Hello, to everyone. I found this forum when i was searching online for help, and figure this would be a great place for me to be able to get more involved with biking.

i have a bent derailleur. my trek navigator 1.0 will not go into first gear, as well as stay in the gear which has been selected. i use my bike to commute to class; one morning, i went outside of my dorm to a cut chain, my bike that had been stolen, crashed, and then returned. plenty of mud and grass was jammed into the derailleur and it hasn't shifted gears properly since then. it was finals week for some, and an early vacation for others.

i think the derailleur could use a replacement, my bike's four years old now, im in my senior year, and i suppose i could use an upgrade. thing is, that i do not know how to match aftermarket derailleurs, or install them, but i have some ambition to learn.

cheers

You might just need a new hanger. The derailleur hanger is usually a separate, aluminum piece that the derailleur bolts to. The hanger is made to bend first. Based on your description of what happened, I would check the hanger alignment. A special tool is needed. Any bike shop will have one.

Thanks! I'll inspect that part, and likely plan to take it into the shop.