Looking for a hanger alignment tool (£40 ish)

wolfsbane2k
wolfsbane2k Posts: 3,056
edited January 2018 in Workshop
Hey.
Looking for a hanger alignment tool to be given to myself by a family member for helping them out with bike stuff over the last year, and they want to say thank you with a new tool, which of course, they will also benefit from.

Anyone got any recommendations?

Looking at CRC/wiggle etc their own brand stuff seems to get reasonable reviews at £35, so tempted that way for simplicity, but the reported bearing wobble is likely to bug me.

Ta!
Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...

Comments

  • paulbnix
    paulbnix Posts: 632
    I bought the LifeLine Derailleur Hanger Alignment tool from Wiggle for £23 a couple of years ago and it does have some movement in the bearing.
    I found it’s reasonably easy to determine if the hanger is bent when you’ve dropped the bike.
    It may not be absolutely accurate but it’s certainly good enough.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,334
    the cyclus one might be a better bet, not tried it but it has good reviews, price is similar
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • trivial_poursuivant
    trivial_poursuivant Posts: 1,136
    The x-tools one Wiggle sell is fine. You have a tiny amount of play which is inside the tolerances of the actual alignment which is about 2-3mm . Even the very slight wobble will not effect your alignment of the hanger.
  • sextoke1
    sextoke1 Posts: 133
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    The x-tools one Wiggle sell is fine. You have a tiny amount of play which is inside the tolerances of the actual alignment which is about 2-3mm . Even the very slight wobble will not effect your alignment of the hanger.
    Chain and Wiggle are selling the Park Tool one for €67. Not a bad price to other sites at €85. At that price I am thinking of getting it.
  • trivial_poursuivant
    trivial_poursuivant Posts: 1,136
    sextoke1 wrote:
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    The x-tools one Wiggle sell is fine. You have a tiny amount of play which is inside the tolerances of the actual alignment which is about 2-3mm . Even the very slight wobble will not effect your alignment of the hanger.
    Chain and Wiggle are selling the Park Tool one for €67. Not a bad price to other sites at €85. At that price I am thinking of getting it.

    At the price it’s only worthwhile if you are doing a lot of servicing. If it’s for your own bike you are not really going to be using it enough to justify it. I think I’ve used mine about 4 times in 2 years. I regularly service bikes for friends and even poorly looked after bikes don’t need the hanger touching unless it’s really took a knock. If you ride MTB it may be worth it cos if the nature of the riding but if your only touching road bikes then there is little point at the price of Park tools version
  • wolfsbane2k
    wolfsbane2k Posts: 3,056
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    sextoke1 wrote:
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    The x-tools one Wiggle sell is fine. You have a tiny amount of play which is inside the tolerances of the actual alignment which is about 2-3mm . Even the very slight wobble will not effect your alignment of the hanger.
    Chain and Wiggle are selling the Park Tool one for €67. Not a bad price to other sites at €85. At that price I am thinking of getting it.

    At the price it’s only worthwhile if you are doing a lot of servicing. If it’s for your own bike you are not really going to be using it enough to justify it. I think I’ve used mine about 4 times in 2 years. I regularly service bikes for friends and even poorly looked after bikes don’t need the hanger touching unless it’s really took a knock. If you ride MTB it may be worth it cos if the nature of the riding but if your only touching road bikes then there is little point at the price of Park tools version

    Thanks for that thought. I'm looking at it for friends & family, and I keep getting told by the LBS's that the hanger is out one bikes when I can't get shifting to work properly, so might be more than 4 times in 2 years, but probably only 10-15 times a year (from a just check it point of view)
    Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
    Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I got one of the cheaper tools last time Wiggle discounted them in a sale. Don't think it has any play when properly screwed in to the hanger though. Now the kids have left home I'm only maintaining 2 bikes but I still find I use it more than I thought I would.

    I'm often surprised by how far out they can be, on bikes I've not crashed or dropped.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Never used one in 30 plus years of having bikes. I've bent a few mechs back into place after bumps but I dont think I'm missing out ? Like torque wrenches. Not bothered with those either.
  • wolfsbane2k
    wolfsbane2k Posts: 3,056
    Fenix wrote:
    Never used one in 30 plus years of having bikes. I've bent a few mechs back into place after bumps but I dont think I'm missing out ? Like torque wrenches. Not bothered with those either.


    I know I've knackered a few hangers in my time, and the kids bikes I help look after are always getting dropped on the expensive side, so happy to have something to exclude a bent hanger from issues if I can..
    Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
    Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...
  • captain_tiara
    captain_tiara Posts: 106
    I got one of the Lifeline ones.

