Noonievut

My bike fell over in my basement the other day. Today I went for a ride and when shifting to a larger cog there was an odd noise, looked down and could tell the derailleur was bent inwards. Came home, watched a short park tool video on how to straigthen a bent derailleur hanger, I was able to straigthen it and checked indexing and it was fine. I went for a 90 minute ride and everything worked fine.

Bike is only 6 weeks old. I'm thinking of calling the shop where I bought the bike and asking for a spare derailleur hanger, though I'm wondering if I should just replace it? Wasn't bent much but I'm guessing it's not as reliable as before? While riding with this hanger, should I avoid shifts under a lot of stress/torque (going uphill)?

Thanks!

woodcraft

If it wasn't bent much, it should be fine,

but get a spare- there are a ridiculous number of different kinds & can be a PIA to source.

Kapusta

Assuming it is an aluminum hanger, it is now a little more likely to bend again (or break) in the future. But I would not bother replacing it if it is OK now.

That said, having an extra hangar is a good idea.

Noonievut

Thanks. I'll look into a spare.

bikeaddiction1

I have been on casual rides, long touring rides, and mountain bike rides where people badly bend or break their derailleur hanger. Some where from obvious impact and some where hard to tell why they broke, maybe fatigue. I have straightened many hangers, usually with my Park derailleur alignment gauge, and often on cheep bikes, or on the trail with my hands. They usually continue to work for a long time unless the bend was too far.The point is they do bend and brake. They are made to be sacrificial rather than bending your frame or derailleur. It is wise to carry one with you if you are going any distance as they are easy to change with an hex key and can save a long walk home. I know people who have ridden much more than me that have never had one break, but it only has to happen once and they are cheap and small and light to carry.

cxwrench

Get a spare. But, if it's straight now it should be fine. There's a reason I spent $200 on an Abbey HAG. I straighten hangers all day every day.

Noonievut

Will it help avoid failure if I avoid shifting under heavy load (like on a really steep climb)? With a little bit of foresight I can usually shift to the easiest gear I'll need before it gets steep.

79pmooney

No, the aluminum has most certainly work hardened with the bend and straightening. If anything, it will take more to bend it again. But, the time to failure has been sped up a lot. How soon? That I cannot guess. July? 10 years from now?

If it were me, I'd get the replacement. (Get two. They are not expensive, the work to get two vs one is exactly the same and they are far easier to find now than years from now.) Put the new one on. You now have two working spares. Hangered for a long time. Go to or call your shop and order two. Done.

dsbrantjr

I was going to make the same recommendation.

Kapusta

No. There are plenty of reasons why it is bad to be shifting under heavy load, But bending the hangar is one of them.

cxwrench

No. Go look at your bike and you'll realize that the amount of tension on the chain has absolutely no affect on that happens to the upper pulley when shifting. As someone else posted it's bad for other reasons but not that one.