Dork Disc also Known as spoke protectors and Sprocket guards, spoke protectors are a really common accessory that comes equipped with many bikes including road bikes and mountain bikes usually bikes on the lower ends (a bit cheaper bikes) have them on them but on the higher end you won’t see them that much as far as their function goes they are a protective gear to keep the spokes Safe from the chain whips and chain drops but there are different opinions on them between people There are a few who love them others who despise them and some who have their opinions in between
But for those of you who dont know what dork disks are in the first place here’s an introduction
What are dork discs/Spoke Protectors :
Dork discs also known as sprocket protectors or better known as spokes protectors are plastic or metallic discs that are mounted right behind your sprockets their basic purpose is to stop the chain from dropping on the spokes side and damaging them
And in the case of an accident, you in an incident where you took off your dork disc and your spokes got ripped or your chain broke or any other damage happened to your bike the manufacturer can take up the excuse of dork disc and you may get your warranty “if any” nullified.
Why Most People Don’t have Dork discs on their Bikes:
if you are a people-inspired person then you may notice that many bikers usually dont have dork discs on their bikes there are many reasons for that a major reason for that is “Dork discs don’t look cool” and this is probably the reason why you are here as well but here’s the thing
To some extent, aesthetics are important as well but they are not more important than safety and most of those people are who have some experience on their hands and they know what they are doing which is a reasonable enough reason to not consider using one but if you are probably not one of them or you are hesitant about taking them off of your bike which is understandable as well
Advantages of dork disks :
Dork discs serve both the manufacturers and the user as well, for manufacturers its an easy way to deal with people who made an error on their end and tried to claim the warranty on the wheel and for the users its a great safety tool for when they are new to road biking, mountain biking or cycling in general so take it as a win-win for both parties manufacturers and users
It’s not useful just for beginners but for veterans as well because if you get all your bike maintenance done by a mechanic sometimes when they are adjusting your wheels they might forget to adjust your derailleur which can result in chain slip as well and there are more than one incidents that these kinds of cases are reported which can result in severe damage to your wheels, your bike frame or even your derailleur and derailleur hanger
There are many instances in which your bike chain can drop chain for example if you don’t know what the high, and low limit screws on your derailleur are and what they have to do with your chain then definitely keep it on your bike
When you should consider taking It Off :
dork disc is a really helpful protective gear for beginners and for veterans as well as I have explained above but if you really dont like them then the proper time to remove them would be when you have learned how to change your gears properly and you are confident in your riding skills and you know a thing or two about adjust your derailleur high and low screws
But if you are not worried about aesthetics and you prefer the security features of the fork protector then you should just keep it on and not worry about the aesthetics all.
How to remove The Spoke protector/Dork Disk From Your Bike :
In case you think that you won’t need the dork disk anymore and you had like to remove it All you have to do is remove the cassette and just pull the disk outward it’s usually attached to your hubs flang and it comes off easily but if you are having trouble removing it
Then you can also cut it just make sure that you don’t accidentally cut the flange of your hub as well that would be disastrous!
Disadvantages of Spoke Protectors :
Spoke protectors May have many advantages but there are a few disadvantages as well here are a few
- Dirt and mud accumulation on the sprockets
- They can Jam the drivetrain
These are the major drawbacks of spoke protectors they are notorious for accumulating dirt and mud and you might need to wash your bike often and make sure that you wash the back of the dork disc in a more proper way.
The dirt accommodation invites not only the risk of drivetrain jam but also rust problems the more time the dirt or mud sits on your sprockets or your chain the more it will get rusty so cleaning the bike more often becomes very necessary when using a Spoke protector.
Types of Dork Disks/Spoke Protectors and their Pros and Cons :
There are 2 main types of dork disks usually used
- Plastic Dork Discs
- Metallic Dork Disks
Both of these are useful and good in their own deminer but here are a few pros and cons
Plastic Dork Discs Pros & Cons :
- They dont look that good on a bike
- But they are cheaper and get the job done easily
- They are easier to wash
Metallic Dork Discs Pros and Cons ;
- They look good on the bike but are not readily available on the market
- They are a little bit more expensive than plastic disks
- They are a bit harder to wash than plastic disks
- They last longer than plastic disks
Conclusion :
Dork Discs If Not looked at from an aesthetic viewpoint are great protective gear and overall a good accessory with a few downsides as well which are common with any other accessory or gear as well If you are a beginner Its a must-have protective gear for you it would work as a helmet for your bike wheels
and if you know your way around things on your bike then it’s up to you to keep it or remove it in any case it just all comes down to how you look at things