# Bent rear derailleur hanger and dropouts - can this frame be saved?



## ezzy

Hi All!

Just got my 585 back from Look France after 3 months of waiting on a paint warranty issue. The frame has been completely resprayed and comes with new stickers - the top tube sticker now says 'HM carbon' - no more 'VHM carbon' on this frame - LOL 

Unfortunately the rear derailleur hanger and the drive side dropout have been damaged during shipping:mad2: 

The hanger is broken in two pieces and the drive side dropout is bent inwards (making it impossible to attach the rear wheel). Now - the hanger can be replaced but what about the dropout? I think it is made of alu/steel - so can i fix the inward bend myself by twisting the metal back into shape - and is this at all advisable? or do i have to send the frame back to Look again and having them replace the dropout? 

cheers,
ezzy


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## wArden

Normally that is something that a competent mechanic with the proper tools can fix. However, since the replaceable hanger is cracked and the actual dropout is bent the frame must have taken quite a hit or seen a far bit of static load to have that happen.
Replaceable hangers are usually quite soft and are designed to bend and take the brunt of the load and save the frame, but since the dropout is bent it looks like something more serious.
There could be damage elsewhere on the frame like the chain and seat stays.
You should get that checked out as well. The entire alignment on the rear end could be compromised.


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## ezzy

_"The entire alignment on the rear end could be compromised"_

i have checked the chain and seat stays but notice no paint cracks which i guess would be present if damaged by the force causing the dropout to be bent? Any way else to check? As i really dont feel like sending the frame to france again (and waiting another 3 months without a replacement bike) i was hoping that a local shop could fix it ie. that the dropout must not be completely replaced. 

Also the transportation plastic inserts for the fork and rear dropouts (to avoid fork and rear triangle compression) were missing when i received the bike back - i guess they would have helped on this issue? I guess i want to establish that improper packaging by sender have influenced the magnitude of the damage that this frame has sustained? 

/ezzy


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## wArden

Was the shipping insured?

A bike shop may be able to fix it or at least inspect it. If there were no plastic inserts in the dropouts during shipping then there was no support for either the fork and rear triangle. I would send the frame back to Look to have them inspect it and determine if it can be repaired or if the frame needs to be replaced. The cost should be covered by insurance or by the party who packed and shipped the frame.

You may think it's a bit overkill but how much is your safety worth?
Plus, I wouldn't want to ride a frame that could be compromised considering how much you spent on it.

I understand that you don't want to wait another few months for the frame but having it properly inspected would be the smartest thing to do.


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## ezzy

_You may think it's a bit overkill but how much is your safety worth?
Plus, I wouldn't want to ride a frame that could be compromised considering how much you spent on it.

I understand that you don't want to wait another few months for the frame but having it properly inspected would be the smartest thing to do_

Well you write exactly what i have been thinking - safety above all! But how would a bike shop determine whether cracks have developed in the carbon when nothing shows up on the outside? It just makes me crazy thinking of not having my bike ready now the season is about to start (especially when having waited all winter for it to be fixed by Look), and now facing the possibility that i might have to buy yet another bike while this one is beeing repaired:cryin: 

I have attached a couple of further pics taken after i removed the hanger. I doesnt look like there are any deep cracks in the dropout itself, however it is dented at the rear and it looks like the lower part is pushed somewhat forward (when comparing the opening with the size of the left dropout). Man this surely is annoying!

wArden - thanks for your spot on comments


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## wArden

You are welcome. 

You are right, a bike shop won't be able to make a definite decision whether or not there is significant damage.

If the rear triangle was all aluminum then a shop would be able to get the dropout bent back and realigned but since it is bonded to carbon fiber there could be the possibility of damage.

If you had a warranty paint job through Look and you tell them exactly what happened that the frame was damaged from them shipping it back to you maybe they can bump you to the front of the line to get this problem dealt with quicker.

PM chas (here on the board) and get his opinion on it.


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## ezzy

thanks - will see what Chas says!


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## OldRoadGuy

bummer
Good luck.


