How to fix a bent derailleur hanger: Pro tips with or without an alignment tool
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- čas přidán 21. 06. 2020
- A derailleur hanger (or mech hanger) is not a part most people are aware of, but the sacrificial mount for the rear derailleur can cause shifting to go completely wrong if even a little bent out of alignment.
Follow our guide to see how to fix a derailleur hanger with or without a special alignment tool.
If you're in the market for a tool, you can buy a LifeLine hanger alignment tool here for £45: fave.co/3hJkTwq
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Best tutorial I've seen on CZcams for straightening a rear derailleur hangar...period 👍
well... not that much, you always do that on the valve... i came here just to see the shimano tool :P
That was extremely helpful. Now I'm off to my workbench to Fashion a Shimano derailleur hanger out of spare parts. LOL
If you turn the rim and measure at the same point on the rim, you don't need to worry if your rim isn't 100% true.
lol why to leave the rim not true anyway
Thanks for the tip. I was also thinking to remove the hanger, place that on a flat metal surface and hit with a mallet to straighten it.
This was by far the best derailleur hanger straightening video I have seen on CZcams. Not too much information, but didn't skip over intermediate steps and asides/other tips, and also provided alternatives
Using my eye is why I'm now watching videos on using a hanger alignment tool.
Great video btw - I was wondering if I needed yet another tool.
Now that I see how it works, I know I do.
Thank you very much for this video as it actually just solved my derailleur issue by giving the hanger a quick adjustment with a adjustable spanner also great valuable information and which is clearly explained!
I though you were meant to measure at the same spot on the wheel? In the Shimano video they put a sticker on the rim and always measure there, different angles of course. So I tend to just take the reading at the valve, ni need for a sticker! But nice video all the same, thanks.
Keith you’re spot on. No wheel is going to be perfect either, especially mountain bikes, who’s riders don’t care if the wheel wobbles a bit but it better shift. Marking the wheel and rotating it to follow each measuring point is best.
My mech was way out of alignment. These tips are excellent. Got my hanger much better. thanks!
Very professional and insightful as it was approached from both the best way to affect the fix, but also from an improvised situation, which we might also find ourselves in
Very well explained, clear, perfect pace and like the "on the road" options.
Thanks for a very clear and practical description of how to fix the rear deraillieur gear. I looked at some other videos and they rush through so fast you can't follow what is going on and so you get full marks from me.
Extremely clear and useful- thank you!
Thanks for the video man.. Adjustable spanner method worked for me.. eyeballed it. Now I have no problems.
A very good video, showed how to do it properly and bodge it. Excellent. Thank you.
Thanks, great explanation, very clear. I do think you could use the valve location as the marker for measurements -- by simply rotating the wheel -- if you are not certain that your wheel is 100% true.
Excellent video, now I know what I’m trying to do!
Thank you, clear and concise.
Great video. My new bike arrived with a bent derailleur - am guessing the box fell over in the van - and the lower gears always feel like they're about to change to another one. This is despite my adjusting the cable tension (given that they always stretch a bit from new). Got the derailleur straight and all good again :)
thank you, clear and concise explanation
A video that saved me a lot of headaches
Thank you for the clear video. Is it true, though, that you should gauge the horizontal before the vertical planes? I’d heard that that was preferable, because hangers tend to move more freely through the vertical, so setting up the harder dimension (horizontal) will give you a firmer base on which to work.
Great explanation! Thanks!
Thank you Mr. Shapovalov.
Great video, thanks for sharing!
great way to explain this. thank you
Very useful - thank you!
Thank you , helped me a lot ❤
Well done video.
I found the video very helpful, thanks a bunch. Got to say, the music was oddly unsettling.
Think i need to buy that tool
Thank you so much for this
Move the wheel so you are measuring at the valve.
At each position.
Thanks for this.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you.
Clear and precise. Thanks! Could you say the make and model of the tool you used?
nice tool.. but i would probably rotate the wheel as well and measure the distance in the same spot... i'm pretty sure not many of us have the rear wheel perfectly straight :D
Great vid thx. What is the wall mounted bike stand you use please?
thanks
When it's out in both directions, I try to figure out the best angle to bend it rather than being it horizontally then vertically. It's actuqlly possible to get it straight with less bending
Great video and gives me the confidence to at least try to repair the bike my son knocked over the day after it came back from being serviced bending the derailer! Keen to know what the wall hook is called that you are hanging it from to service, unlikely the brand is available here in NZ but I would love to try to get one
Never mind I see you have a video reviewing them too :)
I own an '94 Cannondale R800. My derailleur hanger is normally aligned however when I install my rear wheel and squeeze my Quick Release, the derailleur hanger bends inwards. Since this hanger has two fins that grab the frame and only two small screws to hold it in place, I'm afraid of excercising some considerable force to align it. That may break the two screws or the fins. What do you suggest for these early beauties?
