Derailleur hanger

Afternoon all,

I've snapped my derailleur hanger (again). I can either take my machine to
the LBS and leave them to deal with it, or buy a hanger and fit it myself.

Firstly, how hard is it to fit a hanger? Do i need any special tools?

Secondly, how on earth do i figure out what hanger i need? There seems to
be a different design for each frame or something. These guys:

http://derailleurhanger.com/

Have a zillion billion types, but nothing in their index corresponding to
my bike (which is a Decathlon Rockrider 5XC).

Thirdly, am i right in thinking replacing the hanger will solve the
problem, or will there probably also be damage to my mech, chain, etc? I
think the spokes will need looking at, at the very least.

In the meantime, i may have to embrace the dark side and go singlespeed!

Ta buckets in advance for any answers,
tom

--
I could tell you a great many more particulars but suppose that you are
tired of it by this time. -- John Backhouse, Trainspotter Zero

On May 9, 1:30 pm, Tom Anderson wrote:
Afternoon all,

I've snapped my derailleur hanger (again). I can either take my machine to
the LBS and leave them to deal with it, or buy a hanger and fit it myself.

Firstly, how hard is it to fit a hanger? Do i need any special tools?

Secondly, how on earth do i figure out what hanger i need? There seems to
be a different design for each frame or something. These guys:

http://derailleurhanger.com/

Have a zillion billion types, but nothing in their index corresponding to
my bike (which is a Decathlon Rockrider 5XC).

Thirdly, am i right in thinking replacing the hanger will solve the
problem, or will there probably also be damage to my mech, chain, etc? I
think the spokes will need looking at, at the very least.

Is this a joke?

If I hadn't checked the link I'd have thought the idea ridiculous.

"Weatherlawyer" wrote in message
...
On May 9, 1:30 pm, Tom Anderson wrote:
Afternoon all,

I've snapped my derailleur hanger (again). I can either take my machine
to
the LBS and leave them to deal with it, or buy a hanger and fit it
myself.

Firstly, how hard is it to fit a hanger? Do i need any special tools?

Secondly, how on earth do i figure out what hanger i need? There seems to
be a different design for each frame or something. These guys:

http://derailleurhanger.com/

Have a zillion billion types, but nothing in their index corresponding to
my bike (which is a Decathlon Rockrider 5XC).

Thirdly, am i right in thinking replacing the hanger will solve the
problem, or will there probably also be damage to my mech, chain, etc? I
think the spokes will need looking at, at the very least.

Is this a joke?

If I hadn't checked the link I'd have thought the idea ridiculous.

The rear mech is in a vulnerable place. Hit it hard (or get your chain
knitted in a messy fashion), and the bit of metal it hangs off will get
bent.
Now if your bike is steel, this is fine - just bend it back, provided you've
not snapped it (and even then you can just braze another one on). But if
it's Al or CF, you can't do that, and thus you've got a written-off frame.
So they come with a deliberately weak link in the form of a derailleur
hanger - this bends or snaps rather than the frame being destroyed, and you
just buy another.

So, not a joke, but actually a rather sensible idea.

cheers,
clive

On Fri, 9 May 2008, Weatherlawyer wrote:

On May 9, 1:30 pm, Tom Anderson wrote:

I've snapped my derailleur hanger (again). I can either take my machine to
the LBS and leave them to deal with it, or buy a hanger and fit it myself.

Firstly, how hard is it to fit a hanger? Do i need any special tools?

Secondly, how on earth do i figure out what hanger i need? There seems to
be a different design for each frame or something. These guys:

http://derailleurhanger.com/

Have a zillion billion types, but nothing in their index corresponding to
my bike (which is a Decathlon Rockrider 5XC).

Thirdly, am i right in thinking replacing the hanger will solve the
problem, or will there probably also be damage to my mech, chain, etc? I
think the spokes will need looking at, at the very least.

Is this a joke?

Is what a joke?

If I hadn't checked the link I'd have thought the idea ridiculous.

You think the idea of a derailleur hanger is ridiculous? What? Or that
there are different kinds?

tom

--
.... but when you spin it it looks like a dancing foetus!

On Fri, 9 May 2008, Clive George wrote:

"Weatherlawyer" wrote in message
...
On May 9, 1:30 pm, Tom Anderson wrote:

I've snapped my derailleur hanger (again). I can either take my machine to
the LBS and leave them to deal with it, or buy a hanger and fit it myself.

Firstly, how hard is it to fit a hanger? Do i need any special tools?

Secondly, how on earth do i figure out what hanger i need? There seems to
be a different design for each frame or something. These guys:

http://derailleurhanger.com/

Have a zillion billion types, but nothing in their index corresponding to
my bike (which is a Decathlon Rockrider 5XC).

Thirdly, am i right in thinking replacing the hanger will solve the
problem, or will there probably also be damage to my mech, chain, etc? I
think the spokes will need looking at, at the very least.

Is this a joke?

If I hadn't checked the link I'd have thought the idea ridiculous.

