If I Buy A New Rear Mech Hanger, Does It Need Re alingnment?

[Lovacott]

I've bashed my bike around a fair bit and I'm pretty sure that the rear mech has had a wallop or two which may have put the hanger out of alignment.

Everything gear wise seems pretty sweet but not as sweet as when I first got the bike.

I've got the indexing sorted and the chain/freewheel and crank combo are all brand new and to the original bike spec.

I've looked at the hanger alignment videos and I wondered if it would simply be easier to just plop on a new hanger and be done with all of the faffing around of re alignment?

Thoughts, suggestions?

 

[Salty seadog]

It will at least need checking.

 

[si_c]

In my experience - yes it does need a check and sometimes a slight re-alignment too.

 

[raleighnut]

yep a new hanger needs aligning after fitting it.

 

[Hacienda71]

Sorry for my naiveity on this but don't you change the hanger when the old one is bent? I can understand reindexing the gears which will be out if you have tried to index them with a bent hanger, but when I have changed the hanger on my frames you just screw in place the replacement, you index your gears as usual and jobs a good un.

 

[raleighnut]

Sorry for my naiveity on this but don't you change the hanger when the old one is bent? I can understand reindexing the gears which will be out if you have tried to index them with a bent hanger, but when I have changed the hanger on my frames you just screw in place the replacement, you index your gears as usual and jobs a good un.

You may be lucky and they are aligned but I'd say there are very few fames that are that precisely built, even frames from the same manufacturer will vary in 'tolerance'.

 

[screenman]

I have checked a lot of bikes and never found one that did not need tweeking.

 

[iluvmybike]

Same here....

 

[Lovacott]

You may be lucky and they are aligned but I'd say there are very few fames that are that precisely built, even frames from the same manufacturer will vary in 'tolerance'.

With the cheaper bikes like mine, I can't believe for a second that the Chinese assembly plant would fart about doing an alignment check prior to shipping.

And forgive me if I am wrong, but I can't see the Halfords assembly kid doing it either just before delivery.

After watching a few videos, I fully understand the need for a well aligned rear mech but I'd have thought that a brand new hanger would have sorted that?

 

[screenman]

With the cheaper bikes like mine, I can't believe for a second that the Chinese assembly plant would fart about doing an alignment check prior to shipping.

And forgive me if I am wrong, but I can't see the Halfords assembly kid doing it either just before delivery.

After watching a few videos, I fully understand the need for a well aligned rear mech but I'd have thought that a brand new hanger would have sorted that?

In that case I have no idea why you bothered asking.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Fit it and see how it goes. It’s not like your bike is going to explode if you haven’t checked new hanger alignment before a ride,

 

[screenman]

A hanger out of alignment will wear the chain faster.

 

[Big John]

If you say it changes gear pretty sweet anyway (but not as good as when you first had the bike) the chances are the hanger, if it's out of alignment at all, will only be out a touch. If you can lay your hands on a decent alignment tool you may not even have to fork out on a new hanger as the tool should be able to straighten it out. Hangers, for what they are, are expensive. If you haven't got a mate with an alignment tool then the LBS shouldn't charge much for checking/straightening it. It's a fifteen minute job. If you tackle it yourself don't give it too much welly otherwise you really will have to replace the hanger when it snaps. There's a lot of leverage in one of those tools 😳

 

[Lovacott]

A hanger out of alignment will wear the chain faster.

In that case I have no idea why you bothered asking.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Lovacott]

If you say it changes gear pretty sweet anyway (but not as good as when you first had the bike) the chances are the hanger, if it's out of alignment at all, will only be out a touch. If you can lay your hands on a decent alignment tool you may not even have to fork out on a new hanger as the tool should be able to straighten it out.

Bottom line is, I need to invest in an alignment tool. Looking on Amazon, they range from £30 to £90 and they all claim to do the same thing.

Any recommendations?