Shifting on my road bike is crap. I can get it changing up perfectly but not down, and vice versa. Now I don't like to brag but I am a dab hand at setting up shifting on all my bikes, I never have these problems and I've been doing it for many years. It feels as if the cable is stiff but it's new, and installed correctly. I can pull the cable by hand and it's smooth, also the shifter feel is perfect.
I thought it might've been the mech which is quite old, but I changed it for a newer cheaper one and it was identical. Jockey wheels are fine. So I think it might be the hanger. It looks well aligned, but suspect maybe it's twisted in or out a bit.
Has anyone bought themselves a mech hanger alignment tool (or had it aligned in a shop) and had it fix weird shifting problems like this?
Yes, it almost always fixes issues like this
Yes, i have had bad shifting which was cured by straightening the hanger.
The hanger looked ok visually, but was actually out by a fair bit.
Straightened using (lbs) tool, a quick tweak of the cable tension and perfect shifting returned.
I had previously tried to cure it by replacing the cable, but could only get it shift smoothly in one direction, either up, or down the block.
Ex bike mechanic, so the slightest mis shift drives me potty!!
I always start a gear tuning session by checking the hanger alignment. I've got a lovely Abbey Tools hanger alignment tool so it seems a shame not to.
Yes, I bought one of these.
https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/cyclus-tools-derailleur-hanger-adjustment-tool-25599
It's not the best but it's entirely adequate for the rare occasions it gets used.
One of those tools that you don't need until you really do. I've an X-Tools one for the few times I've had similar problems.
Got a spare rear wheel with a 10mm threaded axle?
Remove mech, thread wheel in it’s place, and manipulate until wheels are parallel.
I also have the X-Tools one at home. Use a Park at work but actually prefer the X-Tools.
Nice thing to have if there is a wee crowd of you too as you can either set up a lending system or help out your riding buddies.
Checking alignment is, for me, the first thing I do if I'm trying to set up gears. Otherwise you can waste ages farking around.
Park tools 2.2 for me - a great investment...gets used a lot!
Park tools one here, only gets used occasionally but worth its weight in gold
Checking alignment is, for me, the first thing I do if I’m trying to set up gears
Funny thing is, this has never happened to me in 25 years of biking. I've even had visibly bent hangers that didn't affect shifting like this. Must be bent in some other direction I've not had before.
This summer I convereted MrsP's main bike to 1x11 and that had poor shifting in the bigger sprockets which I figured was due to mech alignment, so as I had some vouchers to use I got the Park tool. That sorted her shifting so it's now perfect, then I did my road bike which had something like the problem you suggest and it sorted that too, so then I went through most of the rest of the collection and tweaked those as well.
X-tools one here too. Only used a couple of times but the 'looks straight to me' before using this proved otherwise.
Get one bought!
We are witnessing a rare thing, an STW thread with complete agreement and no-one casting aspersions on anyone's ability to fix bikes!
I'll consider buying one or maybe just popping into a LBS.
Yeah. I have the park one and it fixes all this sort of stuff. Especially with sram mechs. Shimano seem more tolerant to a slightly off hanger.
My experience is the opposite is Simon's, albeit a bit out of date.
I'd suspect cables, esp if it's 10+ speed
I am skeptical..
I have never had a gear issue that wasn't fixed by systematic set up and tuning, or replacement of badly worn cable housings, chains, cassette.
If think your hanger is a few degrees out, look how much slop there is in any derailleur pivot, its much bigger.
I am happy to be proved wrong. But never needed one..
I went through the same thing as you, changed cables, lots of fiddling and grumbling. Rear mech was old, so chucked a new one on anyway. Eventually came to thinking it might be the hanger.
Bought the x-tools one. Sorted!
Great tool to have in the shed if you own a few bikes, the hangers will get bent now and again.
I am skeptical..
I was too! But proved myself wrong, it was very good shifting after a little bit of straightening.
Park Tools DAG. Not that I use it very often, but it's the second thing I do when setting up gears. I got caught out a few years ago with a mech hanger that was sat on some mud in the dropout giving weird shifting issues.
But yes, hanger out of alignment will give you the issues you explained, OP.
I was too! But proved myself wrong, it was very good shifting after a little bit of straightening.
I'll come back when I have a shifting issue that isn't fixed by normal methods.
