As the title says, does the hanger look like it's slightly bent or am I tripping? The problem is that the chain is slipping under heavy load and I'm pretty sure it's not due to chain or cassette being worn as both are new. So the only suspect left is the derailleur itself or rather the hanger.
by niceknifegammaknife
6 Comments
It’ doesn’t look terribly bent, but the only way to know for sure is to put the DAG on it.
Also your photo only shows up/down orientation. It can be bent forward/aft as well or any other direction.
It looks bent but I don’t think it’s enough to cause the slipping issue.
Wheel seated properly?
Really hard to tell from a picture, but it looks maybe a bit canted in. For me, the big thing is when I get misshifts when it’d been good for a while and no matter what adjustments I make, the best I can do is get it to misshift somewhere else…
If there’s a shop, they can diagnose it pretty quickly with an alignment tool they should have on the pegboard and replace if they’ve got the right one.
Either way, it’s a really good idea to buy or order a couple hangers for your mountain/gravel bike. I like to keep one in my on-bike toolbag just in case you take a bad fall or hit a rock or something. And another in a parts bin at home just so I don’t have to wait if it’s a special-order thing.
Buy yourself a derailleur alignment gague. It will pay for itself in saved frustration very quickly. Or borrow one!
It’s a fantastic tool that everyone who works on bikes should have. It’s very difficult to accurately judge derailleur hanger alignment by eye, and crooked hangers is the cause of soooo many frustrations.
A shop can tell you and even straighten it if it is. A new one is super cheap as well.