spare der hanger saves the day

Do you carry a spare derailleur hanger? You should. A guy came into the shop earlier today - a roadie and he was carrying his bike. In general, carrying a road bike on pavement is not a good sign. Just down the road from the shop, he had shifted into his biggest rear cog and the der went into the spokes in a bad way. 1 Dura Ace 10sp der completely destroyed. They're light, right? The der hanger on his bike was beyond saving as well.

With a little love, a dead XT rear der, and a Wheels Manufacturing emergency der hanger, his team issue TIAA-Cref Javelin was ready to roll. Not perfect, but at least he had a handful of gears he could shift thru on his way back to Boulder. Here's a pic of the Wheels emergency hanger that lives in my bag.
It's a cool piece of engineering. You remove the der and der hanger and take the nut off the end of the skewer. Clamp the wheel back into the frame with the der hanger on the inside of the nut (no spring) and you're all set. The der hanger is held in place with the clamping force of the qr. It is, indeed, emergency only, though. Make sure to swap it back out whenever you get where you're going. It could help save your day.

In other news, registration for the 2009 Bikerpelli opened up today. A few Redstone regulars have done this tour and all reports are that it is exceptionally well run and the route is fantastic. 142 miles from Fruita to Moab entirely off road. Check it out at Bikerpelli.com

Also, good buddy of the shop, Lizzy, sent us this. I nicked this from Chad's blog...


Our friends Lizzy Scully & Heidi Wirtz are founders of Girls Education International. Girls Ed is a non-profit that supports mountainous regions of the world to expand and support educational opportunities for women and girls. Heidi is currently a finalist in the Inspiring Sole nomination that if chosen would earn $25,000 for Girls Education International! The first-ever Inspiring Soles Award recognizes everyday athletes dedicated to inspiring change and involving others through bold athletic endeavors.Check out more info on their non-profit HERE, and vote for Heidi HERE.