Normal methods are to check the hanger alignment, first and foremost. Otherwise you could be setting around fault rather than fixing the fault.
It’s the correct way of diagnostics, start at the beginning and do it correctly.
No amount of fine plasterwork and painting is going to fix a house if the foundations aren't in order.
I’ll come back when I have a shifting issue that isn’t fixed by normal methods.
It'd be intersting to know if you're running 9, 10, 11 or 12 speed cassettes. I'd managed fine until going to 11/12 speed when the size of the sprocket amplifies any hanger issues. But once I had the tool, realigning the hanger on a 9 speed bike got rid of a lot of niggly shifting rattles on that too.
I am skeptical..
I have never had a gear issue that wasn’t fixed by systematic set up and tuning, or replacement of badly worn cable housings, chains, cassette.
Me neither, in 25 years, until now. Everything else has been changed, and is verifiably spot on testing by all the methods I usually use to diagnose issues. I have 5 bikes all in use and they all have spot on shifting, even the commuter with its floppy ancient cheap mech. I can set up shifting perfectly in a few minutes after a mech or cable change. Pretty confident it's not me at fault here.
I've ordered the X tools er.. tool.. and it's on next day so I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow 🙂
11 and twelve speed, no issues yet. However obviously not as much experience as 8, 9, 10.
You do know that if you can't fix it after using the tool the pros will blame it on operator error?
😂
Wouldn't it just be easier for now to buy a spare mech hanger and try it ?
I would get it done by a mechanic, they will know how much force to apply.
Takes about 15mins of their time.
Wouldn’t it just be easier for now to buy a spare mech hanger and try it ?
Its not uncommon for new mech hangers to need alignment.
Its not uncommon for new mech hangers to need alignment.
Really ? interesting... never thought of new hangers being anything other than straight
Frame could be bent anyway.
I always reset a new mech hanger before putting it in the spares box, just in case I need it in a hurry. They typically need a little tweak to get the spot on.
Wouldn’t it just be easier for now to buy a spare mech hanger and try it ?
For a 12 year old badged frame? Probably not. And would probably cost £25 whereas the tool is £35
Really ? interesting… never thought of new hangers being anything other than straight
Aye. New bikes often come bent too.
You do know that if you can’t fix it after using the tool the pros will blame it on operator error?
'Now I don’t like to brag but I am a dab hand at setting up shifting on all my bikes' - I think you'll find that Moley is one of 'the pros'. If there's an issue, it'll be with the alignment tool. 😉
I also have an X-Tools Hanger Alignment tool, and it's helped me fix three bikes so far.
‘Now I don’t like to brag but I am a dab hand at setting up shifting on all my bikes’ – I think you’ll find that Moley is one of ‘the pros’.
No, if I were claiming to be a pro I would already have the tool and not be on here asking for advice 🙂
+1 for the old 10mm axle as an indicator whether things are good enough or maybe a bit out of true.
Tool has arrived. Will be deployed this afternoon at some point.
Tool has arrived. Will be deployed this afternoon at some point.
Now you're a proper pro 🙂
I work part-time as a bike mechanic, mainly assembling new bikes and even some new bikes need a tweak of the mech hanger, particularly some of the high-end group sets that need to be spot-on. I did a £6k bike this morning that needed realignment. The design of many frame hangers means they twist very easily
My only tip - take your time, slowly, slowly does it - you really don't want to snap that baby!
Can you set up a live stream from your garage/workshop?
No live stream. You'd spend more time being shocked at the state of my garage 🙂
So the hanger was miles out as expected, probably 3cm twisted as well as bent. I got it straight to within a few mm (I think spec is 4mm) and it's better, but still not perfect.
Ok so it's pretty old Ultegra 10sp although the mech seems fine - but I'm now thinking about the shifter. It works perfectly except for around sprockets 3-5. So I'm wondering if the ratchet teeth in the shifter are damaged or a bit worn or something?
Anyway - tool was good and works, and like I say it's helped a bit.
I found it started to matter more with 10 speed. Before that, I never needed to check alignment on a new hanger/frame, but then it started to matter. But these days that area of things appears more chunkily made than it used to be (through axles). Maybe it was/is mainly a thing with 10 sp and up with QR frames/hubs.
Has it had a new cable? inner and outer? that's the next place to try after straightening the hanger, remove potential faults in a systematic manner. It won't hurt to have a new one anyway.
