PaulD

NO ,I took mine off and I nearly died !

Phew , that was close, put it back an’ I’m fine now, i think !

Do not confuse a hub spacer with a clear plastic spoke-guard.

Thanks. That comment did have me confused a bit. I’m talking about the spoke guard.

Take it off and use as a frisbee for a dog,or as a weapon as Oddjob used his hat in Goldfinger.

Take it off NOW ! If the trail Police catch you with one of those on, you could be made to a Shell suit in public 😆

There you are then it’s a spoke guard and not a life shortener as I thought.

The spoke guard is exactly that. I’ve seen wheels with multiple trashed spokes when a chain has skipped over the big sprocket and it has been mashed.

As long as your gears are set up right and you’re not an absolute klutz, it will be fine to remove.

Oh shit, what about the reflectors in my spokes ? I already ride in a fluorescent shell suit btw.

obviously removing it will void any warranty on the wheel, but it’s all about aesthetics really innit 😉

If the rear derailleur is adjusted correctly theres no need for it.

Those reflectors should come off before any ride ! not only will they unbalance the wheels and throw you off, but if they catch the sun, the reflection could blind a nearby rider, leading to an accident of untold proportions YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED 8)

obviously removing it will void any warranty on the wheel, but it’s all about aesthetics really innit 😉

It’s 4 years old 😉

It’s 4 years old

And if you want to see it reach it’s 5th birthday….

I bet you lot have taken your reflectors off as well, maniacs! 😯

It’s like the time I told my mate to take the chain guard off his new Felt or else I wouldn’t be seen out riding with him. About 2 weeks later I got a picture text from him showing a right mess of flesh and bone where his ankle was. Turns out he had slipped of the pedals and ripped his ankle open due to lack of chain guard.
Anyway just take it off.

butcher – Member

obviously removing it will void any warranty on the wheel, but it’s all about aesthetics really innit

It’s 4 years old

it’s taken you 4 years to get round to removing the spoke protector?

My new Mavic ST wheels came with a huge black plastic guard on the rear hub. I’m itching to take it off but am worried the spokes are chocolate and hard to get replacements. It seems pretty well fitted almost a circlip type thing keeping it on. Will I die as well if I take it off?

it’s taken you 4 years to get round to removing the spoke protector?

Yes 😐 😳

I wish I had one. Last weekend I binned it, got up and carried on. Everything looked ok but I managed to knock the rear mech out of kilter, meaning a shift caused the chain to skip over the biggest cog and mash my spokes. Lost 8 spokes, game over man

Somebody must have had a crisis of conscience mid ride recently then , ‘cos I saw a discarded spoke protector over Cut Gate -the dirty bastards!

Daft innit?

No idea why these things are considered uncool – cheap, unobtrusive and might just save you a shed load of cash and a few teeth.
Same with reflectors.

But still, sheeplike we all bin them.

Nibsy – Member
My new Mavic ST wheels came with a huge black plastic guard on the rear hub. I’m itching to take it off but am worried the spokes are chocolate and hard to get replacements. It seems pretty well fitted almost a circlip type thing keeping it on. Will I die as well if I take it off?

Had the same dilemma. Left it on.

Mate asked me to service his bike, I took it round the car park to identify any problems, shifted up through the cogs, straight over the top and mashed the spokes, breaking 4 of them. Service was a bit more complicated after that!

They’re called dork discs for a reason, I’ll let you figure out why

Why don’t they save these innovative spoke savers aftermarket at CRC? I thought they stocked everything……

Made me think of these type of people for some reason…

One came in my Pitch, I left it on and it wore the black off the drive side spokes, on my next bike I ended up going arse over t*t bending my mech, I only noticed when the chain went between the spokes and cassette chewing my new wheel.

Put a Hope sticker on it 😉

I’ve yet to get round to taking the dork disk of my new Canyon, wanted to check it was set up properly first.

Obviously reflectors have no place on a used 90% off the time offroad MTB but taking them off a commuter for vanity reasons is a little stupid when you think about it.

On a related note, is it petty to be anoyed that my hope hoop rear wheel has the spoke laceing the ‘wrong’ way round? I.e. if the chain came off the spokes would jam it in against the cassette rather than lifting it out.

next thing you lot will be telling me to remove the bell that came on my handlebars.

‘ding ding!’

Pie plates (also known as “dork discs,” “nerd coasters,” “Minneapolis frisbees,” “45rpm singles,” “idiot pucks,” and “moron shingles”) are like heavily intoxicated people and many triathletes in that they have no business being on a bicycle

Despite this, on my morning commute I see nothing but pie plates—it’s like sitting in some restaurant in hell where you’re constantly being passed by the dessert cart. And while each and every pie plate is offensive, some are more so than others.

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.co.uk/2008/04/pie-in-sky-world-without-spoke.html

Obviously reflectors have no place on a used 90% off the time offroad MTB

Obviously, they have a place on said bike 10% of the time 😀

But yes, I usually take mine off too, ‘cos I’m a weak willed and have a subconscious desire to conform. And they look daft.