    Read somewhere on here to wrap a bit of plumbers PTFE tape round the contact bits to take out the play. Works well.
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,810
    Fenix wrote:
    Never used one in 30 plus years of having bikes. I've bent a few mechs back into place after bumps but I dont think I'm missing out ? Like torque wrenches. Not bothered with those either.
    I'd never used an alignment tool, until I did and found what a difference it made. I'd never been able to get the shifting absolutely spot on after building my bike using a new frame and components. Eventually I took a hanger alignment tool to it and found there was a very slight twist in the hanger. The shifting was ok before, but having given the hanger a tiny tweak it was absolutely spot on. I've only used it a few times since, but a very small adjustment can take something from being acceptable to bang on.
    Still don't use a torque wrench on bicycle stuff though.
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • kingdav
    kingdav Posts: 417
    I was looking for an alignment tool a couple of months ago and pondered for a good while before eventually going for the Park DAG 2.2 at £55 from CRC. I've done my four bikes and been pleased to be able to notice a difference (and dial out a plingy mech/spoke noise I used to get in a low gear on one of them). There's very little play in it.

    I have 3 sons and whilst they're still little at the moment, I expect to be spannering a fair bit over time so it made sense to invest. None of them seem to be so cheap you save so much.

    Not much fun as a gift, but you can always do it with threaded rod and a few nuts and bolts.
    hZMGiVkg.jpg

    - re-reading the above I realise it's not much help! I really did shop about on this one myself for a while
  • veryslowtwitch
    veryslowtwitch Posts: 321
    +1 Park tool. I got mine for just over 40quid so within budget if you are lucky/in a sale.

    Big saving in time and effort even if only to confirm that hanger is ok.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,334
    with 11-speed accurate alignment makes more difference, even a slight knock on the rd can degrade the shifting

    after a trip where due to, let's be clear, my stupidity, my bike fell over and slightly bent the hanger, eyeballing it is not enough to re-align accurately, two weeks of not quite right shifting followed

    on return i made a lightweight tool to take on subsequent trips, it only works with an etap rd, but has the advantage that the alignment can be done without removing the rd (the same may be possible on others, depends on the hole in the rd mounting)

    it weighs 99.5 g, mostly carbon fibre, it's so good i don't bother with the park tool one anymore...

    http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... 5#p1240162

    the same approach could be used to make a 'normal' tool that screws into the hanger
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • fallenagain
    fallenagain Posts: 25
    There is a grubscrew that lets you remove the play from the tool.
  • sextoke1
    sextoke1 Posts: 133
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    sextoke1 wrote:
    Trivial poursuivant wrote:
    The x-tools one Wiggle sell is fine. You have a tiny amount of play which is inside the tolerances of the actual alignment which is about 2-3mm . Even the very slight wobble will not effect your alignment of the hanger.
    Chain and Wiggle are selling the Park Tool one for €67. Not a bad price to other sites at €85. At that price I am thinking of getting it.

    At the price it’s only worthwhile if you are doing a lot of servicing. If it’s for your own bike you are not really going to be using it enough to justify it. I think I’ve used mine about 4 times in 2 years. I regularly service bikes for friends and even poorly looked after bikes don’t need the hanger touching unless it’s really took a knock. If you ride MTB it may be worth it cos if the nature of the riding but if your only touching road bikes then there is little point at the price of Park tools version
    I have also noticed when the rear wheel skewer is being tighten, that if you look down the rear derailleur, you can see it move in towards the wheel. The more you tighten, the more it moves in. I have checked the indexing with it barely tight and fully tight and it does make no difference to the shifting. I though it would have. The most movement is in the cage arms, so maybe up near the derailleur the movement is smaller.
  • dgmoose
    dgmoose Posts: 16
    kingdav wrote:
    I was looking for an alignment tool a couple of months ago and pondered for a good while before eventually going for the Park DAG 2.2 at £55 from CRC. I've done my four bikes and been pleased to be able to notice a difference (and dial out a plingy mech/spoke noise I used to get in a low gear on one of them). There's very little play in it.

    I have 3 sons and whilst they're still little at the moment, I expect to be spannering a fair bit over time so it made sense to invest. None of them seem to be so cheap you save so much.

    Not much fun as a gift, but you can always do it with threaded rod and a few nuts and bolts.
    hZMGiVkg.jpg

    - re-reading the above I realise it's not much help! I really did shop about on this one myself for a while



    You have the right idea about hanger alignment.

    It does not matter how bent the hanger appears, as long as the threaded hole is parallel to the hub axle, shifting will work perfectly.

    So, all you need is an M10 threaded rod screwed into the hole (eg an old quick release axle) with atleast one nut on the rod butted against it. You bolt the rear wheel into the dropouts tight then work the rod by eye until it is parallel from two planes (view from above and view from the side).

    Then , re-index the shifting.

    It should not take more than 10 minutes to do, even with people ogling what you do.

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