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Old 09-18-19, 05:59 PM
  #14  
Doug Fattic 
framebuilder
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Niles, Michigan
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I'd call around to any nearby frame builders and see what they charge. While $75 for labor is not an unfair price compared to electricians and plumbers, it is a lot higher than I would charge if it is only the hanger out of adjustment. And your local frame builder is probably a lot more experienced using all frame alignment tools. While your frame is there he can probably do other checks like see if the dropouts are equal distant to the center of the frame or other alignment issues. Most customers assume their frames are in good alignment when a big percentage of them are not.

It is possible the LBS price includes a more complete alignment check and they are farming the job out to a frame builder anyway. That might be the reason for the 2 week wait. There is no point to having the hanger parallel to the wheel if the dropouts are not square to the plane of the frame (requiring H tools). And if the alignment of the main triangle is off then that compromises the alignment of the dropouts. This is why a DIY job may not get everything right.

FYI dropout alignment tools are called "H tools" because that is how they were identified in old Campy catalogs. Their tools started with the letter A and just by chance their dropout alignment cups were labeled letter H because that is where they were in their identifying sequence.
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