Bicycle Mechanics - rear derailer jammed in spokes

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jbob2000
08-22-04, 09:28 PM
ok i will tell the story...

My chain fell off my bike, and i put the chain back on. then i flipped my gears up, and my derailer got jammed into my spokes, and it bent a part of the frame that holds the derailer. now i need either need to get a new frame, or fix it some other way. i dont want to get a new frame, so i need to know if there is any other way to fix a small bend in the frame. the derailer isn't damaged at all.

supcom
08-22-04, 09:47 PM
Is the derailler hanger made of aluminum or steel? On many aluminum bikes the hanger is replaceable since aluminum does not bend much at all without cracking. Steel bikes do not have replaceable hangers because steel can simply be bent back with no harm done.
seely
08-22-04, 10:14 PM
If you take it to a shop they will have a tool that threads into the derailleur hanger and allows them to bend it back so its straight.

jbob2000
08-23-04, 06:15 AM
ok thanks alot, either way i think ill just take it into a bike shop...haha im not too good with repairs. thanks again
DaMaN
08-23-04, 12:18 PM
This happend on my bike, so i've bought a new derailleur, and i'm bending it back tomorrow + fitting the derailleur. :)
Jay H
08-23-04, 12:29 PM
You can bend a steel hanger quite far and it still is repairable. I've done that twice on the steel commuter that i have. Once, it was bent a good 20° out of vertical and my lBS was able to bend it back and get it straightened.

What happened was the pulley cage bolt that connects the entire cage to the main derailleur body sheared off (the bolt is a good 3-4mm thick too!) and the whole pulley assembly got sucked into the seatstays. I think that jamming bent the rest of the der. I had to literally bend the hanger back from impeding on my cassette using my bike tool.

Jay
seely
08-23-04, 07:09 PM
Yeah I was able to bend a hanger back on a steel Giant that was literally a few degrees from perpedicular to the seatstays (normally parallel for those who don't know). The key is GO SLOW and make a lot of tiny movements instead of trying to get it all in one shot. I've seen three hangers broken off by people who try to do it in one fell swoop. But any shop should know this.