FUJI del REY

Building up Eliza's Fuji del Rey recently I discovered the rear derailer was shot. It pulled out when engaged on the smallest cog, causing the dreaded skipping of the chain and feet-jumping.

This seems to be something that can easily baffle the inexperienced mechanic. I had this happen once before on another bike I was restoring and I didn't figure it out until someone suggested this malfunction. The derailer is being pulled outward (away from the tire, or to the right hand side of the rider on pretty much every bicycle in the world) by the force of pedaling. This only occurs on the smallest cog. I believe this is so because of some interaction with the chain and the next-smallest cog. Also, on the smallest cog the derailer cage attachment fitting may be  engaged with whatever is broken, perhaps inside the derailer body.

I got this frame about 4 years ago (2007?) from the basement of Trailside Bicycles in Hadley, MA., before it closed up a couple years ago. It was a great shop owned by a friend and coworker, right at the halfway point on my ride to work. Dorothy showed Brian and I the junk parts and assorted forgotten bones of dirty old bike shop detritus, until the mold started to bother her.

She sold us this frame and some other parts for $20. Brian and I had ridden over on our bikes ( great fun when buying frames and wheelsets) so Dorothy had the presence of mind to offer us the use of her truck, "If one of you has a license and is sober enough to drive."

We all agreed that Brian had a license, so off we went.

It is a Fuji del Rey frame, about 16 inches, lugged steel frame the tubing-lineage-sticker of which sounds (or at least sort of looks) somewhat reputable. I forget what it says... but there are circles, I think, and it looks reputable... I'll investigate this somewhat.

I ordered her a Shimano Deore LX 661, which should prove a more worthy mechanism. I already have the Dura Ace barcons, along with the Shimano 105 front derailleur.

The RD showed a couple of days later and I installed the thing. It is very silver and assertive, like it will only spring back responsibly,