Bicycle Mechanics - Bent Aluminum Dropout

Hello all,

I am new to this forum, but after reading the posts and banter, I realized I must be among kindred spirits.

I have recently received my road bike out of storage overseas and have discovered that it has suffered minor but critical damage. I have a 2001 Schwinn Fastback pro, aluminum, all Ultegra & Velomax wheels that I bought in Japan about 5mos before I left for deployment(US Navy). The wonderful proprietor who sold me on it(one of the only pro shops outside Hiroshima) carefully packed it for me while another friend kept it the box in storage until I settled.
Now, 1.5 yrs later and I'm in Central Valley,CA and can enjoy; it I find that the driveside dropout flange mounting the derailleur hanger is slightly bent. The box was dbl shell corrugated and the bike had been carefully dissassembled, braced with dense foam blocks, cardboard braces & bubblewrap on the loose components. The fork tips & dropouts were braced but the replac'bl derailleur hanger was still mounted and must have been put under a gradual side load that didn't snap it off as designed, but ended up leveraging it inwards with the flange. The mounting screw had stretched 1mm and the flange itself is canted in a mere 3-4mm. You can just see a sliver of the front flange flat when viewed from behind

I cannot get the back wheel in and the mounted derailleur is out of chainline. If it were steel, I'd just bend it back, but these are forged or cast Al and I know you're not supposed to bend Al. There are no other deformations, scratches or damages to the bike. I had never crashed it,laid it down or even fallen over at a stop in my cleats! The bike has <170 mi. on it.
It was mailed US Postal w/insurance & certif'd so I'm considering a claim(after what Lance & Co. have done, its the least they could do, eh?).

I am curious, can such a small deformation be bent or realigned in a proper pro shop w/out fatigue or fracture or am I better off "chucking" an otherwise perfect & satisfying ride? I haven't ridden a quality bike in a long time & after Le Tour coverage I'm goin nuts to get out. My family, home, & work responsibilities have been sapping the time I could otherwise sink into getting a new "horse", so I just want to resolve this!

Any 'guru's advice would be much appreciated.

G'bine

If the entire dropout was bent as much as it seems from your description (3-4mm is not a small deformation given what you're talking about) then I think your only recourse is to either ditch the frame and get a new one or attempt to get a new dropout welded into place.

Stupid question maybe but does the Schwinn frame not have a replaceable dropout????

Stupid question maybe but does the Schwinn frame not have a replaceable dropout????

Replacable dropouts are not really all that common... especially on roadbikes. Replacable derailleur hangers more so but usually not the full dropout.

I suggest you take the bike to a local bike shop and have them look at it. If it's not badly bent, they may me able to realign it. It's worth a try.

I suggest you take the bike to a local bike shop and have them look at it. If it's not badly bent, they may me able to realign it. It's worth a try.

Thanks for the support gentlemen. I e-mailed Schwinn last Tuesday and still haven't received a response(their site says "response will be given w/in 2 business days" :mad: :( )

This bike has a replaceable derailleur hanger(screws onto an ear in the dropout), not the entire dropout & axel slot.

It almost seems crazy having to weld a new dropout(I measured the gap between the stay-side flange outer face and the canted in flange outer face and its more like 2-3mm.); if it would take that much work, I'd rather have it retrofitted to accept a replaceable dropout!

If they don't show any interest in this customer this week, maybe I should get my money back and build something proper with the components. :mad:

I'm not gonna be able to ride before Sept. Gaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!

Unfortunately, the Schwinn of today is not the Schwinn that built your bike. Schwinn is now part of the Xmart bike conglomeration and is more interested in disposable bikes now.

But, a good LBS will know what can be done.

You insured the shipment. This is what insurance is for. Maybe the frame can be resurrected, but you insured the shipment to avoid having to agonize over such decisions.

It almost seems crazy having to weld a new dropout(I measured the gap between the stay-side flange outer face and the canted in flange outer face and its more like 2-3mm.); if it would take that much work, I'd rather have it retrofitted to accept a replaceable dropout!


Even if it were possible,it's probably not cost effective. The hanger can probably be bent. Safer way is to pursue getting a replacement hanger. If not through the current ownner of Schwinn,then through other sources on the net. I have seen places offering a wide range of replacement hangers. You might try a Google search. Since the 'new' schwinn is marketing many of the same frame types as before,there is a good chance current hangers would work.