The rear mech is in a vulnerable place. Hit it hard (or get your chain
knitted in a messy fashion), and the bit of metal it hangs off will get
bent. Now if your bike is steel, this is fine - just bend it back,
provided you've not snapped it (and even then you can just braze another
one on). But if it's Al or CF, you can't do that, and thus you've got a
written-off frame. So they come with a deliberately weak link in the
form of a derailleur hanger - this bends or snaps rather than the frame
being destroyed, and you just buy another.

Even on steel frames, it's not a bad idea; it means you can fix the
problem yourself without needing brazing equipment or risking metal
fatigue.

tom

--
.... but when you spin it it looks like a dancing foetus!

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
h.li...
On Fri, 9 May 2008, Clive George wrote:

"Weatherlawyer" wrote in message
...
On May 9, 1:30 pm, Tom Anderson wrote:

I've snapped my derailleur hanger (again). I can either take my machine
to
the LBS and leave them to deal with it, or buy a hanger and fit it
myself.

Firstly, how hard is it to fit a hanger? Do i need any special tools?

Secondly, how on earth do i figure out what hanger i need? There seems
to
be a different design for each frame or something. These guys:

http://derailleurhanger.com/

Have a zillion billion types, but nothing in their index corresponding
to
my bike (which is a Decathlon Rockrider 5XC).

Thirdly, am i right in thinking replacing the hanger will solve the
problem, or will there probably also be damage to my mech, chain, etc?
I
think the spokes will need looking at, at the very least.

Is this a joke?

If I hadn't checked the link I'd have thought the idea ridiculous.

The rear mech is in a vulnerable place. Hit it hard (or get your chain
knitted in a messy fashion), and the bit of metal it hangs off will get
bent. Now if your bike is steel, this is fine - just bend it back,
provided you've not snapped it (and even then you can just braze another
one on). But if it's Al or CF, you can't do that, and thus you've got a
written-off frame. So they come with a deliberately weak link in the form
of a derailleur hanger - this bends or snaps rather than the frame being
destroyed, and you just buy another.

Even on steel frames, it's not a bad idea; it means you can fix the
problem yourself without needing brazing equipment or risking metal
fatigue.

And it means you don't get alignment problems from bending it back
incorrectly as well - a good idea in so many ways!

(that said, I bent back the Al hanger on my road/utility bike a few months
ago. Probably ought to get a spare just in case...)

cheers,
clive

On Fri, 9 May 2008 13:30:56 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote:

Afternoon all,

I've snapped my derailleur hanger (again). I can either take my machine to
the LBS and leave them to deal with it, or buy a hanger and fit it myself.

Firstly, how hard is it to fit a hanger? Do i need any special tools?

Secondly, how on earth do i figure out what hanger i need? There seems to
be a different design for each frame or something. These guys:

http://derailleurhanger.com/

Have a zillion billion types, but nothing in their index corresponding to
my bike (which is a Decathlon Rockrider 5XC).

Thirdly, am i right in thinking replacing the hanger will solve the
problem, or will there probably also be damage to my mech, chain, etc? I
think the spokes will need looking at, at the very least.

In the meantime, i may have to embrace the dark side and go singlespeed!

Ta buckets in advance for any answers,

I've changed about 6 hangers over the last year. They are easy to
replace once you are used to it 5 mins, though once I got the chain
in a tangle and it took me ages to sort the tangle out.

I cannot help you with the type of hander you might need.

Tom Anderson wrote:
Afternoon all,

I've snapped my derailleur hanger (again). I can either take my machine
to the LBS and leave them to deal with it, or buy a hanger and fit it
myself.

Firstly, how hard is it to fit a hanger? Do i need any special tools?

Secondly, how on earth do i figure out what hanger i need? There seems
to be a different design for each frame or something. These guys:

http://www.decathlon.fr/FR/patte-derailleur-34946078/
says it fits all their bikes
seems to be this one
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwP...c003151c003217

On 09/05/2008 15:55, Weatherlawyer said,

Is this a joke?
If I hadn't checked the link I'd have thought the idea ridiculous.

Why should it be a joke? Many bikes have replaceable hangers - it's an
eminently sensible idea.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Tom Anderson wrote:
Afternoon all,

I've snapped my derailleur hanger (again). I can either take my
machine to the LBS and leave them to deal with it, or buy a hanger
and fit it myself.
Firstly, how hard is it to fit a hanger? Do i need any special tools?

It's easy to fit, and probably just needs ordinary tools. With my Tifosi
one, it's just an allen key, iirr.

Remove wheel, shift to top gear (to minimise cable tension), unscrew mech
from hanger, remove hanger. If mech looks OK, just leave it dangling by the
cable. Fit new hanger, fit mech to hanger.

/snip
Thirdly, am i right in thinking replacing the hanger will solve the
problem, or will there probably also be damage to my mech, chain,
etc? I think the spokes will need looking at, at the very least.

I dunno. Depends on the cause of the problem and how lucky you are.

~PB