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PSA: My derailleur hanger broke and I didn't even know it until I swapped chains

So last weekend I was doing a routine chain swap on my commuter bike, figured it was about time since I was getting some skipping. I got the new chain on, went to shift, and it sounded like a bag of bolts rattling through the gears. I spent two hours messing with barrel adjusters and limit screws, getting nowhere. Finally I took a close look at the derailleur hanger and sure enough there was a hairline crack right at the bolt hole. I must have caught it on something during a ride a few weeks back and never noticed. Ordered a replacement for like 12 bucks online and it shifted perfect after that. Now I'm kicking myself for not checking that first. Has anyone else had a hanger bend or crack without realizing it? I feel like it's one of those parts you just assume is fine until it isn't.
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3 Comments
casey_torres60
Told my buddy the same thing happened to him and he swore he'd never ignore a weird noise again.
6
the_nina
the_nina28d ago
Bent my hanger clean in half once and rode around for three weeks blaming my shifting on "bad cables" like an absolute genius. At least I was consistent in being wrong.
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jenny_carr52
Nothing like discovering you've been a bad mechanic twice over.
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