Straighten/Align Bent Derailleur Hanger Without Special Tool

I show how to fix a bent derailleur hanger without expensive tools like Park Tool's DAG-2 Derailleur Hanger Alignment Gauge. This repair is meant for steel frames with integrated hangers. If you have a replaceable hanger, I recommend you just replace it. Do not attempt to straighten the hanger using the derailleur. You will likely bend the derailleur and then have a bent hanger and derailleur. You do this at your own risk.
How To Make A Derailleur Hanger Alignment Gauge Tool:
• How To Make A Deraille...
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[@RJTheBikeGuy]

For more bike repair videos hit the subscribe button ► bit.ly/SubRJTheBikeGuy

[@mr.chiefloafer3662]

Just pull it with your hand

[@lejskk3171]

Can i use a bench vise?

[@michaelhyde8523]

Brilliant just what l needed 😮

[@woshigepro2]

This method is genius!

[@JohnSlap]

I came to comment section to say the same thing...freakin genius. Prior to this i was using i hammer to flatten it on the concrete.. didn't work. This seems better than the expensive tool. Much Thanks!!!!

[@hadizeftin7872]

and after another year, I'm saying the same thing, genius! already planning to make some diy tools on weekend, then i see this, quickly grab my other wheelset, and now its aligned, thank you RJ!

[@enlau101]

This should come with a warning: Don t do it if you have a carbon frame! haha

[@FL0RiaN94]

@@enlau101 what would be the solution with a carbon frame? Replace the hanger?

[@enlau101]

@@FL0RiaN94 take it to a repair shop or replace it. I bought a replacement hanger with 15 pounds.

[@reeveharper8424]

I can't explain just how useful this video was, and suprisingly easy too! I couldn't believe how bent my derailleur hanger was but now it's as straight as ever, thanks!

[@petecusack1638]

nice vid. great to see you pioneering metric in the us

[@frorton_9170]

First thing : amazing trick much more cheaper than the tool itslef Second thing : RJ is never out of Pepsi or Mtn Dew

[@robertandrews3055]

I usually think most of these "how to" videos are simply guys wanting to hear themselves talk and pretend they're on TV or something. But in this case, some very good, sound advice!

[@mrplod1616]

Or they are posted to try and sell you an expensive tool :(

[@tomfalkenberg]

RJ is a gift from the bike Gods.

[@anotterspov]

Genius! After lots of futzing around, I finally figured out the issue on my derailleur was the hanger and this video is absolutely awesome. A big thank you RJ!

[@gedrot2486]

You just saved me so much money I don't even have. You're my hero today! ; )

[@har234908234]

Running low on Pepsi RJ...

[@WillEyedOney]

Mount RJ has been severely eroded.

[@demondroid666]

Awesome tip for professional roadside repair! Another tip: for a rough eyeball adjustment, instead of wrench use a L-shaped allen key in the derailleur fastener. No need to remove wheel or derailleur and you can use the cage for reference.

[@swifty0000007]

RJ scores again. Great results from this and it saves buying an expensive tool that I would have only needed 3 times in the last 40yrs👍

[@wtfiswiththosehandles]

Could just use 2 long pieces of threaded 10mm rod. One piece place instead of the wheel and fasten with nuts, and the other thread in the hanger. And voila, you can see if it's aligned or not (rods should be parallel), and also can use the second rod as a lever.

[@FL0RiaN94]

Good idea, just be careful that the rod has the same threading and furthermore I observed that some cheap rods from the hardware store have damaged threads that could ruin the inner threading of the hanger. It should be common sense, but maybe it saves some trouble for someone. Another point that comes to my mind is that if the frame has been widened than the rod may fit in a slightly different angle than a fixed size wheel which may could cause problems.

[@Skippy-id9yt]

I like how the other rim provides a more "exaggerated" view so you can really see just how much its bent ,

[@larrygross1248]

Almost a 5-year-old video, but the first time I'd seen it. RJ never ceases to amaze me with great repair guidance. I'm making this exact repair on a Cannondale aluminum alloy frame. Seems to have worked just fine, despite not being steel.

[@yodsta124]

Genius. Worked perfectly for me, used the rear wheel on my older mountain bike. My bike was brand new but i suspect derailleur was bent in box shipment

[@chammiechan]

Wouldn't it be great if the front wheel worked for this trick, because then you fix your bent hanger on the side of the road or trail.

[@dankpatrol]

man i've been watching your videos obsessively for months in the process of building a bike straight up from a frame for the first time.. you've been so extremely helpful, this trick just blew my mind. thanks RJ!!

[@michaelhoste_]

Yeah me too. I’ve stripped, painted and replaced bits (incl rims and spokes) on my old steel SA 3-speed, and also doing my partner’s bike which I’ve modified to a 1 x 8, and these video have helped me every step of the way. RJ’s and the Park Tools vids are a good pairing actually.

