Is the rear derailleur hanger meant to like this?

doublem_1

This is how the derailleur hanger is on the frame I have recently bought. I looks to me slightly bent inwards (towards the wheel). Is this how it is meant to be? Or should I take it off and straighten it up?

nicklouse

yes looks bent.

you need it in the frame to see it it is straight.

read parktools.

cooldad

If it is bent you'll never get it straight enough.
Possibly a Kona H, but CRC have loads of different Kona hangers on sale at the moment. Kona webbie will tell you which one you need.

cooldad

Caldera is an H, £4.99 from CRC. (Unless it's pre 2003)

doublem_1

Its a 2009 frame. Couldn't find a hanger on CRC for £5. I'll keep looking though.

cooldad

Your google fu is very weak.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=71911

Or one of these, and you get a Kona sticky plaster as well, plus some other bits.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=80310

doublem_1

Ah I was searching for kona hanger!! Thanks!

stubs

Doesnt look too bad to me unbolt it clamp it in a vice and tweak it using an adjustable wrench. You might need to tweak it and refit it a few times till its straight, just adjust it little by little. However it will never be as strong as an unbent one so buy a new from cooldads link and keep your straightened one in your pack as your spare.

Northwind

How to straighten mech hangers

1) If it's very bent, don't, it'll snap instead of bending next time you hit it
2) Stick it in the frame
3) Get an old cup-and-cone axle, the thread is normally the same as the mech bolt. Thread it in up to the nut, sticking out to the right of the bike (you want the nut flat against the hanger to remove play)
4) Get a bit of threaded rod and add a couple of nuts and washers. Fit it into the dropouts (if it's smaller than the dropouts, pull it straight upwards til it's seated well- ideally you want a 10mm rod). Snug the bolts just enough to keep it in place
5) Bend the hanger using the axle as a lever. Once it's parallel with the rod, it's as straight as it ever was. Remember to check it from different angles.

You can cut out 4, and do it by eye, but it's much less good.

Thing is, it'll get stressed every time you bend it- so if it's very bent, it's always a gamble. After it's been bent once, it's more likely to snap. So especially if it's very out of shape, you might still want to replace it.

(I tend to retire mine as spares, but I forgot to switch it back a while back, and ended up breaking the hanger in the middle of a race run. Would a fresh one have broken? Maybe, maybe not but it was annoying and expensive anyway!)

kangaroo

they have loads of Kona hangers here
http://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/items.asp?CategoryID=75&Name=Kona+Dropouts%2FHangers

cooldad

kangaroo wrote:

they have loads of Kona hangers here
http://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/items.asp?CategoryID=75&Name=Kona+Dropouts%2FHangers

They do, but almost four times the price of the CRC ones.

roverthehill

or u can buy this tool to help straighten it....

http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product.do? ... tAodqxsAYA

Northwind

Or you could use the method I mentioned, which is just as good and cheaper.

cooldad

£50 for a tool to straighten a hanger that's £5 on CRC? Seriously?

Northwind

They're more for frames without replacable dropouts.