Originally Posted by
seeker333
As Doug and others have stated, the derailleur hanger on steel frames is part of the frame, and not bolt-on/replaceable because they can be bent back into proper position in the unlikely event of damage.
I nearly destroyed the hanger of my first LHT. It got bent when I fell onto the bike in my house. Wet floor. Super heavy messenger bag. Some adult beverages involved. Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. That was during the winter. Bike was still rideable. But with crappy weather, I didn't take it out much. Decided to wait until spring to get it fixed. Totally forgot. Took the bike out one nice spring morning and decided to ride up a steep hill in the lowest gear to see just how low it felt. (I had done mostly flat riding until then.)
The minute I shifted into the granny I heard the disturbing sound of my RD aspolding and knew exactly what I had done: Shifted the RD cage into the spokes. The cage disintegrated and the body, along with the hanger, had been twisted up. I had to skateboard and then walk home. Fortunately, I was maybe 3 miles from my house. Amazingly, the LBS where I had bought the bike was able to straighten the hanger, and the hole was no so ovalized that it would not accept the new RD screw.