[sstalder5]

well to sum it up, i go through hangers like most people go through tubes....

alot of the time my derailleur gets screwed up way worse getting chewed up between the chainstay and the wheel then it would just getting hit by a stick. I just thought i was having really bad luck up until the other day. I was riding along on some singletrack between stunts and all of a sudden my front wheel throws up a little stick about the diameter of a pencil, i wasnt too worried about it until my chain slipped a little, or so i thought... i looked down and my chain was completely slack, so i stopped and took a closer look and saw that my hanger had been broken and my derailleur was hanging by the chain and cable.... as far as i can tell the derailleur survived this time, but now i'm SOL until my new hanger comes. I wouldnt be very mad except this is the 6th one since the end of the summer when i broke the stock one. (which lasted well over a year) so my theory is that the replacement hangers are made to be waaaaaaaaaay too weak.

so i was wondering what solutions teh interwebz could come up with... a solution would be very appreciated because this is getting expensive. my worst one totaled about $400 in damage (broken hanger, destroyed derailleur, bent brake rotor, smashed cassette and mangled spokes) all because my chain snagged a little going 25-30 mph

btw the bike is a scott voltage and all of the hangers were scott brand

 

[Timekiller]

There are a few companies that make der/hanger guards.

example: http://www.therapycomponents.com/sinner.htm

Also, look into getting a quality hanger, like decisive machine.

 

[aixelsyd]

It sucks to have to replace parts but hangers are meant to break to prevent the derailleur from breaking. I broke 3 two seasons ago and decided to order 3 to keep on hand and haven't broken one since.. Karma, Murphys law? Whos to say. Thankfully it never went beyond the hanger.

 

[MisterMental]

betd make super strong mech hangers

 

[Makana425]

Ive only broken one on my brodie devo and one on my specialized rockhopper along with derailer.

 

[sstalder5]

It sucks to have to replace parts but hangers are meant to break to prevent the derailleur from breaking. I broke 3 two seasons ago and decided to order 3 to keep on hand and haven't broken one since.. Karma, Murphys law? Whos to say. Thankfully it never went beyond the hanger.

the only problem is that most of the time when my hanger breaks my derailleur smashes up my whole drivetrain and is broken beyond repair, even though the stick hitting it probably wasnt enough to hurt it at all. it seems to me that i would break alot fewer parts if i had like a steel hanger. and the damage is adding up fast... in the past 6 months ive been through 6 hangers 4 derailleurs 3 cassettes 15 spokes 2 chains and 1 brake rotor all on the same bike... and all of the derailleurs were shimano xt so its not some cheapo derailleur causing the problem

 

[aixelsyd]

WOW, that is a bit much. Maybe try one of those guards I guess. Are you running 2 or 3 rings? Can you get away with running a shorter derailleur to try and minimize the chance of more damage.

 

[MisterMental]

or even maybe one of those shimano shadow ones that dont stick out as much?

 

[4xBoy]

Never broke a hanger or derailleur running a m800.

 

[Timekiller]

...in the past 6 months ive been through 6 hangers 4 derailleurs 3 cassettes 15 spokes 2 chains and 1 brake rotor all on the same bike...

Wow!! Either bad luck, or your a hard rider.

Another option is the shimano saint (pre '09) der. It bolts to the axle instead of the hanger, you would also need the saint hub (& centerlock rotors).

 

[4xBoy]

Wow!! Either bad luck, or your a hard rider.

Another option is the shimano saint (pre '09) der. It bolts to the axle instead of the hanger, you would also need the saint hub (& centerlock rotors).

Don't need saint hub/rotors just a 10mm thru axle hub.

 

[SDH Racing]

I've had "hanger woe's" myself plenty of times in the past, especially comming from a trials backround. Even though they're designed to break off I (and a few others in the biz) feel they could be made a little stronger or a little less $$$.
Slightly off topic but what I would do is adjust your derailleur to stop at the 2nd largest cog then take links out of the chain until the pulley is pulled forward about three inches below the chain stay. Makes a much tighter chain and less slap/recoils.

 

[millerdakiller]

the only problem is that most of the time when my hanger breaks my derailleur smashes up my whole drivetrain and is broken beyond repair, even though the stick hitting it probably wasnt enough to hurt it at all. it seems to me that i would break alot fewer parts if i had like a steel hanger. and the damage is adding up fast... in the past 6 months ive been through 6 hangers 4 derailleurs 3 cassettes 15 spokes 2 chains and 1 brake rotor all on the same bike... and all of the derailleurs were shimano xt so its not some cheapo derailleur causing the problem

whats worse, buying a hanger and a derailuer, maybe a new chain and cassette. or having to buy a new frame every time you break the permanent hanger thats part of your frame. if the hanger breaks its doing its job. protecting your frame.


6 is a pretty crazy number to break though. I don't think I've put much more then 6 new hangers on bikes in the past year at the bike shop i work at, not to mention that only one of the customers was a repeat offender(as far as i can recall).

