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I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool
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Just sayin - I thought I'd use this tool like once or twice only when I got it, figured my RD would never ever again get out of whack, but I've been using it every year despite taking care not to lay my bike down on the RD, etc. Was recabling my RD today due to errant shifting in the back, and lo and behold, the DAG tool back to the rescue - fixed a surprisingly large hangar adjustment, and suddenly everything is back to 100% perfect in rear shifting, did not even require any indexing or any tricks for cable tension.

If you're interested in having perfect indexed shifting and doing the work yourself, I'd say this is a 100% must-have. It seems like an expensive tool at first ($80-$90 for the excellent Park tool one) but honestly, it'll save you way more than that in time. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent messing around with the RD cable tension, barrel adjusters, etc, when the real culprit was the hangar. In fact, I think every time I've gotten the hangar aligment correct, I didn't have to adjust anything else on the RD at all. (But yes, I already did the limit screws, and every time I recable, I make sure that I can't shift the RD into the spokes - have seen that before and ends really badly!)
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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I'm happy I got one as well.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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Maybe I'm weird, but I have been in the bike business for 27 years and have never had the need for that tool.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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What’s recabling?

Sincerely,
SRAM eTap

It is a good tool to have though.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond wrote:
Maybe I'm weird, but I have been in the bike business for 27 years and have never had the need for that tool.


Yeah, and you're also the guy that refuses to use torque wrenches on delicate carbon parts, etc.

There is literally NO other way to correctly align a bent hangar other than the derailleur adjustment tool. There are ways to jerry-rig one, but they all suck and will cost you more time than money than just plunking down the money for the Park tool DAG.

Seriously, though, you've been in the business for 27 years and you've never had to fix a bent derailleur hangar? That strains all credibility.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [The GMAN] [ In reply to ]
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The GMAN wrote:
What’s recabling?

Sincerely,
SRAM eTap

It is a good tool to have though.


Recabling is the $11 to order the road bike shift cable set and then to recable my (externally routed) road bike in minutes.

I think you still need a DAG even if you have eTAP though if your hangar is misaligned. Correct me if I' wrong!

PS - etap is on my radar for sure. It's just sad when I'm very attached to my entry-level road bike circa 2009 and the cost of eTAP would literally be 2x that of the entire bike when I bought it.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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Can you throw up a link for the one you’re using.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [TNTRI] [ In reply to ]
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TNTRI wrote:
Can you throw up a link for the one you’re using.


https://www.parktool.com/...gnment-gauge-dag-2-2

Bike tools are great, but this is the only tool in my arsenal that isn't duplicated by some other tool, and also has the magic effect of fixing like 90-100% of shifting problems with a single adjustment.

You will drive yourself insane trying to fix slightly errant shifting on a bike with a only slightly bent RD. It'll be 'just slightly off', and you'll think a little barrel adjusting here, a little cable tension here, maybe better cable routing here, etc. - none of it will help. Then you'll align the hangar, and voila - everything is PERFECT. No adjustments needed.
Last edited by: lightheir: Aug 6, 20 7:25
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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lightheir wrote:
Just sayin - I thought I'd use this tool like once or twice only when I got it, figured my RD would never ever again get out of whack, but I've been using it every year despite taking care not to lay my bike down on the RD, etc. Was recabling my RD today due to errant shifting in the back, and lo and behold, the DAG tool back to the rescue - fixed a surprisingly large hangar adjustment, and suddenly everything is back to 100% perfect in rear shifting, did not even require any indexing or any tricks for cable tension.

If you're interested in having perfect indexed shifting and doing the work yourself, I'd say this is a 100% must-have. It seems like an expensive tool at first ($80-$90 for the excellent Park tool one) but honestly, it'll save you way more than that in time. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent messing around with the RD cable tension, barrel adjusters, etc, when the real culprit was the hangar. In fact, I think every time I've gotten the hangar aligment correct, I didn't have to adjust anything else on the RD at all. (But yes, I already did the limit screws, and every time I recable, I make sure that I can't shift the RD into the spokes - have seen that before and ends really badly!)

What are you doing to your bike that you need to align the hangar so often?

I think across all of my bikes (including the mountain bike) I’ve had to do it once, maybe twice?) both following crashes.

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [JasoninHalifax] [ In reply to ]
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I have no idea. I have literally had zero crashes on that bike, but in retrospect, I may have transported it in a car flat with RD side-down which is obviously a no-no. (Although I'm not even sure I did even that.)

Bottom line - at least for me, my RD hangar does get surprisingly out of adjustment. Nothing crazy, but enough to give slight shift inaccuracy on certain gears. The fixes are small and subtle, but it really made a difference.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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lightheir wrote:
I have no idea. I have literally had zero crashes on that bike, but in retrospect, I may have transported it in a car flat with RD side-down which is obviously a no-no. (Although I'm not even sure I did even that.)

