Freehub Protector?

It is not really needed, if the rear derailleur is adjusted correctly. Your chain went past first gear because the low limit screw on the rear derailleur needs adjustment. Because you just purchased the bike, the shop should probably do this for free.

And yes, many people do remove the plastic protector. Most higher level bikes do not have the protector.

Read all about derailleur adjustment here: parktool.comreadhowto.aspOpen ↗
and here: sheldonbrown.comderailer adjustment.htmlOpen ↗

kestrel0222 said:

Hi,

I just purchased my new bike on Thursday (Trek 7100), and I really like this bike. The only problem that I haad was when I was going up a hill, I put it into 1st gear to make it easier. What happened next really suprised me, the chain went between the freehub protector (plastic) and 1st gear. It felt like the chain just came off. As a result of this, the tabs that hold the protector to the spokes broke. I took this protector off for now. I called my local bike shop were I purchased the bike from and they said that the protector is not really neded. I said that I would bring it back so they could replace it.

I guess my question is, is this protector reall needed? If so, are there after market ones that are not plastic and would work better?

As noted by Scotty_Dog, the spoke protector is NOT needed ...

BUT, even if the rear derailleur is adjusted properly, if (heaven forbid) your bike has an accident, the rear derailleur could theoretically be jammed toward the rear wheel ... and, in that instance, the spoke protector will probably limit the damage which may otherwise occur.

So, make them replace it. It's a part of your NEW bike ... dead weight to be sure IF (again, as noted) the rear derailleur is adjusted properly which was not the case!

What this experience should tell you is that if you ever buy another bike, you should find another shop OR buy it on-line and (after learning to do your own wrenching) make the adjustments yourself.

FWIW. I believe the OLD, metal spoke protectors will fit on a freehub body -- they weigh more & can rust ...

Scotty Dog,

Thanks for the links!!! They will help me learn more about the adjustments and how the derailer works.

I took my bike back to the shop were I purchased it, it turns out that the master technician was not in on the day that I picked up my bike. His "new" assistant made all the initial adjustments on my bike. Today, Saturday morning, he was there and spent almost an hour going over and adjusting the entire bike for me! He even set the handle bar geometry to suit my needs and after all that, he spent another hour going over the bike with me, explaining various things that I should be aware of as far as maintaining my bike such as lubrication, etc.....

I took the bike for a ride before I left the shop; he made additional adjustments to make the ride more suited to my specific proportions. Once that was complete, I took it for a short ride at the shop. WOW, what a difference!!! It felt like I was riding a different bike!!! I guess with the proper set-up and adjustments, it sure can make a major difference in the riding experience.

Tom

Quoted post said:

What this experience should tell you is that if you ever buy another bike, you should find another shop OR buy it on-line and (after learning to do your own wrenching) make the adjustments yourself.

When the time comes to buy a new bike (hopfully not too soon) were would be a good place (on-line) to purchase a bike from?

Thanks,

Tom

kestrel0222 said:

When the time comes to buy a new bike (hopfully not too soon) were would be a good place (on-line) to purchase a bike from?

FWIW. It counts for a lot that the shop's head technician belatedly "fixed" your bike & spent the time to explain things to you.

As far as GOOD on-line "shops" from which to buy, there are probably as many as you have fingers on both hands.

If you want a high-zoot frame/bike, there are places like EXCEL and COLORADO CYCLIST (both in Colorado) which have on-line/catalog/walk-in.

PERFORMANCE also has all three sales venues ... they carry Fuji & Schwinn (the last time I looked) + some other brands (prices range from under $500 to about $2000).

BikesDirect.com & BicycleBuys.com sell what are presumably "okay" frames (generally, made in Taiwan) with various levels of Shimano components for hard-to-beat prices.

eBay has sellers who concentrate on new bikes (e.g., SPRTYMAMA).

If you can't do minor assembly & adjustments to these bikes, then you have to pay a shop for a couple of hours of their labor (more than the cost of most of the tools you would need which you should accumulate -- metric Allen wrenches, etc.) ... but, the cost of on-line bikes is still usually lower by several hundred dollars since their overhead-or-volume is different which affects the profit margin they are looking for to stay in business.

FWIW2. The shop you bought your bike from is very lucky that the head technician is responsible enough that he spent the time to make the adjustments ... but, one of those two hours you spent at the shop (not to mention travel time & gasoline) was lost to you when you could have been doing anything else (riding/sleeping/vegging-out). If you bought the bike/anything at a department store (wherever), how would you have felt about standing around for an extra hour while you waited OR if you had to come back an hour/day/week later because something that should have been "okay" when you picked it up, initially, wasn't? You may buy your next bike from the same shop, but let them continue to cultivate their relationship with you -- you don't have to pay for the shop owner's kid's college fund OR his retirement fund unless you really want to.

I agree with Alfeng. Pick up a copy of Bicycling's Guide to Bicycle Maintenance & Repair at you bookstore, or read Seldon Brown's website. There are a lot of other good books and websites availble also. Get a starter set of tools, and learn to make your own adjustments. You don't need to learn to build wheels or weld your frame, but it sure does save time and money if you can do some of your own maintenance. This knowledge is especially helpful if a problem arises during a ride when you are in the middle of no where. It looks good too if you can help out the ladies when they have bike trouble.😄

IMHO, building a wheel is a good way to spend an evening after you know what you are doing, or a good way to spend a week of evenings on your first one.

There is no real good reason why I can't do minor adjustment on my bike, I just have to learn more about how a bike works.
I am a mechanical engineer by trade, have rebuilt automobile engines, done complete brake jobs on cars (it's been about 25 years since I've done any of this). I just need to get myself a "good" book to study.
I have seen the Park Tools "Big Blue Book" on various web sites, but not too many others. Does anyone have an opinion on this book? Also, do any of you read any monthly publications?

kestrel0222 said:

There is no real good reason why I can't do minor adjustment on my bike, I just have to learn more about how a bike works.
I am a mechanical engineer by trade, have rebuilt automobile engines, done complete brake jobs on cars (it's been about 25 years since I've done any of this). I just need to get myself a "good" book to study.
I have seen the Park Tools "Big Blue Book" on various web sites, but not too many others. Does anyone have an opinion on this book? Also, do any of you read any monthly publications?

Better than the Bicycling book and cheaper than the Park book is the book by Leonard Zinn, "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance." Excellent tome.

alienator said:

Better than the Bicycling book and cheaper than the Park book is the book by Leonard Zinn, "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance." Excellent tome.

+ bananas.

The Park book is just a compilation of stuff from their website.

kestrel0222 said:

There is no real good reason why I can't do minor adjustment on my bike, I just have to learn more about how a bike works.
I am a mechanical engineer by trade, have rebuilt automobile engines, done complete brake jobs on cars (it's been about 25 years since I've done any of this). I just need to get myself a "good" book to study.
I have seen the Park Tools "Big Blue Book" on various web sites, but not too many others. Does anyone have an opinion on this book? Also, do any of you read any monthly publications?

As noted, most/all of what is in the hardcopy of the Park Tools' book is on their website.

I haven't read them, but "YES" to Leonard Zinn's books ("Zinn and the Art of _____"😉 -- they are updated every couple of years, and probably worth looking at.

Other than the shifters and/or suspension, there really isn't much to a bike ... if you think about it, a bike (and, its motion) is really just controlled by a set of modified levers & connectors & stops ... all of which need to be properly adjusted, of course.

alfeng said:

Other than the shifters and/or suspension, there really isn't much to a bike

It may be a simple machine but the devil is in the details.