I was an idiot and T-Bone'd a car coming left and my derailer popped of the bikes back wheel.

    Not sure if his is something I can fix myself as a bike newbie or if it's something I should go to a professional for, thanks reddit

    by RevereElement

    11 Comments

    1. sergeant_frost on

      Idk what ur bike is but if you have no prior knowledge on bikes like knowing how to work hangers and stuff I’d take it to a shop as it might need a new derailleur hanger which can be tricky to figure out what one ur bike needs, if you get a picture up closer to the derailleur I’dight be more help

    2. Check if the hanger is bent. If not then try reinstall it but make sure to actually screw the hanger into the frame with a bolt and nut.

    3. How’s that even…happen…with the QR still on…you’re just missing a bolt and nut I think for the hanger to go on the frame.

    4. It costs nothing to bring it into your LBS and ask for an estimate. But is not something to just pop back on.
      It may be just the price for a new derailleur or there maybe some other damage that you missed.

    5. Looks like you ended up breaking the Derailleur hanger bolt. Take the bike to a shop and have them get you a new bolt, and possibly a whole new hanger, they’re ususally somewhere between $30-50. If you aren’t confident in watching some YT videos to do it yourself, it would be well worth cost of admission to have the shop replace it for you too.

      Thankfully you’re okay and the DH is a consumable part. You can check if the hanger itself is still straight by taking a metal ruler to it and seeing if the DH gaps anywhere. Also have the shop look at your RD and make sure it wasn’t damaged. Or you can check it yourself, so long as the cage (where the pulley wheels are) is straight and the body (the rest of it) doesn’t have a lot of free play in it you should be fine.

    6. You need parts. Bolt, or bolt plus hanger. Alignment is important, so shop can tell you if it bent.  

    7. Looks like the hangar is still attached to the derailleur so maybe all you need is the bolt. When this happened to me, the bolt stayed put and the hangar got cut in half. You might have to take it to a shop to find the correct bolt to use and to check if the hangar is damaged or not.

    8. You can loosen the quick release and unscrew the nut, then put the hanger back in place. Tighten the nut and clamp the hanger down with the quick release to get you riding. then go to the shop and get the bolt to attach the hanger correctly.

    9. -HeyThatsPrettyNeat- on

      I’d be inclined to say that the bolt for the derailleur hanger actually worked its way out, and the hanger was only held on by the quick release axle.

      Derailleur hangers are designed to be the weak point, so they bend or break before causing more damage to the derailleur itself of the frame of the bike. Since your hanger is still in one piece, and the hanger won’t be stronger than the bolt holding it on, i think you probably lost the bolt at some point

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