Product Review: North Shore Billet's Hanger Banger
Mountainbikers are outlandish creatures. They spend most of their waking hours dreaming of their bikes. When not dreaming they can be found crouched in some greasy corner tinkering with their bikes. Most of their hard earned money they spend on their bikes. Most bikers I know love their bikes to bits. But, what do they end up doing with their beloved bikes when they hit the jungle trails? They will end up treating their bikes like they hate them.
Mountainbikes endure treacherous amounts of strain to almost every weld, link or bolt every time we grab handfuls of gear changes uphill or when we ‘bomb’ them downhill. Bikes undergo more torment whenever we crash or wipe out. Why do we treat our beloved bikes costing up to 10 Grand this roughly? We don’t see Hi-Fi enthusiasts abusing their ultra expensive Denon amps or JBL speakers do we? Why? It’s because we can.
You’ve probably read the following points in boasted in numerous bike brochures and websites. Modern mountainbikes are designed to take a beating. These bikes are packed with high tech manufacturing processes like (let me see if I can cram it all into one sentence) special lightweight metal matrix alloy or carbon composite frames internally and externally butted, hollowed-out, hydroformed, gusseted, anodized, epoxy-bonded and stress-tested to give you a bike that is tough as nails but light enough to sting like a bee.
The guys at North Shore Billet are a bunch of paranoid bike freaks. They understand their bikes well. While most riders are blissfully at ease with their bike’s invulnerability, these guys have come up with protection for the rear derailleur hanger... the mountainbike’s Achilles’ heel. This component of the bike, which does have an uncanny resemblance to the human heel, is the bane all jungle bikers. All the techno talk of butted science fiction tubing and materials will get you nowhere if you are crippled in the jungle with a broken derailleur hanger.
How did North Shore Billet buff up their bikes’ Achilles’heel? Two words: Hanger Banger. The beautifully CNC’d bits which make up the Hanger Banger are made specifically for different Shimano and SRAM rear derailleurs. Assembly is as simple as releasing the quick release to loosen the rear wheel. The hooked bit on one end of the Banger hooks into the hollow of the rear derailleur hanger bolt and the other end is pressed hard against the derailleur hanger of the bike frame by a fine-looking machined nut that screws on to the QR axel.
North Shore Billet Hanger Banger
Step 1: Remove QR skewer nut.
Step 2: Slap on the Hanger Banger!
All ready for abuseHow can this strengthen the RD hanger? Studying my now pimped up RD hanger; I slowly begin to realize how ingenious the design is. The Banger essentially transforms the flat RD hanger into a ‘ring’ of two arches. These ‘arches’ together are physically stronger than the single straight flat piece of RD hanger thanks to catenary forces acting on them. The resulting new equilibrium is now able to withstand impacts from much higher forces, hence no more broken or bent rear derailleurs.
Will this new addition make me a better rider? I don’t think so. Will it make my bike lighter? Yes! I now don’t have to lug around all the spare RD hangers in my daypack. It will definitely make me a lot less paranoid knowing I can continue thrashing and abusing my beloved lightweight internally and externally butted, hollowed-out, hydroformed, gusseted, anodized, epoxy-bonded metal matrix alloy steed with total peace of mind.
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Manufacturer's website: North Shore Billet
-Ongawi
