inexpensive but effective hanger alignment tool

[AngryScientist]

Full story to follow, but i had an absolutely excellent ride yesterday, right up until everything went beyond wrong. Of course this happens literally miles outside of cell phone cover....

Anyway....


Is the park tool the one to get. not interested in springing for a Cadillac model.


https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lmOkEiV79To/X2S3Jq3EYnI/AAAAAAAAESc/edQAurEy_xQUFLa581Fm-bzMZBhu9ozNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/IMG_6383.jpg

[kppolich]

A few spare hangars were my solution to keeping that large tool out of my toolbox. That changes when the Der hangars aren't interchangeable.

[FriarQuade]

If budget is top of mind, get a M10x1 bolt, something 100mm long or so and a pair of nuts. Run the nuts onto the bolt until there's ~10mm on the end. Lock them down and then you can thread that into the hanger and then you have a reference and a handle to bend it back. No it's not as accurate as our HAG but it's ~$3 at the local Ace and it's comparable to the staple tool for this job.

That said, I feel like Campagnolo RD's benefit the most from a truly straight hanger. Their drivetrain in general doesn't have as much play built into it, especially at the RD. So that last 2mm of hanger alignment can really benefit those systems IMPO.

[AngryScientist]

If budget is top of mind, get a M10x1 bolt, something 100mm long or so and a pair of nuts. Run the nuts onto the bolt until there's ~10mm on the end. Lock them down and then you can thread that into the hanger and then you have a reference and a handle to bend it back. No it's not as accurate as our HAG but it's ~$3 at the local Ace and it's comparable to the staple tool for this job.

That said, I feel like Campagnolo RD's benefit the most from a truly straight hanger. Their drivetrain in general doesn't have as much play built into it, especially at the RD. So that last 2mm of hanger alignment can really benefit those systems IMPO.

brilliant - that's the plan, thanks friar!

[Hilltopperny]

Yikes Nick! Hope you and your bike are doing well! The park tools alignment tool will work fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AngryScientist]

Yikes Nick! Hope you and your bike are doing well! The park tools alignment tool will work fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

there was a lot of walking involved in my brand new carbon road shoes! grumble.

[Hilltopperny]

there was a lot of walking involved in my brand new carbon road shoes! grumble.


Good to hear you were able to walk, but of course the shoes and no cell service suck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mark McM]

there was a lot of walking involved in my brand new carbon road shoes! grumble.

If you carried a chain tool and/or a spare quick-link, you could have converted your bike into a single speed instead of walking. I've snapped off derailleurs a few times on my MTB, and never had to walk out of the woods.

[Gsinill]

brilliant - that's the plan, thanks friar!

Or this (https://www.ebay.com/itm/MTB-Tools-Mountain-Bike-Bicycle-Derailleur-Hanger-Alignment-Tool/251621087413?epid=0&hash=item3a95c918b5:g:rG0AAMXQya1Q6lUe) is if you don't want to fiddle with it and are willing to pay a few bucks more.

[robt57]

Order new hanger or two.

Cold setting 6-7k alloy hanger?? I wonder why it did not do it's job and give up it's life before loss of RD. like it is supposed to do??

[AngryScientist]

If you carried a chain tool and/or a spare quick-link, you could have converted your bike into a single speed instead of walking. I've snapped off derailleurs a few times on my MTB, and never had to walk out of the woods.

yea, i've done the same. i usually do on my gravel bike, but not typically with the road bike - not anymore!

[AngryScientist]

Or this (https://www.ebay.com/itm/MTB-Tools-Mountain-Bike-Bicycle-Derailleur-Hanger-Alignment-Tool/251621087413?epid=0&hash=item3a95c918b5:g:rG0AAMXQya1Q6lUe) is if you don't want to fiddle with it and are willing to pay a few bucks more.

that's even better and saves me a trip to the store!

[AngryScientist]

Order new hanger or two.

Cold setting 6-7k alloy hanger?? I wonder why it did not do it's job and give up it's life before loss of RD. like it is supposed to do??

yea, i'm going to do that, if this one is not straight i'm not going to try and bend it. i also wondered why it didnt go first.

[eippo1]

Wonder if the Wolftooth added another fulcrum, adding more leverage on the RD. If I remembered my structures calculations, I could probably figure out where exactly the max loads are on that setup, but it's been more than a decade since I've had to do that.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[chrisroph]

I used to use a steel bolt and a pair of vice grips. Now I have a HAG. Much nicer. But that ebay thing looks like a slick cheap option.

[robt57]

If that was Di2/eTap, whew!

Glad not to read any part that included your hitting the ground...

I think I see why it did what it did, got yanked in plane. I did not notice the chain behind the cassette in first pic.

Ask me why my carbon bonty wheels with white spokes have 6 drive side non white new spokes... no don't on second thought!

[flying]

This cheat has worked fine for me the rare occasions I needed
https://youtu.be/TnwreRrorIA

[572cv]

If budget is top of mind, get a M10x1 bolt, something 100mm long or so and a pair of nuts. Run the nuts onto the bolt until there's ~10mm on the end. Lock them down and then you can thread that into the hanger and then you have a reference and a handle to bend it back. No it's not as accurate as our HAG but it's ~$3 at the local Ace and it's comparable to the staple tool for this job.

