How To Straighten/Align A Bent Derailleur Hanger

I noticed the derailleur seemed to be sitting at different angle than the cogs on the cassette. Looking closer, it looked like the derailleur hanger was bent. So I used my Park Tool DAG 2.2 Derailleur Hanger Alignment Gauge to straighten the hanger. I show the process.
The Park Tool DAG 2.2 is a really nice tool, but it is kind of expensive. So I have a video shwoing how to make a cheaper home made version of of the tool here - How To Make A Derailleur Hanger Alignment Gauge Tool: • How To Make A Deraille...
But if you want, the Park Tool DAG 2.2 is here:
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...
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[@RJTheBikeGuy]

For more bike repair videos hit the subscribe button 🛑 and click the notification bell ► bit.ly/SubRJTheBikeGuy

[@craftyukraine]

Thank you for this guide. Winter weather + frozen chain have done their job. Thankfully, it’s nothing serious yet, so I may keep on riding.

[@bryankennedy1019]

Yes. Anyway without that tool?

[@ukpkmkk_2]

Never knew that there's a tool for that, when I have a bent hanger i take an adjustable wrench, grab the hanger with it and bend it till it looks straight.. Works every time.

[@foofighter7207]

This channel is a real treasure. Inspired me to make my own singlespeed freewheel remover out of leftover piece of a square steel tube with an angle grinder. It worked well even though I've never worked with metal before. And I didn't have to order and wait for a tool. Then I took apart a freewheel, cleaned and lubed it and my bike is ready to go. Now I'm thinking on restoring an old mtb that collecting a dust in a shed. Thank you sir!

[@yash_ar]

100% so many treasured channels on KZbin that truly deserve much more fallowers... And Of course the idiots get all the fallowers!

[@carerstraining4245]

Good video RJ. I also made my own version of the tool which cost me nothing and works just fine! I recommend people watch your other video to see how to make their own 👍 Cheers!

[@AKVegan]

How did you make it? Where is the video?

[@backlitcoyote]

Great video! Useful for new derailleur hangers too, because the bike frame itself is sometimes not perfectly aligned, and adjusting the derailleur hanger can allow for this.

[@TitoJoebs]

It's good to have these videos so others could learn how to fix their own bikes. Keep on vlogging my man!

[@DouglasCarnall]

Nice reminder to check the hanger as well as the derailleur itself when diagnosing shifting problems. Another gem RJ. Yo da man !🙏😀

[@lifebehindtheselens]

I got super into bicycle repair because of you learned so much and use that knowledge to help anyone who needs it has to ride a bicycle sometimes it isn't always the easiest to ride a bicycle specially when you have to do it to make ends meet however this is why I like to help those who I see who may need little things done on their bicycle thanks for helping teach me a wealth and knowledge which I otherwise would not have learned in school

[@georgeleakos8376]

I used to have that tool, sold it because I rarely used it. But I found that I can pretty much align my hangers stop on using an adjustable wrench and a yardstick.

[@mikeh6286]

Nice! It's very satisfying to see a hanger being straightened. The washers I've used myself even to fix an issue with a weak spring in the rear derailleur. If you ride an internally routed cable bike (or on any bike where there's friction from either long cables, many tight bends etc, think internally routed handlebars - yikes) it can be tough for a derailleur to pull the cable enough to upshift to that last cog. The spring inside is nearly slack at that gear. A washer or two can fix that. On another matter, it's important to keep the rear wheel skewer at a normal riding tension before straightening, as the skewer tension can influence the alignment. Also if the skewer is almost loose or off, then you can easily crack your carbon frame by pulling on the hanger. So it's worth being careful there. Here's a tip to those riding with rear derailleurs that in themselves have a misalignment but are too good to throw away. Your aim is to get the upper guide pulley in the same plane as the cassette, WHEN the bike is in the middle gear. So gear 5 on a 10 speed cassette etc. 6 on an 11speed etc. That way you have the greatest chance to get a non-perfect rear derailleur to work for a while longer.

[@Bikeops2021]

Must admit I bought the Park Tool a while back, I use it quite a lot!

[@tacticalceo685]

Nice video RJ that was a very simple fix with the right tool thank you for all the videos very much appreciated .

[@john-di1bn]

Nice. Another good video from you, RJ.

[@hilltopper600]

RJ infor is always great

[@PoppinWheeliez]

I use another rim screwed into the hanger, to lever it until parallel. From the OG - RJ vids.

[@VideoGameAtlas]

Love your vids RJ. Thanks

[@trevorbaxter8234]

great video RJ , i bought the park tool , as i work part time in a UK bike shop in my spare time i re commision bikes for charity

[@billinhouston3291]

that was pretty perfect. great tool.

[@meshark_t]

Thanks a lot for this video, always want it to see how's done.