 

[PatBranch]

What is a mech? Like a mechanism?

 

[zahgurim]

"Mech" is how British people say "Derailleur".

Something about not liking the French. Or not being able to pronounce it with all those crooked teeth....


Hook up a Saint M801, and never worry about it again. Not crappy rapid-rise like the M800, too.

 

[jonKranked]

I've had "hanger woe's" myself plenty of times in the past, especially comming from a trials backround.

I feel ya on this one. I used to buy the hangars for my Zoo! half a dozen at a time, because that was when you got the quantity price break

But like others have said, try to find the axle bolting saint der.


Or just learn to avoid sticks

 

[Daz]

Not that this helps you if you have another bike but Mongoose is coming out with a titanium hanger that is twice the strength of an alloy or steel hanger. the downside is like alloy when Ti goes too far it will go in half. The plus side is it will take a huge whack to make it go to failure. thoughts on that?

http://mongoosebikes.blogspot.com/2009/01/spot-of-warmth.html

 

[PatBranch]

I think Ti hangers are a retarded idea.

 

[jonKranked]

Another option... get a Rohloff and be done with deraillers!

 

[MisterMental]

Not that this helps you if you have another bike but Mongoose is coming out with a titanium hanger that is twice the strength of an alloy or steel hanger. the downside is like alloy when Ti goes too far it will go in half. The plus side is it will take a huge whack to make it go to failure. thoughts on that?

http://mongoosebikes.blogspot.com/2009/01/spot-of-warmth.html

i thought ti was more brittle than steel?

 

[jonKranked]

i thought ti was more brittle than steel?

depends on the grades of metal you are comparing. Generally, it just has a higher strength to weight ratio IIRC. I'm also seem to recall that it is somewhat softer.

 

[sstalder5]

WOW, that is a bit much. Maybe try one of those guards I guess. Are you running 2 or 3 rings? Can you get away with running a shorter derailleur to try and minimize the chance of more damage.

I just recently switched from 3 to 2 and I got a new bb that changed the chainline and everything runs much smoother but if it breaks again I'm going to get a shimano shadow to fix the problem permanatly

 

[killsdeer4fun]

I myself have already broken 6 hangers in 2 months on my 2006 IH Yakuza Aniki just riding it around campus here in Clemson. Its like the OEM parts just cant handle anything more than a curb. And I even broke one just pedaling. So here is my fix. I am currently machining a new hanger out of an aluminum block and will be attaching an NSB Hanger Banger as well. I'd like to see my bike try and a break now. I swear I am taming a horse with this project. Granted I do ride kind of hard, and with a last name of Atherton I think I might go through a few more parts in the near future. Already wore out my BB as well.

 

[Daz]

i thought ti was more brittle than steel?

Titanium is more brittle IF you push it to failure, but it takes a lot to do that. Ti hangers can get torqued on and come back for more before it goes snap. The positive of titanium is it can take double the load that steel or alloy can take. The bonus of the steel hanger is you can bend it back (once or twice). The only real attribute of the alloy is weight...cost is similar to steel.

 

[PatBranch]

The whole point of a hanger is to bend and take the load off the derailleur (hopefully saving it) and the frame if the derailleur is grabbed by a branch or beaten by a rock. Anything stronger than aluminum for that would be pointless.

 

[sstalder5]

The whole point of a hanger is to bend and take the load off the derailleur (hopefully saving it) and the frame if the derailleur is grabbed by a branch or beaten by a rock. Anything stronger than aluminum for that would be pointless.

I understand the point of a hanger... but the flaw in it is that the derailleur almost always comes out worse after being wrapped around the cassette 3 or 4 times. Out of the last 6 times breaking my hanger, the derailleur has been destroyed by the spinning rear wheel. (and also doing alot more damage) the only exception to that wat the most recent time, when my derailluer broke off on a techy uphill section and only went through the chanstays once, ruining my chain, but survived. So long story short, a stronger hanger would save me ALOT of money.

 

[killsdeer4fun]

I'll have pics up in a day or two of my machined hanger. I'm headed to the shop now to finish it.

 

[Ironjunk]

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=6540&f_SupersetQRY=C198&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003154c003151c003217

I took one of these of an old mongoose hilltopper we had. You might have to drill it out a little to fit the 12mm axle, but I mounted it on my Haro x7 and works awesome.

 

[psychobiker]

if your chain is too short it could be pulling the der every time the supension cycles wich would shorten the lif of the hanger..

 

[sstalder5]

if your chain is too short it could be pulling the der every time the supension cycles wich would shorten the lif of the hanger..

sorry, i forgot to mention that its a hardtail

 

[killsdeer4fun]

Here ya go.

 

[sstalder5]

nice work!! but did that used to be a quick release?

 

[killsdeer4fun]

It still is a quick release. I just take the skewer out and slide it back in once i get the wheel lined up and put the nut back on. Ill have a NSB hanger banger in a week or two when they decide to ship it too me and I'm pretty sure I won't have to worry about it again.