Bent rear mech

[66 triumph daytona]

I have a carbon cage XTR rear mech with a slight bend in it,enough to make it skip ever so slightly on the smallest rear sprocket.Can it be straightened?

 

[ishaw]

I'd guess not, but I've never tried. You can get aftermarket replacements for around £20 if you do try and it doesn't go as planned. Are you sure it's the mech and not the mech hanger? A thought crossed my mind.....
.... you could add a sleeve over the little aluminium bit that sits in one of the cages to push the cage out, if that's the direction it needs to be bent?

 

[mk one]

No harm in trying, can always replace if not.
Why is it only skipping on small sprocket?, can't you adjust that out with stop screw?

 

[kvs766]

Re:

carbon will not bend it will return to its original shape if twisted
the hanger will bend
do you need smallest gear on a mountain bike?

 

[66 triumph daytona]

Re:

I took off the offending mech and compared it with my M970 mech and there is definitely a little bend in the 972 mech.I put a square onto the mech hanger and its straight as a die.I stuck on the 970 mech and all is well.The cage pivot is where the bend is,Im going to see if it can be straightened.

 

[02gf74]

Re:

Youre saying the cage is bent? Is one or both playes carbon, i thought one eax alliy but not 100% sure.

Carbon wknt bend like metal but maybe it can be reashaped when heated to soften the resign, e.g. by putting it in hot water, or if that fails hot oil.

 

[66 triumph daytona]

Re:

No the cage is carbon,thats flexible,its the steel/alloy pivot that the cage is attached to that is slightly bent.

 

[highlandsflyer]

Re: Re:

carbon will not bend it will return to its original shape if twisted
the hanger will bend
do you need smallest gear on a mountain bike?

Yeah, why even have gears?

 

[mattr]

And technically the small sprocket is the largest gear.

Get a hanger adjustment tool as well. Putting a square on it is next to useless as you've got nothing to judge against except the dropouts, which aren't guaranteed to be straight.

 

[66 triumph daytona]

Good idea Matt,I must try that but visually the mech appears to have a slight bend at the cage pivot point.The replacement mech is indexing perfectly.