Even if it were possible,it's probably not cost effective. The hanger can probably be bent. Safer way is to pursue getting a replacement hanger. If not through the current ownner of Schwinn,then through other sources on the net. I have seen places offering a wide range of replacement hangers. You might try a Google search. Since the 'new' schwinn is marketing many of the same frame types as before,there is a good chance current hangers would work.

From what I understand, it's not the hanger that's the real problem but the entire dropout.

Even if it were possible,it's probably not cost effective. The hanger can probably be bent. Safer way is to pursue getting a replacement hanger. If not through the current ownner of Schwinn,then through other sources on the net. I have seen places offering a wide range of replacement hangers. You might try a Google search. Since the 'new' schwinn is marketing many of the same frame types as before,there is a good chance current hangers would work.

I would proceed in the following way:

If you are considering a claim against the Post Office for damage during shipping, do not touch the bent rear hangar so that the Post Office cannot claim that the damage resulted from an event other than shipping. If you have it, retain the carton, packing material etc. They may ask for it. Know in advance that these claims take time and you will be without use of your bike until it is resolved. Lastly, the replaceable hangar is designed to bend/break before the dropout that it's attached to. This way, you're spared a bigger expense than replacing a derailleur hangar

If you decide that you are not going to pursue a claim, you should start to find a replacement hangar per the post above. They should be available somewhere. Perhaps the Schwinn website has a list of dealers. I'd call some of the ones in proximity to you.

If it were myself, given the time without the bike and assuming that all I needed to make the bike right was a new replaceable hangar, I'd buy it, repair the bike and call it a day. The amount of time in pursuing a claim for the relatively small cost of a replaceable hangar may not be worth the investment in phone calls, filling out claim forms, etc.

Addition to my earlier post;

From a more careful reading of the posts, it sounds as if the dropout that the replaceable hangar is attached to is also bent, although slightly. To get the best advice on whether or not it can be realigned, I would get an opinion from a framemaker or two, since they have a better understanding of the properties of the metal involved. A local bike shop could also give you a qualified opinion, howeversince expertise of shop personnel in the area of re-alignment vary widely, it becomes more of a crapshoot. Possible sources to find a qualified person would include the local racer community and bike clubs.

When I owned my own store, we successfully aligned aluminum dropouts. The key was as you mentioned, little distortion of the dropout to begin with. The aluminum used for the dropout is more brittle than the tubes in the bike, but it can't be so brittle that it would crack from example, normal road shock or repeated compression of a quick release. One talent that true craftsman have is an understanding or feel for the material they're working with. Take your frame to a few of these folks and see what they say.

If you are considering a claim against the Post Office for damage during shipping, do not touch the bent rear hangar so that the Post Office cannot claim that the damage resulted from an event other than shipping. IMHO, a damage claim as per the described senario is akin to barking at the moon.

What does IMHO stand for?

in my honest opinion

one more solution if the attempt at bending it back fails, and the dropout "ear" breaks off, would be to then just get one of those little stamped steel derailleur "feet" that were so popular on low-end bikes back in the day...and i believe some cheaper X-mart bikes have them as well. it'll probably be held in place by the QR only, so you'd have to hang onto it and reposition it if/when you change wheels, or change a flat...but it'll hold once it's in place. i've got a similar setup on my trials bike. this is usually what folks recommend for a frame that has replaceable hangers that aren't made anymore, which is probably the case for your schwinn.

in my honest opinionNope. Humble

Nope. Humble

Well, helpful citizens of CycleLand,

The situation has gotten more interesting and possibly narrowed down as far as solution options.

My "ever" helpful and motivated wife took it upon herself to empty our garage of all the excess boxes &
jumble we have been slowly clearing out of our lives(lived in house just 6mos & are newlyweds to boot; my wife is Mexican and not the most 'lucid' with detailed english). Despite describing my dilemna to her last week, she wouldn't make the connection that I might "need" the boxes(certified shipping & insurance
claims attached still) and had them carted away.
As smoke and a glow akin to foundry-worked steel simmered on my head, I asked her if the person she had dispose of them could get them back that night, but until now(2 days hence)...nothing.

So, I'm gonna get the bike examined by some pros, scream at the modern 'Schwinn'(really their evil twin..!), decide whether to sell it or repair it based on the resulting details and then go ahead & plunk
down some money to build a virgin bike. F*ck the cost!! :mad:
I feel like the Sheriff of Nottingham from K. Costner's "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", when he tries to get his way with Marianne Mastrantonio at the end,
"For once, can't I just have something thats PURE!!!"