Rear Hanger

[Glasgow44]

Hi there

I was out cycling yesterday with one of my friends and I fell onto some grass on the side of the derailleur. When I got up this morning, I noticed that its bent inwards slightly and when I work up the gears, it jumps over the highest cog into the spokes (luckily I stopped it in time!). What is the best way to fix this. Should I get a pair of pliers and pull it into alignment? The bike is a Giant Defy 2

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Buy a new hanger. Straighten the old one as best you can and keep it as an emergency spare.

 

[Tim Hall]

I think the Defy 2 is an aluminium frame, so there's a good chance the gear hanger is a replaceable, bolt on, unit. This is because they're designed to bend or break in a crash rather than bending the frame itself. You might get lucky with a pair of pliers and a bit of heaving, or it might break. Best bet is get a new one, but if you can straighten it, it'll do in the short term. Make sure, as you seem to have done, that the mech can't go into the spokes, using the limit screws, if necessary, to prevent use of the sprocket closest to the spokes.

If it's an integral hanger it's a bit of a different challenge.

 

[midlife]

I think it's replaceable and about a tenner

 

[raleighnut]

It may re-align with the proper tool it may not in which case it will need replacing but it will still need the alignment setting correctly.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

You can fix it at home if you don't have quick access to a new one. But bending it in situ is not a good idea.
Aluminium work hardens when bent. This means the bent bit of the hanger is now harder than the adjacent bit and when you just bend it back on the frame, you won't straighten the bent bit but bend another bit to make it sort of straight but wobbly because now the seat is no longer flat.

Rather remove it and flatten it with a hammer on a flat anvil of sorts. Then replace it.

Edit: By replace it I mean, put it back on the bike.

 

[raleighnut]

You can fix it at home if you don't have quick access to a new one. But bending it in situ is not a good idea.
Aluminium work hardens when bent. This means the bent bit of the hanger is now harder than the adjacent bit and when you just bend it back on the frame, you won't straighten the bent bit but bend another bit to make it sort of straight but wobbly because now the seat is no longer flat.

Rather remove it and flatten it with a hammer on a flat anvil of sorts. Then replace it.

 

[Brandane]

If you're going to make a habit of bending your hanger, then it might make sense to buy one of these tools:



I invested in a budget version (the pictured one is a Park Tools one, cost about £60) from somewhere I can't remember for about £25. It works great and keeps alignment sweet on 4 bikes.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Bloody clown. Forced me to edit.

 

[raleighnut]

Bloody clown. Forced me to edit.