Gear cable failure

Gear cables are specifically designed to pull against the resistance of a spring inside the derailleur. When the cable is released, the derailleur springs back to its default position. This is usually the smallest sprocket or chainring, though Shimano briefly produced a type of rear derailleur known as Rapid-Rise, or lownormal, which defaulted to the largest sprocket. If you do snap a gear cable, one option is to allow the chain to return to its default position and ride home in that gear, which still gives you the flexibility to use the other derailleur normally.

If the cable is broken and trailing wires, get rid of them so they don’t catch on anything. Either undo the pinchbolt that holds the cable on and remove it completely, or coil up the dangling wire and tape it to your frame. If you’re removing the cable, coil it up and take it home – don’t discard it on the trail. Broken rear gear cables occur relatively frequently because the cable is long and passes through several angles, especially with dual suspension bikes. Occasionally the cable frays and breaks; more often the outer casing splits and gives way. Both breaks have the same effect: without the pull of the cable, the spring in the derailleur pulls standard derailleurs to the smallest sprocket, and rapid-rise ones to the largest. Broken…

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