Bottom line - at least for me, my RD hangar does get surprisingly out of adjustment. Nothing crazy, but enough to give slight shift inaccuracy on certain gears. The fixes are small and subtle, but it really made a difference.

Some bikes just have really shitty hangars. Thinking about it, mine are mostly non-replaceable ones, they tend to be more resistant to alignment issues. The mountain bike one is replaceable.

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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NOthing to do with working in a bike shop, do you ?
Unless the environment around your RD's is perfectly unchanging, I wonder how you make sure all your hangers are perfectly aligned.
It was one of the first tools I bought. Use it many times per year for multiple occasions/causes.

Louis :)
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [TNTRI] [ In reply to ]
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Next step up from Park.


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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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I just tried this budget one from Amazon. All the pieces are actually very well made, but there was just enough play between the arm and the piece that bolts to the hanger to give maybe 5mm of play at the far end of the arm, which for me made it pretty much useless. So I'd have to say go Park at a minimum.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [Clutch Cargo] [ In reply to ]
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I'm also a fan of the Abbey HAG.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [avatar78] [ In reply to ]
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avatar78 wrote:
I just tried this budget one from Amazon. All the pieces are actually very well made, but there was just enough play between the arm and the piece that bolts to the hanger to give maybe 5mm of play at the far end of the arm, which for me made it pretty much useless. So I'd have to say go Park at a minimum.

Yeah, it's amazing how small the tolerances have to be for this tool to work well. I think my adjustments have been <5mm every time , but really fixed up the small problems with shifting.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [Clutch Cargo] [ In reply to ]
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Clutch Cargo wrote:
Next step up from Park.

Cry once, buy once, and live the rest of your life with the best tool for the job that money can buy.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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Carbon parts aren't that delicate.

I am a bicycle manufacturer. The frames and derailleur hangers are perfect when I ship them out or deliver them in person. If a customer crashes, I would expect that they would fix a derailleur hanger themself or bring it to a shop.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [Clutch Cargo] [ In reply to ]
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Ill second the Abbey HAG, especially with the finite range for the new 12spd stuff I feel it is a must have.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond wrote:
Maybe I'm weird, but I have been in the bike business for 27 years and have never had the need for that tool.

That seems like a miracle. I'd say one out of every four races I fly to I've had to adjust the hanger when I got home to get my shifting dialed in (and I always disconnect the RD before packing my bike). Now that I ride MTB I probably have to adjust my rear hanger about once every three to four months and replace about once a year. Then again, that's a different environment.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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Photos or it didn't happen :-)!

David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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Just be carefully aligning it too many times. Steel is one thing, aluminum is another. For minor alignment adjustments, I don't worry to much. However, it it's the result of a crash or bike fell over and it got really bent, I just replace the aluminum hanger vs the risk of metal fatigue. I've also find that newer hangers aren't always aligned when put on a frame. Having the DAG is nice to be able to check things.

"Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps"
Blog = http://extrememomentum.com|Photos = http://wheelgoodphotos.com
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [allenpg] [ In reply to ]
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allenpg wrote:
Just be carefully aligning it too many times. Steel is one thing, aluminum is another. For minor alignment adjustments, I don't worry to much. However, it it's the result of a crash or bike fell over and it got really bent, I just replace the aluminum hanger vs the risk of metal fatigue. I've also find that newer hangers aren't always aligned when put on a frame. Having the DAG is nice to be able to check things.

Along the same lines, if there is any dirt under the hanger when it is reinstalled the alignment can be thrown off, even if the new hanger is perfectly good.

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2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [Clutch Cargo] [ In reply to ]
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Clutch Cargo wrote:
Next step up from Park.


Abbey HAG is THE tool to have. I have one, and it works beautifully and is very accurate and repeatable.

Team Zoot-Texas, and Pickle Juice
Last edited by: Taugen: Aug 7, 20 5:27
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Re: I love my derailleur hangar adjustment tool [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond wrote:
Maybe I'm weird, but I have been in the bike business for 27 years and have never had the need for that tool.


jimatbeyond wrote:
Carbon parts aren't that delicate.

I am a bicycle manufacturer. The frames and derailleur hangers are perfect when I ship them out or deliver them in person. If a customer crashes, I would expect that they would fix a derailleur hanger themself or bring it to a shop.

What? So your statement is totally irrelevant, then. That's like me saying "I'm in the car industry for 40 years now and I've never once had to put gas in my car." and following it up with "Oh, I work at Maaco and walk to work every day."
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