Originally Posted by
JonathanGennick
I agree with FB. If it works, it works. Good job on eye-balling the alignment too.
The derailleur itself should be fine. The hanger in theory will snap before the derailleur gives way. It's not like you're using the derailleur as a lever every day. So I would rest easy on that front.
Worst case is that you've induced some weakness into your hanger from the initial bend followed by the unbend. That's no different than if you had used a hanger alignment tool.
FB is correct about the inside limit. Worth double checking that one. You don't want the chain falling over into the spokes.
lol...simply baloney what you write. Shifting OK isn't the same as shifting perfectly. I would say that 80% bikes on the road have eyeballed hangers and generally the reason why they shift sub par aside from incorrect cable tension. From the factory hangers aren't straight...almost NEVER. No eye can see the hanger in 2 planes. Bend the hanger vertically by hand or by Park alignment tool and it changes the horizontal alignment. Why, because the hanger isn't straight down from its bend point.
So this is way more nuanced than the average guy (you) understands and why all the crappy shifting bikes on the road.
Using the derailleur as a hanger bended at any point is very BAD advice. What to do if you are on the road and your bike tips over and falls on the hanger...or you get in a crash and need to get home? What FB said...place a hex key in the RD mounting hole and use the L shaped allen to bend the hanger up straight to the eye. BTW, this won't work for Campy because they use Torx but one can find something suitable to put in that hole and get leverage. Will this create optimal shifting? No. Impossible because the human eye can't see derailleur alignment in two planes. On the way home don't shift to the biggest or smallest cog in back. After straightening the derailleur properly with the Park Tool which few own and all should unless they want to pay bike shop prices for less care...the chain should be removed to adjust the high and low limit stops of the RD. One can not get true hi and low stop position correct with the chain on....many don't know that either.