That said, I feel like Campagnolo RD's benefit the most from a truly straight hanger. Their drivetrain in general doesn't have as much play built into it, especially at the RD. So that last 2mm of hanger alignment can really benefit those systems IMPO.

I'm just going to note that the HAG tool is so beautifully designed and executed that any good excuse to get one, and not acted upon, is kind of a missed opportunity. Even if it does cost some coin.

More importantly, Angry OP, it was good to read that you were on your feet and that nothing else was busted!

[R3awak3n]

Park tool has been fine for me... not a tool I want to spend a lot of money on anyways, use it maybe once a year.

Would love to know the story here but do have to say, got one of those centaur derailleurs because was going to transplant the cage to a chorus (which did not work, not same system) and it felt really cheap for the 5 minutes I had it on my hand. Just the feel of it was not up to campy imo, I would spring for the potenza.

[AngryScientist]

Park tool has been fine for me... not a tool I want to spend a lot of money on anyways, use it maybe once a year.

Would love to know the story here but do have to say, got one of those centaur derailleurs because was going to transplant the cage to a chorus (which did not work, not same system) and it felt really cheap for the 5 minutes I had it on my hand. Just the feel of it was not up to campy imo, I would spring for the potenza.

yea, the mid cage 11-sp kit is getting hard to find and expensive these days.

this may be what pushes me to go to 12. this is my favorite road bike though, i dont want to have it OOC for too long.

[NHAero]

And how did this situation come to pass?
Kinda unusual on a roadie, yes?
Glad you walked (gingerly on road shoes) away!

[redir]

This cheat has worked fine for me the rare occasions I needed
https://youtu.be/TnwreRrorIA

Yup that method works like a charm.

[ridethecliche]

OP where in jersey are you?

You can borrow mine! I'm in New Brunswick. I'm out of town this weekend but I can leave it out so my roommate can give it to you or such if you need.

I should be back Monday ish though and I'm off next week so we can figure something out!

[robt57]

Yup that method works like a charm.


I don't think I'd use that much leverage on a carbon frame personally. New hanger seems a lot better solution. Now a steel frame, yeah...

[reuben]

I did a bit of searching, and it looks like that part is made of T6061 aluminum - not the kind of material that I would expect to shear off on a bicycle. I wonder if it had a material defect that finally failed, or if your white hot awesome gigawatt power was just too much for it.

[R3awak3n]

yea, the mid cage 11-sp kit is getting hard to find and expensive these days.

this may be what pushes me to go to 12. this is my favorite road bike though, i dont want to have it OOC for too long.

Yeah it sucks that 11 speed getting scarse. I bought a record mid cage not long ago and saw that centaur was easy to find, potenza there was some, chorus was all sold out and why I bought record.

Look for a potenza, should not be hard to find and they are nice.


That said, 12 is getting affordable in chorus, I think someone posted sub $1000 at merlin? But I think velomine has it for about $1200. I just hate that I couldnt get cheap shimano cassetes.

[David Kirk]

Way back in the day hub axles were threaded and the rears just happened to be M10x1 which is the same as the derailleur hanger. So if you bent the hanger you unscrewed the derailleur, removed the rear wheel and QR skewer, and then spun the axle end into the hanger.

Then you could use the wheel as a lever to straighten is out well enough to get home. As the Brits would say "it works a treat".

dave

[weisan]

Having the tool is only as good as remembering to use it when it's necessary.

Spent a few hours troubleshooting a shifting issue for a friend, check on everything including the hangar...but I just "eyeballed" it and called it as "good" instead of getting off my butt and get the tool from the garage.

In the end, I couldn't resolve the issue and she brought it to another friend who used his hangar alignment tool and low and behold, he confirmed that it was bent. Enough for her to jump shift on the last few cogs.

(sigh)

No more eyeballing for me.

Stop being lazy, weisan!

[R3awak3n]

Having the tool is only as good as remembering to use it when it's necessary.

Spent a few hours troubleshooting a shifting issue for a friend, check on everything including the hangar...but I just "eyeballed" it and called it as "good" instead of getting off my butt and get the tool from the garage.

In the end, I couldn't resolve the issue and she brought it to another friend who used his hangar alignment tool and low and behold, he confirmed that it was bent. Enough for her to jump shift on the last few cogs.

(sigh)

No more eyeballing for me.

Stop being lazy, weisan!



Ahha yah you def can’t eye ball. Sometimes I use the tool and tells me its right but it looks wrong. I have to say though I bought it for a bike that made noise and thought was the hanger, turns out it wasnt and usually only use the hanger if I bring a new frame to the house or if I know I bent the hanger. One of those tools that we barely use but its great to have. Specially now that shops are so busy.

[mikehkaiser]

Or this (https://www.ebay.com/itm/MTB-Tools-Mountain-Bike-Bicycle-Derailleur-Hanger-Alignment-Tool/251621087413?epid=0&hash=item3a95c918b5:g:rG0AAMXQya1Q6lUe) is if you don't want to fiddle with it and are willing to pay a few bucks more.

