broken bike. Again.

So remember back in July when I broke my bike?  Well it happened again.  Same thing, Shimano chain failed, wound up in the spokes and took the derailleur and  non replaceable hanger with it.  Rather than fix it with the same part that could fail (again) I looked into other options.  Long story short:  no other options.

The dilemma:  I need a rain bike.  My rain bike is broken.
Possible solutions:
1)  buy a new frame
2)  have Ruckus Components fix the dropout again and hope I don't break another chain

Nope, not spending money this time.  Going to try and fix it myself.  Below is a short photo diary of the fixing process.

Take one bent-to-s*** non-replaceable hanger

Add one blow torch

Heat affected area until medium-well. 

Then add channel-lock pliers.

Bend liberally with complete disregard to metal fatigue.

Add more heat.

And wa-lah (?) there you have it.  A good enough-ly aligned derailleur hanger

Ok, this is where the "don't try this at home" note is supposed to come in but I assume you all know that carbon bikes and blow torches don't mix well.  Just don't do it.  We'll see how this holds but and I'll be sure to let you know if something fails.

Lastly, Shimano's chain-connecting mechanisms s-u-c-k.  I'm not one to call out companies but two of their chain connectors (one quick-link, the other a reinforced pin) have caused extensive damage to my bikes.  Save yourself the time, money and hassle and just buy a SRAM chain.  

Here's another way of putting it:  I've broken 7 Shimano chains, none through overuse or improper maintenance (ok, maybe one).  I've broken 0 SRAM chains (yes, used equally between bikes).  I think that number alone speaks for itself.