Recovery from a cycling mishap I took my bike for the first ride of the season yesterday and unfortunately it was pretty short. As I was cycling through the rear gears I hear a plinking sound and then a large clunk. I stopped immediately and went to inspect the back wheel where I saw the following carnage:


The plastic shroud that holds the return spring for the lower pivot was broken and the spring had been ejected.





The pulley cage was crushed





Two spokes were damaged, one snapped at the base of the rim (nipple?) and another snapped off at the hub.




I suspect that happened where is the L limit screw was dialed in too far and the pulley cage was hitting on the spokes (thus the plinking sound) but when a spoke mounted reflector passed by it put enough force on the derailleur to break the shroud and mess up the pulley cage as well.

With the why and how aside I'm looking to repair the damage so I can go on cycling!

I'm fairly new to bicycle maintenance so I'm trying to understand this piece by piece. I obviously need a new derailleur, probably a higher quality one this time around. Is there anything a beginner should be aware of when buying a new one? Besides the minimum and maximum tooth sizes.

Secondly, is it possible to buy just a few replacement spokes (I've been mostly looking on Amazon Canada)? Should I replace all the spokes at the same time?

Thank you!
I recommend you take the bike to a bike shop and let them deal with this.


Yes, you can get individual spokes, but they need to be exactly the right length, which is determined by the specific hub and rim you've got, and the lacing pattern.
You probably do not need to rebuild the wheel with all-new spokes, but if you do, it will probably be cheaper to buy a readymade wheel.
Lacing spokes and truing wheels is not exactly a black art, but it is an art about which entire books have been written. You'd also need a freewheel-removal tool to get at the drive-side hub flange.
I'm a bit concerned that the spoke nipples damaged the rim at the spoke holes where they pulled through. And it is possible that there are other problems that only an experienced eye will be able to spot.
It's possible the derailleur hanger is bent.
Your new derailleur will need to be compatible with your shifters and your freewheel. I'm guessing that will limit you to a Shimano Tourney.