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## chas

ezzy said:


> thanks - will see what Chas says!


I sent an email to the after sales manager in France on Friday. He would like some more information from you; please check your PM's.

*[email protected]*


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## ezzy

chas said:


> I sent an email to the after sales manager in France on Friday. He would like some more information from you; please check your PM's.
> 
> *[email protected]*


Chas - PM Sent!

Man this is just great - thanks a lot for taking time out to help me this way 

To the members who have been commenting on my troubles: I will post the results of whatever happens here and hopefully i will be able to ride a Look frame again this year.

/ezzy


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## ezzy

Update:
The bikeshop which did the improper packaging have acknowledged it to be their fault. They have now forwarded my frame to the local Look distributor who says they will be able to fix it within a weeks time. However, what the fix is going to be was not mentioned.... A weeks time sounds to me like bending the dropout back into shape - hopefully they know how to inspect the frame properly. Well - guess i will have to wait and see. But the good thing about having the distributor fixing the frame is that the frame warranty wont be compromised in case of subsequent frame failure - which i hopefully wont be needing......

/ezzy


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## wArden

For your sake I was hoping that they would get you a new frame. At least they have admitted it was their fault and it will be dealt with and warranty will still be available.

Good luck and keep us informed with how it goes.


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## ezzy

wArden said:


> For your sake I was hoping that they would get you a new frame.


I know but I really have no strings to pull - I guess I just have to trust that the distributor does his job properly.

/ezzy


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## ezzy

time for the final update!

So i got the bike back a few weeks ago just in time for my italy trip and I have now raced it for 3 weeks and it seems that the frame is still running great and in one piece!

So the frame was returned to the distributor who said they could fix it within a weeks time which they did. Two days before my italy trip i received the frame back and started building up the bike again. It looks like the repair consisted of pressing the dropout back into shape and then repainting it with whatever whitish paint they had lying around (its kind of a soft more yellowish paint which has been used). To my horror when rebuilding the bike i realised that i could not attach the rear wheel!! So wheel attachment had not been tested by the distributor and i started getting a bit upset with 2 days to go before my big trip. So i got out the metal file and started grinding away on the "repaired" dropout until wheel attachment was possible again! After some further cursing and hanger straigtening/tweaking i now have a running bike again! On closer inspection i realised that the "repaired" dropout had been straigtened but the opening where the wheel is attached was not fixed! Remember that the bent dropout had been pushed somewhat forward effectively making the opening to small to accept a wheel.

But the frame has now been tested over 900km and seems to hold up! So am i happy? Yes and no. Yes because i now have my lovely team white 585 bike running again. No because i will never know whether the frame/dropout has received structural damage which may cause it to break one day (also metal seems to have been removed from the rear of the dropout effectively making it a "slimmer/lighter" attachment zone for the rear wheel). No because i dont want to be riding the bike the day it breaks. And No because i originally sent my frame in for a paint warranty issue - and finally now have a frame back in worse condition than before the warranty claim (with a much lower resell value should the day ever come).

Well - time to end this thread and finally go riding


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## wArden

ezzy said:


> No because i will never know whether the frame/dropout has received structural damage which may cause it to break one day (also metal seems to have been removed from the rear of the dropout effectively making it a "slimmer/lighter" attachment zone for the rear wheel). No because i dont want to be riding the bike the day it breaks. And No because i originally sent my frame in for a paint warranty issue - and finally now have a frame back in worse condition than before the warranty claim (with a much lower resell value should the day ever come).



Those are the exact same things I would be concerned about as well. It's good that they got the bike back to you in time but there are still some issues. Considering you had to do a fair amount of modifying and tweaking in order to get your rear wheel on.

If I were you I would go back to either the distributor or Look. For the price you paid for the frame they did a half-a$$ job trying to fix something that is their fault.

Writing a letter to the higher-ups at Look could get you a better conclusion to your situation.

I still believe the frame should be replaced because you don't know what the extent of the damage is.

It's a good thing that you have this well documented.


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