R.I.P. My Beloved 2½-year-old Rose X-Lite

Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/40 sec, f/5.6, ISO 12800 —
image data

Achilles Falls

My road bike, a Rose X-Lite CRS 3100 Di2 that I got 2½ years ago,
suffered a fatal case of death on a ride the other day, when the
derailleur came off the bike, ripping part of the frame with it.

iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/140 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Inspecting the Damage








iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1/150 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Hanging Derailleur

its mounting bracket ripped in half, taking part of the frame with it

In that moment, the frame was rendered completely useless. A carbon frame is difficult to repair in the best of times, but
damage like this, in this location, means the end of the frame. It could never be ridden again.

No real idea why it would suddenly just give way. It could happen, I suppose, if a stick or something got caught in
the chain, but that wasn't the case. It was at the start of the first steep hill of the day, so it was when I put
in a fair bit of power through the drivechain.

It could have been a slowly-growing crack finally gave way, or that it got damaged during a recent flight. Perhaps most likely is that during a moment of inattentiveness
15 minutes earlier during a stop, I'd let the bike tip over and flop to the ground... perhaps that caused some damage? We'll never
know.

My riding partners, who had a lot more experience with on-the-road repairs, set things up so that I could at least push the
bike along. Luckily, I wasn't too far from a train station, so I walked the 2½km there (thank goodness for cleat covers). The train company wouldn't let me on the train with the bike, so I left it at the station and took the train home myself,
switching to a car to return to pick up the bike.

I left the next day on a trip to The States, so I didn't have time to do
anything further. I'll have to get another frame, a new bike.... or maybe both!