Good link. I bought one, too. You should see if they'll give you commission or credit to their eBay store.

[AngryScientist]

the good news is the rest of the ride was pretty spectacular.

i have unfinished business on this route though. i'll be back.

good thing i have a back-up road bike.

or two

or three

or....


https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HmV-jgbmtzQ/X2S3JPAkpcI/AAAAAAAAESY/nkdmktYMhTwtcIdA-jVA4ld--CrfWDaEACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/IMG_6381.jpg

[AngryScientist]

I did a bit of searching, and it looks like that part is made of T6061 aluminum - not the kind of material that I would expect to shear off on a bicycle. I wonder if it had a material defect that finally failed, or if your white hot awesome gigawatt power was just too much for it.

no, that's the problem, on centaur RD, that's a composite part, not metal.

probably fine for "design loads" - but probably not much more than that.

[robt57]

good thing i have a back-up road bike.

Or two

or three

or....

12 ?

[AngryScientist]

12 ?

i would never be so foolish to count them and then admit to that number on the WWW.

:banana:

[gbcoupe]

i would never be so foolish to count them and then admit to that number on the WWW.

:banana:

Pretty sure he's got well over 12.

I bought a Park Tool here for a good price. Works great! Should have bought one years ago.

As David Kirk mentioned, threading a wheel into the hanger works very well.

[Peter P.]

There's nothing to align.

Those derailleur hangers are aluminum, and tweaking them weakens them considerably. They're not designed to be bent, unlike steel dropouts/hangers.

As has already been mentioned; buy a couple spare derailleur hangers and always have one in stock.

[Mark McM]

There's nothing to align.

Those derailleur hangers are aluminum, and tweaking them weakens them considerably. They're not designed to be bent, unlike steel dropouts/hangers.

As has already been mentioned; buy a couple spare derailleur hangers and always have one in stock.

While it is true that aluminum doesn't tolerate the larger degrees of bending that steel (or titanium) do, in my experience aluminum hangers can handle minor alignment adjustments. Not all replaceable hangers become perfectly aligned when installed, and often require minor tweaking.

[FriarQuade]

There's nothing to align.

Those derailleur hangers are aluminum, and tweaking them weakens them considerably. They're not designed to be bent, unlike steel dropouts/hangers.

As has already been mentioned; buy a couple spare derailleur hangers and always have one in stock.

Bending aluminum hangers a little is just fine. I've aligned every hanger I've put on a bike for the last 15 years. They're all out at least a little, even when new.

[ridethecliche]

The rule of thumb is that if a Al Rd hangar can survive being bent back into shape then it can survive being used.

[Gummee]

Having the tool is only as good as remembering to use it when it's necessary.

Spent a few hours troubleshooting a shifting issue for a friend, check on everything including the hangar...but I just "eyeballed" it and called it as "good" instead of getting off my butt and get the tool from the garage.

In the end, I couldn't resolve the issue and she brought it to another friend who used his hangar alignment tool and low and behold, he confirmed that it was bent. Enough for her to jump shift on the last few cogs.

(sigh)

No more eyeballing for me.

Stop being lazy, weisan!

Listening is even better. I can't tell you how many hangers are bent just enough to make the shifting noisy that I couldn't see

I have a HAG. MUCH nicer than the Park that I use on the van. A hanger alignment tool is pretty much a 'buy it once and have it for a lifetime' kind of thing so it makes sense to buy the nice stuff and not half-arse it.

M

[thirdgenbird]

yea, the mid cage 11-sp kit is getting hard to find and expensive these days.

this may be what pushes me to go to 12. this is my favorite road bike though, i dont want to have it OOC for too long.

You already have the crank and brakes. I say go for it. Zero regrets here.

[oldpotatoe]

Ahha yah you def can’t eye ball. Sometimes I use the tool and tells me its right but it looks wrong. I have to say though I bought it for a bike that made noise and thought was the hanger, turns out it wasn't and usually only use the hanger if I bring a new frame to the house or if I know I bent the hanger. One of those tools that we barely use but its great to have. Specially now that shops are so busy.

Reminds me of 'those' who say their 'hands' or 'ears' can tell if something if 'off', crank bolt or spoke tension..Had a guy who brought in bike with shifting issues..he 'said' he checked the der hanger, 'it looked ok but...' then went about mangling it with a adjustable wrench. It was 'kinda' straight, and cracked..Wheels Manufacturing to the rescue.

On Modern carbon bikes, hangers are SO soft..a decent der hanger alignment tool is essential. As is a torque wrench and spoke tension meter...If ya build or true wheels..and a decent truing stand, and a decent dishing tool, and a........you get the idea.

[smontanaro]

If budget is top of mind ...

There are a couple variations on the theme shown in YouTube videos. Friar's seems the most straightforward. The other I recall was almost a reproduction of the Park tool.

[smontanaro]

that's even better and saves me a trip to the store!

I just bought it. In communication with the seller, he stated that all their tools are made in El Cajon, CA. So win/win inexpensive and MUSA...