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!)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