[@Falestal]

I just went back to this video. I watched it quite some time ago. I'm on a MTB vacation and shifting wasn't great at all. After checking everything twice and a third time... without fixing the issue and owning a lot of tools but no derailleur hanger adjustment tool I thought I had lucked out... Remembering this video and my son (the only one) having the old qr. I took his rear wheel and fixed the derailleur hanger! Shifting... Flawless😁👍. Thank you so much. I think my wife is even happier than me when I was driving her crazy with my "bike fixin' stuff". Thanks again man😀

[@aaronburt845]

I know the feeling. I dribe my GF crazy becuase I am always fixing/tinkering wih my bikes as well.

[@jordyd8916]

My main man! Where is the to thumbs up button. After hours of reindexing, cleaning derailleur and replacing shifter cable. This was th sollution to my skipping gear problem. The smoothness of how the other wheel fits and makes the proces easy is just amazing.

[@BlunderCig]

Thanks a lot for this video, I actually just fixed my "decent" bike with 1x11 setup using the wheel in hanger bodge 😅

[@robertleslie3396]

Great tip, fixed my old steel bike which doesn't even have a mech hanger, the derallieur just attaches to the frame, been slightly bent for years, now shifts through an 11 speed cassette with no problem, Thanks again RJ

[@daniellindqvist3713]

This is really clever, and uploading this video to KZbin is a great service. Thanks!

[@ScoutJoe]

I needed this tutorial fix because last week I crashed on my bike and the derailleur hanger is a little bent towards the cogs. This is a good diy alternative if you don't have special tools

[@futureshock7425]

RJ, i just bought some marine grease for my bearings because of you! thanks

[@marcmasson5235]

RJ never cesses to amaze, thanks for sharing

[@rjsavvy760]

You sir are a legend. I've managed to successfully fix my bike up. Keep up the good work!

[@cryalowicki]

Beautiful. Exactly what I needed.

[@emanuelpradera9717]

Thank you, this actually worked quite well , I was able to bring a 10mm gap front -rear down to 2mm, now the biggest cog on the cassette runs a ton smoother, RJ you are my hero!

[@benmillns8976]

Thank you so much for this! I've been having nightmares with my chain skipping in top gear and have tried everything from new chains and cassettes to a new wheelset! I never realised the derailleur hanger was bent until I tried this method and saw how far off one side of the wheel was. You've just ended four months of trying to fix this issue, I was about to give up and go to my LBS.

[@unklfrsh6447]

Great common sense approach to getting this fixed. You showed us how to get by without the tool while also showing us why the $75 tool is much nicer.. Even Park Tool would like this video.

[@thebancfamily8645]

This saved me!!!! I’ve watched so many indexing videos...didn’t think it was bent, with this method...It was clearly bent!!

[@andy56730]

superb idea RJ adding the wheel makes it easy to see it's out and then eyeball it back into place then just check with a ruler thanks RJ your the best !!

[@RixterNow]

Another method I came across is too use two long rods, one screwed into the hanger, one through the dropouts. With the bars sticking about 18-24" out the drive side, you can bend the bar attached to the hanger until its parallel to the bar attached to the dropouts.

[@LasseGreiner]

Danger is -as RJ pointed out - that you bend the dropouts.

[@alonzocalvillo6702]

I’m going to try this on my derailleur. I straightened the hanger with a hammer and just eyeballed it till it was shifting properly.With this method I’ll make sure it is straight.

[@petrbursik6473]

Awesome! Thank you, sir! Was looking all over my place to look for something that screws in there and must have walked right past my old rear wheel more than hundred of times. It was just there laughing at me :D Also figured out a neat trick to visualize the wheel plane - get a thread and wind it tight over the wheel (the one that's on the bike :) ) in a couple of directions. I was straightening a hanger on a 29" bike with a 26" wheel so I could measure the distance to the thread in all directions. This saved my riding for ~2 months until my replacement hangers arrive from China :o

[@scottsprojects658]

I was just about to buy the tool and I am glad I found this video!

[@ItsTheAOK]

Flipping the wheel around for when using a wrench for rough bending is a great idea - glad I watched to get that extra nugget of wisdom

[@Rabnes25]

This is beautiful. Working on a nice vintage older Trek and noticed hanger is out of wack. With this and homemade dropout tools to get the back straight. Thanks RJ. Hope all is well and you're still riding!!

[@mikecurtis11]

RJ has another video kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmacoXZrac2EjpI showing (1) how the pro derailleur tool works, this one gives (2) the MacGyver back wheel hack, ...and... he shows (3) the caveman crescent wrench fix, all in about 15 minutes. The camera angles are great to show the alignment. And he accounts for a wheel out of true. Everything is covered! Soooo helpful!