[@Ronin_Texas]

Awesome video RJ 👍👍

[@KBKriechbaum]

Tyres looking fresh 😀

[@timross3008]

Great information. Nice tool.

[@einufo]

Perfect like every time. Greetings from Germany Tino

[@MrSchattka]

A simple tool to use would be another bike wheel. The derailleur hanger thread matches that of a wheel axle. By screwing in the wheel axle into the derailleur hanger one can use the wheel as a lever to straighten the hanger. Also, the alignment accuracy can be determined by comparing the parallelism of the rear wheel to the screwed-in wheel.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ip_ao5iIp9Slf6M

[@godschild5587]

Thank you for tutorials.

[@godschild5587]

I didn't know there is a tool for this

[@ERIN478]

Thanks for all your great videos! What are some things bike travelers could do if the hanger needs straightening out on the road?

[@Herbybandit]

I find park tools very expensive so like you I made my own and by fluke I found the threads on a quick release axle to be the same as a derailleur bolt so I used a piece of axle as a starting point.

[@einufo]

M 10 fine thread, many rear wheel axles have this thread. M 10 Feingewinde, viele Hinterradachsen haben dieses Gewinde. Gruß Tino

[@MrThatnativeguy]

Im a simple man, i see RJthebikeguy upload i click watch and i click like... also that rear tire has sure seen better days its right down to the casing!

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Yep, the tire is trash!

[@petesmitt]

no doubt ridden by a teenage male.. the usual culprit that skids rear tyres like that.

[@user-bc4el5im2q]

Thanks RJ. 🚲

[@ratman6417]

before I had the tool I just used an adjustable wrench it always worked but then I did get the tool, It's a lot nicer

[@ironcito1101]

That's a very specific tool!

[@freds4703]

RJ, be careful. aluminum hangers can be very brittle. That’s why they break in an accident. I straightened one which then broke on the first ride. Best to find a new hanger. RCB Fred

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Hi Fred. True, but there is not a lot of torque on a derailleur hanger. So it's generally okay. If it had more bent more severely, I would have replaced it. But if it does break, then you can still replace it.

[@petesmitt]

@@RJTheBikeGuy Aluminium is prone to fatigue breaking, so I'd replace bent hangers and of course, if a hanger breaks, you are going nowhere.. you have to replace the hangar.

[@samteks125]

@@RJTheBikeGuy If it breaks under load, the rear derailleur and chain are likely to get mangled. Up to one's own judgment if that risk is worth saving $5-10 for a new hanger. (The last one I ordered for my Kona was only 3.50 shipping included, directly from China)

[@edewar6004]

The most brittle are the more expensive cncd ones- very little give, just hard and snap.

[@Vhagn]

Interesting that they had spacers on the derailleur like that. The only time I did that was with a chain tensioned drivetrain with a front derailleur to line it up a bit closer on the second ring. Basically a singlespeed but with three gears on the front.

[@XBKLYN]

I bought one of those Park Tool straighteners and after extensive training became the world's best destroyer of derailleur hangers. Now I just keep a couple of spares in the junk box 😬

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I have yet to destroy a hanger. *knock on wood*

[@XBKLYN]

@@RJTheBikeGuy I have special talents in that regard 👍

[@elononoras1902]

That tyre :DDDD Owner must be a drifter ;DDD

[@anonymously241]

I need that tool 🚴

[@rivnuts7398]

Any tips for straightening direct-mount derailleurs?

[@grigoryrechistov3040]

That is a very bent derailleur hanger . Usually it is quite hard to decide whether it is bent by just looking at it. The derailleur cage amplifies the visual effect of bending.

[@ChemoNero63]

Now a new tyre

[@tokosepedangudirejeki1722]

Mantap sekali teman

[@1z4nagi67]

Do you still need to tune up the rd when you place it back?

[@jayhavey1170]

The tool looks great but I just tap my hangers flush on a flat iron such as an anvil on a vise. Just a few gentle taps and seems to be much quicker than using this tool. The twisting tension on the frame makes me cringe for some reason. Nothing is perfect but I'll always have a flush hanger. Straighten out a couple this past week alone due to shifting problems...perfect fast and free. I still love the idea of the tool though.

[@steelisreal4313]

I like your method.

[@edewar6004]

Someone's had fun with that tyre

[@bobbo9549]

Great tool and instruction but no good for the derailleur located centrally on my trike. Has given me the idea of perhaps bolting a straight square bar, utilising some spacers, running vertically and measuring off the rim with a tape measure and then doing the same horizontally. Any thoughts welcome.

