Had a couple of falls on black ice a week or so ago. Apart from a smashed light, few bruises and sore joints etc I found my gears weren't changing properly so decide it must be due to the thick mud caked around my derailleur.

Cleaned the derailleur and could not get it to adjust when reassembling.

Right, turn bike upside down, scrape more mud off the frame area and found found this:-

Panic sets in, I've boken my frame, what else could go wrong?

Clean a bit more and found it is a removable piece held on with tiny screws. One of the screws rounded off straight away, what else could go wrong?

Decided to drill the screw out from the outside screw end, 3 broken tiny drill bits later, what else could go wrong?

This - The last drill bit's end snapped off inside the small drilled hole.

Lots of swearing and pulling with large pliers I get it off and end up with this :-

After some research I find it's called a gear hanger and found one which looks the same and got it ordered straight away, hopefully will be the correct one and arrive soon as I need the bike back together.

Edited December 28, 20178 yr by awol

If you end up having to bore out a larger hole in order to remove the broken drill bit, you can use a 'helicoil' to repair the thread back to its original size:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/helicoil

Yes, the postman's just been, I can't believe it's here already, only ordered it boxing day and looks the same too.

Need to figure out how to adjust it without one of those special tools now.

Need to figure out how to adjust it without one of those special tools now.

What adjustment? Which special tool?????

What adjustment? Which special tool?????

I came across this alignment tool when researching what the part was.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyclo-Gear-Hanger-Alignment-Tool/dp/B004QCNPTG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514480547&sr=8-1&keywords=gear+hanger+tool

 

Turns out the jobs now done, gears adjusted as learned from you and I've managed without the tool but might knock something up in the garage next year. It's mainly just a bit of square tube and a M10x1.0 fine thread bolt,nuts,washers.

I've repaired a few of those hangers by heating them up and bashing them flat with a hammer after they got bent. the only tools I used were the gas cooker, hammer, a big screwdriver to lever open the gap and my eyes.

I've repaired a few of those hangers by heating them up and bashing them flat with a hammer after they got bent. the only tools I used were the gas cooker, hammer, a big screwdriver to lever open the gap and my eyes.

Another fine example of precision British engineering. No wonder all our manufacturing moved abroad!

Another fine example of precision British engineering. No wonder all our manufacturing moved abroad!

There is absolutely nothing a huge wallop with a hammer can't fix,, if it doesn't fit first time ,whack it again,if it then breaks, then you definitely need s bit.

Order ,then replace. Simples.

Basic Black country engineering!

There is absolutely nothing a huge wallop with a hammer can't fix,, if it doesn't fit first time ,whack it again,if it then breaks, then you definitely need s bit.

Order ,then replace. Simples.

Basic Black country engineering!

 

AKA Birmingham screwdriver.

.

My Park Tool DAG - 2.2 is a workshop tool, that I wouldn't want to be without.

 

An expensive bit of kit, but with the cost shared with my riding buddy, the sting was taken out.

 

If you look at the 40 second point of this clip, it clearly shows d8veh working on a bike in his usual ham-fisted way.

 

 

 

.

Edited December 31, 20178 yr by EddiePJ

My Park Tool DAG - 2.2 is a workshop tool, that I wouldn't want to be without.

 

An expensive bit of kit, but with the cost shared with my riding buddy, the sting was taken out.

 

If you look at the 40 second point of this clip, it clearly shows d8veh working on a bike in his usual ham-fisted way.

 

 

 

.

Thanks for that. Seems that a problem that has bugged me for ages maybe answered.

Mike, there are certainly cheaper options that are just as good.

 

This one for example gets good reviews. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/x-tools-pro-gear-hanger-alignment-tool-one-size/

 

They are tool that you hopefully don't/won't need very often, but take all the guess work out, and make the elimination of process quicker and efficient.

Thanks for that. Seems that a problem that has bugged me for ages maybe answered.

The Park Tool DAG - 2.2 is on sale at the moment on Chain Reactions and Wiggle.

I couldn't resist a good alignment tool on sale and ended up buying one.

My new gear-hanger looked correct enough but was out by about 3mm vert and 5mm hoz.

I can say even such a small amount it has made a difference not only in silky smooth gear changing but noticeably smoother when putting pressure on the pedals, I used to get a slight gritty feel (especially noticeable in gear 8) which I put down to a worn chain but it is now super smooth pedaling on all gears

Well done awol, a very wise investment that takes no time at all to use.

 

I happened to use mine on both bikes yesterday as well. The KTM eMTB has been making a few iffy gear changes since my fall last week, but I was surprised by just how far out that it actually was when I checked. The hanger bolt was also slightly loose, so it was a good thing that I checked.

 

The second was on the hardtail, which whilst the gear changes were perfect, I felt that they could be improved even further. It wasn't really out by enough to worry or think about, but adjusted it anyway.

 

I don't know which make that is was that you purchased, but if it was the Park Tool version, I have read that the thread can be vulnerable to knocks. I leave mine with the protection cover/cap on when storing it away.

I don't know which make that is was that you purchased, but if it was the Park Tool version, I have read that the thread can be vulnerable to knocks. I leave mine with the protection cover/cap on when storing it away.

Yes it was the Parktool version so thanks for the tip about the thread protector cap, I will keep it on in future too.

You made the right choice.

 

Out of interest, the first time that you used it, were you thrown like I was into momentarily thinking that the wheel was out of shape.

You made the right choice.

 

Out of interest, the first time that you used it, were you thrown like I was into momentarily thinking that the wheel was out of shape.

No, but it did get me thinking whether my axle was sat in fully.

I turned the wheel round to use the same point on each check.

*** The alignment tool has paid for itself already.. ***

I decided to check my leisure bike which has always had crappy gears and a bit gritty when pedaling which I put down to cheap gearing.

However this tool showed the gear hanger was out by 25mm hoz and 22mm vert.

It gets worse.. I could not fix one way without the other going out - it only turns out the gear-hanger fixing screw was loose as well.

*** The alignment tool has paid for itself already.. ***

I decided to check my leisure bike which has always had crappy gears and a bit gritty when pedaling which I put down to cheap gearing.

However this tool showed the gear hanger was out by 25mm hoz and 22mm vert.

It gets worse.. I could not fix one way without the other going out - it only turns out the gear-hanger fixing screw was loose as well.

 

I think you may have forgotten the "," it can't have been an inch out

I think you may have forgotten the "," it can't have been an inch out

Yes it was showing an inch out both ways but I did find out shortly after that the gear-hanger fixing screw was loose.

I've repaired a few of those hangers by heating them up and bashing them flat with a hammer after they got bent. the only tools I used were the gas cooker, hammer, a big screwdriver to lever open the gap and my eyes.

I recommend making one of these tools, I've now a second bike with smoother running gears.

Something like 20mm or 25mm sq tube about 400mm long and a M10x1.0 fine thread bolt about 70/80mm and about half dozen nuts+washers for spacers.

This could be one for someone's watch list. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Park-Tools-DAG-1-Derailleur-Hanger-Alignment-Gauge/173093357600?hash=item284d2b0820:g:jjwAAOSwY3daWJxP

I still have a smile on my face when pedaling hard particularly in gear 7&8 how smooth it is now.