[@Bassmunchkin1]

Hi RJ, using a spare wheel... what a brilliant plan B to fall back on (no pun intended) if you haven't got the correct tool and if the spare is a carbon wheel, even better as the weight won't drag the hanger down. A few weeks ago I did a Dell boy at a junction on my 2 week old £5,500 Giant Revolt Pro 0, but it was minimal, although I'm waiting for my Park Tool to arrive tomorrow. Question, how many times would you recommend straightening before replacing it

[@destryr2122]

I spent pike an hour before this vid bending my hanger with a hammer

[@regindennisong2286]

Thanks for this! Helped me get my 9 sp rd aligned and shifting smoothly through all the gears using the adjustable spanner method. Took three tries but eventually got it to smoothly shift.

[@trustymove]

Hi RJ, thank you so much for sharing your incredible knowledge about bike repairs. My son fell off the bike yesterday. I managed to fix it after watching this video. He was so happy he could still go out cycling with his friends today. Best regards, from both of us in New Zealand. 👍

[@djpainkiller3326]

I wonder if this is possible to do without the professional tool and without torturing your spokes on a another rim

[@MegaFoxey1]

Innovation at it's best.😎

[@spencerhowes6530]

Absolute brilliance. Saved me time and money instantly

[@Kirkdrive]

Love this video. Thank you!!!

[@ddahstan6876]

Man, This man is so reliable when it comes to DIY especially when you don't have fancy tools! So much Love with your expertise and passion to help, RJ!!!

[@maximilianomauro1287]

Great vid! Awesome tip! Never tought of it! Thanks!!

[@lmakula71]

Very usefull!! and smart video thanks RJ!

[@ptgood]

Thanks a lot, it worked perfectly for me!! I found that the hanger was disaligned of 1 cm (not top to down, but sideways). Before the chain would "jump"when applying more power (like sprinting or standing on the pedals uphill), now it is just PERFECT! Thank you again for sharing!!

[@nofortunatesonII]

When using the adjustable wrench method, what about mounting your spare rim as in the first method, to check straightness after you do the tweaking of the hanger prior to re-mounting the rear derailleur.

[@DougNCBI]

Thank you so much. The crescent wrench method worked great and I wouldn't have thought of doing this with the wheel on the bike. I just hope the bike's owner doesn't see this comment.

[@PhilipNewborough]

This worked like a charm on my Surly Straggler after I dropped it and bent the hanger. Thank you! Keep up the good work, I love your videos 👍

[@petersadler9541]

Thank RJ top man, he got all the kit for bikes,plus video, and explains evryting, can u repair my bike NP199BP no 22 oh i forget uk.

[@sergioisacchernandezmunoz7616]

Hey RJ! I’m having trouble adjusting my rear derailleur, the hanger looked bent so I use the second method and it looks straight now but the derailleur looks weird and it’s not shifting properly, could it be that the derailleur is bent too?

[@janetdelu5658]

Thanks for sharing such a great tip. Easy to do and better accuracy than the crescent wrench eyeballing it fix.

[@annoyed707]

The last method might work for me, but it means reversing the rear wheel with gears and hydraulic disc brakes. I may try a simple eyeball job, or go for a diy tool. Maybe just buy a new hanger just in case.

[@PaulWhitcomb-ty6md]

I had only a few threads, and it stripped-out when I pressed on the rim. I had to actually remove the locknut to get the bolt to seat properly. That made the measurement a little shaky. Make sure you have at least five threads.

[@Sekhmet6697]

In the case of an old steel frame without an aluminum derailleur hanger you risk bending the axle a little as well as the hanger, as they have roughly the same amount of material and one is not significantly stiffer than the other, so I would use the wheel to check alignment but use a crescent wrench to bend the hanger, just to be on the safe side.

[@neongecko3065]

The thought of spending money on a tool that you could buy 4 of the part it is intended to fix for the price of it just doesn’t make sense. This video is perfect

[@leftyseel8658]

RJ, when installing a new hanger, do i need to use a derailleur alignment tool? That’s what some guys at a bike forum said. I thought with a brand new derailleur hanger, i just need to simply screw it in and that’s it.

[@Robert-zn9ub]

Incredibly valuable info. Your videos have helped me greatly. Thank you!

[@67FishFast]

Another great tip! Thanks RJ! Learned a lot watching your videos!

[@Gledii]

this was brilliant! my question would be how perfetly straight it has to be? if we can adjust the rear derailleur anyways..thanks

[@gleniocc]

Thanks RJ from Brazil! i did the same and worked pretty well.

[@stonyspidermusic]

This may very well be easier to adjust than with the proper tool. Kudus to the quick thought on this one.

[@s0012823]

I have a tool for aligning the hanger, but then I discoverd that my derailleur is quite cheap and has some play in the part where the attachment bolt is located. So the hanger was straight, but it needed to be a little bit bent out to get the derailleur straight under the cogs..... Cheap shitty derailleur.... The tool was not useless, but I could have managed getting it straight with just a wrench...

