[Zig]

Heckler deraileur hanger if that matters.

 

[SpinWheelz]

I tried. I ended up cracking the derailleur, largely owning to just how soft the aluminum was. I ended up buying a new one from derailleurhanger.com. They're brilliant.

 

[man w/ one hand]

Only to get you out of the trail, then get a new one. Once they're bent they get soft & will bend agin even easier. Get yourself two. Have a spare ready for the next time....you do know there is going to be anext time...right?

 

[Felpur]

Man's right, There is always a next time. I go thru 2 or 3 hangers and or derauilers every season.

I'd buy 2 of them. and continue to ride the existing one if can be bent back in place in the proper position. always have a few of these as most of time you end having to order them which means your now not riding the bike for a week while your waiting for the new one....

 

[KgB]

take it to LBS

Heckler deraileur hanger if that matters.

They will align it for ten bucks,or buy a new one and straighten that one out and keep it for a spare.Always keep a spare in your pack.

 

[K'Endo]

Does the Heckler have a replaceable hanger now? The used to be a solid part of the chainstay. The Santa Cruz website is not responding right now, so can't check there.

As to the original question ...

Think about your choices. You have a bent hanger, so you can either 1) ride as is and have terrible shifting and wear on your drivetrain, 2) bend it straight, and maybe break the hanger, or 3) buy a new hanger.

#1 will become expensive and aggravating in a hurry, so that's out.

#2 - what's the worst that can happen? You break the hanger, then you're moving on to #3 anyway. So, why not try it, because it can't possibly be more costly than just replacing the hanger.

As already mentioned, it's a good idea to have a nice new hanger at the ready anyway. Carry it with you on the trails, it's probably less than 10 grams if you're worried about weight. That way, if you break one trying to bend it straight, your ride isn't over.

I've straightened many bent hangers over the years. Never had one break yet.

Kn.

 

[SpecialBrew]

I tried. I ended up cracking the derailleur, largely owning to just how soft the aluminum was. I ended up buying a new one from derailleurhanger.com. They're brilliant.

$40 for 2 hangers?!?!?! I would make my own out of cardboard before i bought one for $22 or 2 for $40. I wonder how hard they would be to make on a CNC or regular mill

 

[Zig]

Replaceable

Does the Heckler have a replaceable hanger now? The used to be a solid part of the chainstay. The Santa Cruz website is not responding right now, so can't check there.

As to the original question ...

Think about your choices. You have a bent hanger, so you can either 1) ride as is and have terrible shifting and wear on your drivetrain, 2) bend it straight, and maybe break the hanger, or 3) buy a new hanger.

#1 will become expensive and aggravating in a hurry, so that's out.

#2 - what's the worst that can happen? You break the hanger, then you're moving on to #3 anyway. So, why not try it, because it can't possibly be more costly than just replacing the hanger.

As already mentioned, it's a good idea to have a nice new hanger at the ready anyway. Carry it with you on the trails, it's probably less than 10 grams if you're worried about weight. That way, if you break one trying to bend it straight, your ride isn't over.

I've straightened many bent hangers over the years. Never had one break yet.

Kn.

Yep, replaceable, but larger than a typical hanger. Suppose to be stronger. SC sells them for $40 each!

 

[JohnnyTooBad]

$40 for 2 hangers?!?!?! I would make my own out of cardboard before i bought one for $22 or 2 for $40. I wonder how hard they would be to make on a CNC or regular mill

Yup. That's about what they cost. Probably due to the fact that they aren't making mass quantities of them. They have to pay someone to set up the CNC machines and the $.50 for the block of aluminum. Just suck it up and buy two of them. That way, not only will you have one in your pack for next time, but you won't have to pay shipping twice.

I've straightened a hanger before. It took forever to get it perfectly straight so that all of the gears would shift properly. I heated it with a propane torch to get it close to straight so that I wouldn't break it, then just kept installing, testing, removing, tweaking, until it was aligned right. I did also buy another, but I'm lucky and have only destroyed one in the past 4 years (knocking vigirously on wood!)

 

[Crusty Oldman]

Bent Deraileur Hanger - OK to bend back?

Go ahead. You have my permission. If it breaks, fails to align itself properly, or turns out to be unsuitable in any way, you have my permission to buy another. If that fails to meet your expectation, you may go ahead and buy another frame, or heck, get another bike entirely! It's okay! Just say that I told you so. They'll understand.

 

[SpinWheelz]

Hmm, I don't remember paying that much for a derailleur hanger from that place. It might've been half that at the time. I do remember asking two of my local shops for a replacement and them telling me that they didn't have any in stock and that it'd take them two weeks to get one from Fisher at a cost greater than what I paid for one from the site.

Like everyone else, I guess prices have gone up!

 

[East Coast Bender]

U need a special tool, go to the shop and have them do it

 

[Th' Mule]

Hmm, I don't remember paying that much for a derailleur hanger from that place. It might've been half that at the time. I do remember asking two of my local shops for a replacement and them telling me that they didn't have any in stock and that it'd take them two weeks to get one from Fisher at a cost greater than what I paid for one from the site.

Like everyone else, I guess prices have gone up!

One wrench ordered a new hanger for me, but it was going to take too long. So he machined one for me! Charged me CDN$15.00 for it and threw on the bike. Andrew if you're on the forums, thanks again, man!