Deciding to Rebuild

Many people ask whether it makes sense to rebuild their derailleur, and how to diagnose what the issues are. We will address the most common questions and scenarios here.

Why Rebuild?

The main reason for most people is to save cost. The benefit varies depending on your specific model of derailleur, but the AXS Eagle derailleurs range from about $350 (GX) to $450 (X01) to $650 (XX1). Compare that with $135 for the Madrone links+tools, and super shims. These 2 combined solve most shifting issues, plus you get the added upgrade of the parts and bushings. Our links and bushings are machined to very tight tolerances, so the derailleur has less play than the stock SRAM unit, even when new.

For the SRAM mechanical Eagle derailleurs, they are lower cost than AXS, so the cost benefit only makes sense for XX1 ($200 to $250) and X01 ($180 to $200). Compare that with $106 for the Madrone links+tools, and super shims, which solve most shifting issues. GX compatibility is easy for us to support so we offer it, but makes less cost sense. However, we do get a surprising number of GX customers who are looking for the rebuild and added upgrade of the Madrone parts. We work hard to minimize the cost of our products so that it makes sense even for the mechanical derailleurs.

The second reason people rebuild is because they embrace the "right to repair" mentality. For the AXS derailleurs, letting a high value product that contains e-waste go into the trash is undesirable, and fortunately the Madrone products do a great job of restoring and improving the performance, and giving new life to your derailleur.

Lastly, there are still some die-hard 11 speed fanatics out there. Our mechanical links fit the SRAM mechanical derailleurs, including Force!

Common Scenario

We find that about 90% of used or semi-functional (but not destroyed) derailleurs are brought back to 100% shifting quality with the Madrone links and super shims. This is because these 2 products eliminate play in the bushings and ensure you have straight, stiff links. Play and deformation in these areas of the derailleur are worse than a bent cage, and are quite common due to the whole derailleur assembly being like a complex lever arm.

Shifting Issues

If your derailleur "sort of" works, has inconsistent behavior, makes mystery shifts, delayed shifting, requires frequent adjustment that never seems to work perfect, or has "gremlins" of this nature, there is a very good chance you have one of the issues below...

Bushing wear: If your derailleur works, but not all the time or as it did when new, there is a good chance that you have worn out bushings (either in the mounting bolt or the parallelogram links. We find this on most derailleurs we rebuild, even very new ones.

Parallelogram link bends: Another common issue is having a slight bend in the parallelogram links. Usually its not clearly visible, and was probably caused by a small crash, or even just having your bike tip over. These small impacts can often deform the links, affecting shifting. If you have significant scratches on your outer link, there is a decent chance your links are deformed.

Other common mystery issues: The SRAM derailleurs are very sensitive to the B screw adjustment, so make sure that is set properly. Also, a bent derailleur hangar can be a common culprit that people avoid addressing. You can consider getting a new hangar or aligning it with a hangar alignment tool. Lastly, an overly-worn chain or cassette will also contribute to mystery shifting issues.

DIY vs Mail In

Our products, tools and videos are developed to make the rebuild as easy as possible. Still, it requires time and focus and not everyone is interested in this option. If you love taking the time to maintain and tune your bike, this is a great option. Plus, you can do it for your friends as well. Experienced rebuilders can get through a complete rebuild in about 25 minutes, but your first time through could take 1-2 hours when all is said and done The best recommendation we have is to make time to focus and take your time with the process. Unboxing summary is here. Bonus points for opening the small envelopes into containers so you don't lose small parts! We also have a fully detailed video with chapters and all steps is here.

However, some people don't have time or interest, which is why we offer the mail in rebuilds. Our rebuild pricing is very similar to the pricing for the parts and tools. Basically, the labor cost is equal to the cost of the links with tools, and the shipping cost is up to $10 more due to shipping 2 directions. So, if you are getting your first set of links installed, it will only cost you about $10 more if you do the mail in option. When we receive a derailleur, we diagnose it, and email you with the minimum recommendations to get the shifting back to 100% before committing to any changes, so you have final say in the decisions.

Links

We recommend our links as the main product to consider when rebuilding your derailleur. The links come with new bushings as well. The Madrone bushings and links are machined to very tight tolerances, which is critical for good shifting performance.

Super Shims

The super shims use a shim and a wave spring to eliminate the play in the mounting bolt of SRAM derailleurs. More info and compatibility notes are found here. These are a very low cost solution to improve shift performance, to a very common problem. This short video shows you how to install them. 

Pins

New pins are not necessary unless they are bent or pitted. Bent pins can occur with larger impacts but we do not often see them. If you are in doubt when ordering, go ahead and get the pins. They work great!

Please do not order pins without the Madrone links. The SRAM derailleurs are extremely difficult to rebuild without special tools. Furthermore, the Madrone tools do not work with the SRAM links (they only fit the Madrone links).  The reason for this is that it is difficult to diagnose and correctly replace just one part in the SRAM parallelogram link and bushing assembly. The best way to ensure 100% shifting performance again is to replace the parts as a set, and the Madrone links are designed to be easy to rebuild once installed. Thus, if you order just pins planning to swap them when you rebuild with SRAM links, you will be in for a very frustrating experience, and even if you complete the rebuild, your shifting will likely not improve.

Cages

The Madrone cages are a good choice when you have a bent cage, and are looking for a durable and stiff cage. They are designed to keep debris from getting caught in the lower pulley. They also have additional material in the right places for a lot of extra stiffness. As such, they will add weight compared to the stock SRAM cages (SRAM GX, X01, and XX1 all have different materials/weights). The Madrone cages are CNC machined, anodized, and etched.

Pulleys

The Madrone pulleys are a good choice when your stock pulleys are worn out (teeth or bearings). They are machined from 6061-T6 aluminum and anodized. They have a smooth outer surface to prevent things from getting caught in them, and it also makes them easy to clean.

Battery Contact Pins

If your battery contact pins are stuck down or don't make contact, we can fix that for you with our mail in rebuild service. We remove the old pins, crimp on new ones, and re-assemble the sub-assembly with a 3D printed frame. They function as good as new and restore the electrical contact reliability to as-new condition.

Battery Latch

If your battery latch is broken, we can solve this with our mail in rebuild service. However, this solution is not fully developed so it will add a few days to the rebuild process.

SRAM Clutch

The SRAM clutches are not rebuild-able or adjustable. They are manufactured as a closed sub-assembly and molded into the plastic housing that they are in. If your SRAM clutch is not working, we recommend getting a new derailleur.