rear derailleur misalignment questions

KnowWhen2HoldemKnowWhen2Foldem said:

A) Can the LBS adjust the real derailler hanger and/or dropout on a carbon
fiber frame and carbon fiber hanger?

Aluminium dropout in carbon frame : yes
Carbon dropout : no way

Quoted message said:

B) Can this be adjusted without taking the rear derailleur off the frame?0

A tool that goes directly on the pulley could, but I don't know any
such one...
The "normal" tool for aligning dropout (maily Park DAG-1) fits in the
derailer hanger instead of the derailer.

But this aligns only dropouts - if your derailer itself is bent, this
won't solve the problem.

Quoted message said:

C) Perhaps the act of repetitive shifting under tension has bent the cage or
the hanger. Can this happen?

Not very likely, but why not...
I'd say most dropout are bent because of shocks, or chain jamming
between cassette and spokes, but as Murphy says anything is possible -
and mainly the worst.

Quoted message said:

D) Does the Park Derailleur Alignment Gauge tool work well enough that I can
do this job myself?

See p10 of http://www.bbinstitute.com/BM5%20chap%2032.pdf (2Mo demo
chapter) to judge it by yourself!
I'd say yes, but it's more expensive than one dropout fixing by a good
LBS.

KnowWhen2HoldemKnowWhen2Foldem said:

A) Can the LBS adjust the real derailler hanger and/or dropout on a carbon
fiber frame and carbon fiber hanger?

Aluminium dropout in carbon frame : yes
Carbon dropout : no way

Quoted message said:

B) Can this be adjusted without taking the rear derailleur off the frame?0

A tool that goes directly on the pulley could, but I don't know any
such one...
The "normal" tool for aligning dropout (maily Park DAG-1) fits in the
derailer hanger instead of the derailer.

But this aligns only dropouts - if your derailer itself is bent, this
won't solve the problem.

Quoted message said:

C) Perhaps the act of repetitive shifting under tension has bent the cage or
the hanger. Can this happen?

Not very likely, but why not...
I'd say most dropout are bent because of shocks, or chain jamming
between cassette and spokes, but as Murphy says anything is possible -
and mainly the worst.

Quoted message said:

D) Does the Park Derailleur Alignment Gauge tool work well enough that I can
do this job myself?

See p10 of http://www.bbinstitute.com/BM5%20chap%2032.pdf (2Mo demo
chapter) to judge it by yourself!
I'd say yes, but it's more expensive than one dropout fixing by a good
LBS.

KnowWhen2HoldemKnowWhen2Foldem said:

I have noticed some increased shifting misses. When I examined the tension
and jockey pulley, they seemed slightly misaligned by being angled in
towards the rear wheel. I think that this needs to get adjusted. I noticed
when my LBS adjusted the hanger on my old aluminum frame bike, they did not
take the derailer off.

Cannot align the rd hanger w/o taking the RD off, to do it right. Need
to use a tool.

However, it looks like the hanger on my bike is

Quoted message said:

carbon fiber, which does not make it a likely candidate to be "adjusted".
I don't think that the cage itself is bent since the cage has never been hit
or or bonked by anything.

Not carbon fiber but probably aluminum.

Quoted message said:

A) Can the LBS adjust the real derailler hanger and/or dropout on a carbon
fiber frame and carbon fiber hanger?
B) Can this be adjusted without taking the rear derailleur off the frame?
C) Perhaps the act of repetitive shifting under tension has bent the cage or
the hanger. Can this happen?
D) Does the Park Derailleur Alignment Gauge tool work well enough that I can
do this job myself?