Well, there are various reasons as to why some bikers remove spoke protectors. All the same, the most common reasons include: 1. The Guards Get Noisy

Metal spoke protectors are harder to find. And since most bike shops do not store them, you will have to look for one on the Internet and wait a while until it’s in your possession. Some bike owners remove the pie plate the moment they get home with their new bike. So, why do they do so yet we have found the disc is so important? At the start, our question was whether a spoke guard is necessary. After reading this far, what do you think? Is a dork disc necessary? It’s our hope that we have convinced you to keep that disc on.

Halfords Essentials Wheel Spoke Reflectors

A spoke protector is insurance for your spokes if the chain happens to come off the cog and lodges in between freewheel or cassette and the spokes. Many beginners on bikes ignore this disc. On the contrary, some bikers wonder what it is and what role it plays on a bike. The spoke protector has to be larger than the entire cassette. As a result, its body tends to accumulate a lot of hard-to-clean mud “contaminating” the rear cogs. This is a problem primarily for mountain bikers and touring cyclists riding in hardcore conditions including mud and snow. 4. Drivetrain Jam Someone who rides leisurely for short distances may not notice the effect of adding 100 or so grams on their bike. But, for road race cyclists, that is 100g too much. This is the so-called spoke protector also known as a “spoke guard”, “a pie plate”, “the dork disc” and “the rookie ring.”

When the bicycle is put in its highest or lowest gear, slipping can trigger the following scenarios: Even when you have set the derailleur perfectly, other situations could make the chain drop unexpectedly. Actually, it is such eventualities that make a spoke guard valuable to a cyclist. Other than a poorly adjusted derailleur, your chain may suddenly fall due to: A Sudden Jump or TouchdownA well adjusted rear derailleur keeps the chain as centered as possible over the cog of the cassette or freewheel in each gear. Notably, the pie plate makes cleaning the area next to the cassette a bit harder. As a result, mud and other trail debris may pile up. The mud, in return, dirties the cassette. Also, many cyclists take great pride in being “hardcore” and stay away from products associated with beginners “who don’t know what they’re doing”. 2. Extra weight