[@TheTwistedStone]

I think the wheel is a great idea and gives a little leeway when bending as the spokes will flex too. Watch out for people replacing the alloy hangers with cheap monkey metal versions, ice cold day and someone brings in one of those to straighten you need to hope you got a spare....

[@RBK22989]

I swear after the first second i was expecting :HellllooooHambiniiiifaaaans :D

[@gsjohnso83]

This is pure genius. Thank you.

[@muskog]

That is an amazing hack. Thanks so much.

[@glennshaikun6998]

I am truly impressed. Simple, clear, perfectly explained and the rear wheel trick is brilliant.

[@juntjoonunya9216]

I've been shopping online for the tool and looking at the wheel you're using it looks like the wheel would be more effective at precisely bending the hanger than the tool, or good enough no?

[@john-di1bn]

my hangar got into the same problem when my cheap rd broke and what i did is that i used the broken rd's hangar bolt and screwed it into the hangar and using a pipe wrench I clamped it into the bolt and bent the hangar back and roughly estimated its alignment until i got it right

[@futureshock7425]

and if you are transporting your bike in the back seat or laying it down somewhere always pay attention to the orientation of the derailleur

[@misc1686]

This worked a treat, many thanks for saving me money on a tool and your excellent tutorial

[@45rockinwax]

Hello RJ , i have a new derailleur and hanger at what position do I attach the derailleur to the hanger as it is movable.

[@thecellartroll]

This video saved me money. Worked perfectly. Thanks!

[@shrkys4]

The flipping of the wheel so that the drive side is on the other side was genius! Last thing you want is to bend the dropout, create even more issues

[@z33tanner]

Bent my hanger on my first ride in awhile getting cocky haha. Thanks for this video.

[@dvchangyuan]

Tried this but the thread from of the wheel is too short to go all the way into the hanger and when try to bend the hanger the force is too much and cracked the hanger.

[@john-di1bn]

this is a good alternative method if youre in a hurry like when youre in a trail and had a crash and you dont have much tools with you

[@DK-wr9nd]

This is genius. But getting a wheel with 10mm axle is another challenge for me lol.

[@nevelbell]

genius!

[@reallygoodattention]

RJ, have you created a video about DIY guage tool yet? Thanks.

[@Mario7p]

Best way to bent it back is to crash the exact same way again, the impact will fix it the second time.

[@jamesbarlow300]

"Solid axle".....you mean "through axle".

[@chrisnumnuts8671]

thank you the wheel way seems better than the tool .I will have to check my bike the gears do jump

[@jacknolan62]

This is brilliant! Thanks.

[@that70sschwinn]

Great idea RJ

[@Astrompr]

Works a treat! I found it hard to measure, and probably only got within 4 or 5mm, but derailleur is now shifting mutch better.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYjHgGeao9pkbsk

[@rondurst8849]

Or just buy a new hanger. In my case, $13 on Amazon.

[@pauliusjo]

Hi, I have a question: I change grip shifters that was 3 speed but it was with + (plus) and - (minus) and I had 8 or 9 clicks to get from smallest to the biggest ring on front derailleur. I change those into trigger shifters that is 3 speed and it only have 3 clicks. So 1 and 2 are working but I cant get to the 3rd because it has too much tension. I tried to adjust limit screws but that seems doesnt work. I think that the problem is with derailleur but im not sure. maybe I need to buy a new front derailleur? Any help would be appreciated thanks.

[@pauliusjo]

I changed revoshift sl-rs35 twist shifters to shimano st-ef 51 trigger shifters. The 7 back speed is working but front 3 speed derailleur not.

[@johnmarkumali1194]

too much tension on the cables

[@pauliusjo]

John Mark Umali no the cable is loose a little bit.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

So you went from a non indexed shifter to an indexed shifter on the front. It could be the front derailleur is not made for an indexed shifter and has a slightly different cable pull ratio. Or is could be the cable adjustment. Or limiting screws, or something else.

[@sipjca]

This is awesome! Thanks RJ

[@E6cb]

Nice! Could be a bit better though--just add some shoes ;-)

[@kapekape7580]

yes everybody has a rear wheel just laying around 🤣😅

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Borrow one from another bike. Maybe from a friend's bike.

[@davelovell8631]

Can you take the rear wheel off the bike and straighten the hanger or does the hanger rely on the wheel to stay in place

[@robertandrews3055]

I think most avid cyclists DO have a rear wheel laying around.

[@nymbuzgg146]

i snapped my hanger lol, but it fixed the problem 😂

[@ErikLew]

Genius. That has saved me so much time and Money. Thank you.

[@gregmaggert8561]

Saved me 2 days of no riding. Thanks a bunch man.