The Derailleur Gear Hanger
Photo taken for Saturday Self Challenge 19/04/2025 -- Hangers !!
I worked using hangers for 37 years in the dry cleaners and hangers in boxes of 500 at a time - well now I am retired it is not something to remember or photograph . Tried an assortment of different styles of hangers but was not impressed - but in a bit of a wider search I came across ---
" Derailleur Gear Hangers " !! So grab the old bike out of the garage ( not been used for a few years now though ) and took a few shots of the gears on the rear wheel . The hanger is seen in the centre of the shot and highlighted by an on shot note !! Some of it is visible but some is hidden by the Shimano gear block that it is holding .
If you're the type of cyclist who counts their yearly mileage figures in the thousands, you've probably experienced a gear hanger failure at one time or another. To anyone that is unaware of which part we refer to when we say gear hangers, let us explain.
As anyone who has ever experienced a gear hanger failure will tell you, it's pretty inconvenient. Having a gear hanger break on you, mid-ride is normally terminal for the chances of that particular ride. It almost undoubtedly results in a taxi ride home or begging the better half for a lift. But there are ways in which you can minimise the possibility of such a failure and maximise the lifespan of your bike's gear hanger.
How do gear hangers fit and what do they do?
Instead of the man with no name, think of this as the part with many names! Namely; gear hanger, mech hanger, or derailleur hanger. However, they are all one and the same and attach the rear derailleur to the frame. Being a sacrificial part, they are designed to bend or break in the event of a crash or impact. Should such an impact occur, the hanger bends to prevent potentially catastrophic damage from occurring to either the frame or derailleur.
The gear hanger is bolted to the frame's dropout at one end and the rear derailleur is attached at the other. It is affixed to the frame by way of one, two, or in some cases three countersunk bolts. If you have ever searched for a gear hanger online, you will know there are literally hundreds of variants.
Bikes from different genres will almost certainly require a specific model of hanger that is specific to that particular frame. This can make finding the correct hanger a bit of a bind.
In the first comment box there is a random page of the internet showing a few of the many many Gear Hangers for sale - I don't think the one for my bike is on the page though !!
There is only part of one bike here , but for a tune how about one all about Three Bikes !!
youtu.be/A6yc1O-H2FQ?feature=shared
The Derailleur Gear Hanger
Photo taken for Saturday Self Challenge 19/04/2025 -- Hangers !!
I worked using hangers for 37 years in the dry cleaners and hangers in boxes of 500 at a time - well now I am retired it is not something to remember or photograph . Tried an assortment of different styles of hangers but was not impressed - but in a bit of a wider search I came across ---
" Derailleur Gear Hangers " !! So grab the old bike out of the garage ( not been used for a few years now though ) and took a few shots of the gears on the rear wheel . The hanger is seen in the centre of the shot and highlighted by an on shot note !! Some of it is visible but some is hidden by the Shimano gear block that it is holding .
If you're the type of cyclist who counts their yearly mileage figures in the thousands, you've probably experienced a gear hanger failure at one time or another. To anyone that is unaware of which part we refer to when we say gear hangers, let us explain.
As anyone who has ever experienced a gear hanger failure will tell you, it's pretty inconvenient. Having a gear hanger break on you, mid-ride is normally terminal for the chances of that particular ride. It almost undoubtedly results in a taxi ride home or begging the better half for a lift. But there are ways in which you can minimise the possibility of such a failure and maximise the lifespan of your bike's gear hanger.
How do gear hangers fit and what do they do?
Instead of the man with no name, think of this as the part with many names! Namely; gear hanger, mech hanger, or derailleur hanger. However, they are all one and the same and attach the rear derailleur to the frame. Being a sacrificial part, they are designed to bend or break in the event of a crash or impact. Should such an impact occur, the hanger bends to prevent potentially catastrophic damage from occurring to either the frame or derailleur.
The gear hanger is bolted to the frame's dropout at one end and the rear derailleur is attached at the other. It is affixed to the frame by way of one, two, or in some cases three countersunk bolts. If you have ever searched for a gear hanger online, you will know there are literally hundreds of variants.
Bikes from different genres will almost certainly require a specific model of hanger that is specific to that particular frame. This can make finding the correct hanger a bit of a bind.
In the first comment box there is a random page of the internet showing a few of the many many Gear Hangers for sale - I don't think the one for my bike is on the page though !!
There is only part of one bike here , but for a tune how about one all about Three Bikes !!
youtu.be/A6yc1O-H2FQ?feature=shared