[@NewbFixer]

The back tyre 😂😂

[@ArtemSure]

Technically if it is just slightly bent you can use an allen key inserted in diralleur to fix the hanger

[@bobthrasher8226]

Another simple homemade tool would be to get a 4" long, 10mm metric bolt with the correct threads and put these threads into a 2-foot long pipe (about 3" of threads). Then just screw the bolt into the hanger and eyeball the pipe angle with respect to the hub. Bend the hanger with the pipe until the pipe is parallel with the hub. First, make sure the hub is inserted and secured properly, of course.

[@bobbo9549]

By coincidence I’ve just this minute done similar with my trike having a centre mounted derailleur. Made sure the back axle was level. Placed a boat level on the bolt which showed out off level so removed the bolt and tightened an 18” adjustable spanner on the bracket and bent the bracket a little. Refitted the bolt and checked for level again. Did it three times until level. Just need to check for horizontal parallel alignment which I’ll do with a large plywood square to check the bolt is square to the wheel rim front and rear and if not bend in the same fashion. There’s more than one way to skin a cat 😂😂.

[@elclaudiosanchez]

thabk you i used some tweezers n patience

[@deltafour1212]

New to the bike mechanic trade inspired by your videos but need to catch up. Is there a bicycle standard in the industry where bike frames, parts and thread size are inter-compatible? What parts need to be matching sets and which parts don't? How do you know or figure out if or what parts are compatible with the bike you're working on?

[@petesmitt]

The only standard is there is no standard..

[@deltafour1212]

@@petesmitt Gottcha! Thank you!

[@charnestours1948]

That rear tire has seen better days.

[@tuudsavuudsa8508]

This was a clear case - but hat generation of Acera derailleurs has been bad for me. I have ended up recycling each of the ones I have tried to "fix".

[@HeavensProtocol]

my personal bicycle college. you channel page is my home page. 1970 Peugeot Record Du Monde and 70's Sekai 1000 Series

[@snakerstran9101]

The extra washer on the derailer mount: I'll wager that the mounting bolt extends through the hanger and was contacting the chain when shifted to high due to being bent inward. And the washer moved the bolt end away slightly.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

There were actually four thin washers that were actually much larger than the derailleur pivot bolt. It was was some sort of hack job.

[@for4seasons931]

I am hopefull with this great video,, but first i hope to find a way/method to remove my back derailleur,i tried some common used methods,but nothing works....Maybe you can help, thank you ,kind regards

[@wmourad3407]

👍👌

[@goedelite]

First be sure the wheel's axle is running true, right?

[@farikkun1841]

How about bang it with a hammer to straighten them up. Cuz mine looks bent with some curves

[@thomasariss9601]

Lol one thing I notice new tire tube put it back wheel

[@muntarastephen2505]

😊

[@Wannaridebikes]

I took a hanger off the bike and put it between two pieces of 2x4 and just pressed it back straight just used a mallet

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

This is much more accurate.

[@Wannaridebikes]

@@RJTheBikeGuy right I had to do it that way because I could not find that tool. At the time. Now a friend has one I borrow

[@zombicreature]

That hanger looks bent from a mile away. I bought a hanger alignment tool, and i barley see a difference. For some reason out of 8 gears i can only get to shift properly the first 4. The 5th its a bit delayed, and for 6 to 8 i have to go a click and a half. Using the barrel adjuster from derailleur to tweak 5-8 makes 1-4 shift slowly or not at all. I've changed the shifter/derailleur/cables+tubes but i still can't get it to shift perfectly on all gears.

[@isaacmanhire7360]

i never bend my ones back if they are out of place because the strength of them once u bend it back wouldn’t be to good cause its bent already and would lose it strength as they are really brittle once they bend

[@dean3583]

Pull it out from the base of derailleur by hand if you don’t have the tool.

[@lolcat9744]

What happened to the back tire? There's a huge wear spot on it.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Was like that when I bought it. It's trashed.

[@lolcat9744]

@@RJTheBikeGuy You weren't kidding when you said there's a ton of work for this bike. Great video as always!

[@DemonAstaScary]

you dont need a whole wheel actually. all you need is a quick release axle, just thread it in using the drive side

[@djproducts1768]

Can you show us your own bike

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I have a dozen. They appear in some of my videos.

[@randolphpatterson5061]

In order for this to work, it's necessary to first of all make sure that the wheel axle is properly seated in the dropouts and that the rim of the wheel is true before getting started.

[@edewar6004]

Seated in dropouts necessary but the rim doesn't have to be true if you just reference one point on the rim like rj does ie the valves location and turn the wheel with the tool

[@leedorney]

Not sure this'd work on a carbon frame 🤔

[@user-zx5nb7wj9l]

цікаво

[@adredy]

tool 60£ new part 3 :/

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

But you can use the tool many many times.

[@PropertyofJesus777]

Like anyone is buying or owns that tool.

[@shambles9]

cogs ≠ sprocket, please educate yourself

[@crossman3940]

Why repair a sacraficial part . To make money on youtube . Just order it and have real confidence .