I love you man. Xxxx
I walked into the bikeshop with my bike and said my gears are kinda funky because I had a little crash. Without even looking at the bike I was told my derailleur hanger was bent and that they only had Trek parts and to get another one from my bike manufacturer. I actually get this kind of service a lot from different bikeshops. It feels like they would rather my bike have problems that cost more or that I get a new bike. Then I asked "what if we could just bend it back to life?" They showed me the door.
how do you know which hook is correct?
Question. If i install a new hanger, do i also need to use an alignment tool? That’s what some guys said at a bike forum. I thought with a new hanger, i just simply need to screw the hanger in and that’s it.
Alright mate I have a Carrera can you use any hanger or does it have to be a specific one anyone let me no please.
Does it also work with a carbon frame?
My drive train is clicking my crank and BB are new could this be the cause?
Why can't you just use the valve stem as reference point to negate the wheel being off?
Wheel truness makes no difference here as you need to use the same point of reference on the wheel to gauge hanger alignment.
I got a Carrera hellcat 29, it doesnt look the same so I'm confused?
You can realign your derailleurs hanger with a spare/old rear wheel and a ruler.
My hangar looks straight, however, the jockey wheels are not in a straight line. Does this mean the hangar is actually bent or is it the cage?
My combination : bodge solution for a quick fix, and a spare hanger if it fails. I just don't want to buy yet another ultra specialised tool that I'll use once every 5 years.
Always measure at the valv of the rim bringing the wheel with the gauge .Any misaligance of the wheel has no impact.
This method assumes the wheel is mounted absolutely straight into the frame. Because that becomes your reference. What is the best method to do just that? (for non-through-axle)
A good start is to undo the quick release while the bike is upright; the axle will naturally settle into an even position on both sides. Then retighten the QR without moving or lifting the bike.
Awesome video, is this safe on carbon framesets?
Yes, I would say, as with any frame, proceed always with caution, but there is no reason why you cannot straighten a hanger on a carbon frame. Cheers
IMO, the force applied to the frame is small compared to what it is subject to on the road.
which bike is that?
Does this work with steel frames?
I've got an old steel frame with an integrated hanger that got slightly bent when the derailleur mech overshot the lowest gear and got caught up in the spokes. The threaded hole through which the bolt that holds the derailleur mech passes now strips any bolt I try to insert. Presumably, this is where the frame is most likely to bend when force is applied as there is less of it here. If it strips bolts because the thread is no longer aligned, then trying to insert the alignment tool (which I assume is made of a harder grade of steel) is likely to strip the thread in the frame, so if you do try it - be careful!! I'm wondering whether to write the frame off or just fit a single-speed rear wheel.
Good tutorial, but I feel like the choice is obvious for most of us. 15 for a new part or 100 for a new tool 🤔
Can i softly tap it with a hammer?
absolutely not. Definitely not a recommended method.
Far better to set the tool at the tube valve at "6pm" and then rotate the valve and tool at the same time and then it doesnt matter if the wheel has a buckle in it.
OMG YOUR SO SMART WTF
@@shamsta21 I'm smart enough to know the difference between "your & you're". Keep your sarcastic comments to yourself.
@@leehyson9831 I wasn't acc being sarcastic tho, I acc didn't think of following the valve with the lever thing.
My rear wheel is out of true so thanks.
But, what if it is buckled at the valve area? Then won't the whole hanger be messed up?
@@shamsta21 Oh right. Thank you. Sorry i misunderstood your first comment. All the best to you for 2021🙏
I spent 2 hours trying to index my cheap Chinese 10 speed drivetrain and it wasnt working around the 5th and 6ths gear and then i realized and got so mad
Seems mad to use the measuring tool as a straightener too
The tool is designed to measure and align. That’s why it’s made of steel. So it’s strong enough to bend the hanger!
aligner is no use do not buy this crap
So what you're saying is it's much cheaper/easier to buy a new hanger than buy the tool to fix the old one
Some brandnew hanger are not perfectly align... he just say that buying new hanger for spare becoz if the you align the hnger it may cause to break thats y you muzt have a spare new one
Thought it was supposed to be Without alignment tool.
Ali express 6 quid...no probs
He said, “it’s at least an inch.”
THUMBS-UP!
I’m sick of having that metric crap shoved down our throats!
It is not important the wheel is true at all. Any real mechanic would know as long as you use the same point on the wheel when measuring it does not matter that much.
I got a Carrera hellcat 29, it doesnt look the same so I'm confused?
Did you fix it I have the same bike and same issue?