Jab Derailleur Dev.

We are developing our own complete derailleur! We've been working on this project since early 2024 and showed our first version at Sea Otter. It was born out of the observations developing the Madrone links as well as issues with derailleurs from SRAM and Shimano. At some point, we realized we could address many of the issues we were attempting to solve by creating our own derailleur.

The core goals of our derailleur are:

  1. Serviceability - you can rebuild it easily with common tools.
  2. Precision - confident, crisp shifts even after a lot of use.
  3. Compatibility - shifts flawlessly with different drivetrains, MTB or drop bar, 11 or 12 speed.

Some of the cool features of our derailleur are:

  1. Shifter and cassette compatibility achieved through different cable cams - changing this single part is what supports compatibility across various drivetrains. These cams can be swapped out easily so you can move the derailleur between different bikes. We will also have different cage lengths for different cassette sizes.
  2. Conventional or direct mount (UDH) - the derailleur can be adapted to either type easily. 

The derailleur is mechanically cable actuated for several reasons:

  1. Reliability. While cable actuation is not immune to failures, dead batteries are pretty common, and who wants to be worried about battery charge levels in the derailleur and shifter during an important race or ride? 
  2. Shifting speed. Fast and crisp, mechanical actuation allows you to push through multiple gears with your fingers, or click rapidly, and there is less delay/hesitation compared to the electronic options from the big drivetrain companies.
  3. Feel. Cable actuation gives the rider intuitive feedback at your fingers so you know what is going on back at your derailleur and cassette. You can tell when the shifting is perfectly tuned, or has hesitation. You can push through multiple gears. This experience is similar to driving a manual transmission vehicle vs an automatic. You are one with your machine.
  4. Development cost. To develop an electronic drivetrain that seriously competes with existing electronic drivetrains would require significant resources. Madrone Cycles is still a small company, so it doesn't make much sense. 
  5. Environmental impact. Electronic drivetrains have batteries and printed circuit boards in them. These contain hard to recycle materials and sub-assemblies. 

Testing the V1 prototype

Throughout the summer of 2024, we've been testing the derailleur. Derailleurs are subject to a lot of vibration, contamination, and impact, and our intent is to be 100% confident that it is reliable and robust, and meets all of our goals before we launch it. 

Our V1 derailleur testing and development has revealed issues in these areas:

  1. Clutch. The first clutch was hydraulic, but the assembly and bleeding issues proved to be too complex for our serviceability goal. We have been testing a mechanical clutch that avoids SRAM and Shimano patents. This clutch concept works but still needs to be refined to prevent early wear out.
  2. Pivot bearing bores in links. The ball bearing pivots work great, but the bearings have been sliding in the bores. In addition to tightening up the press fit, they will be mechanically retained so they cannot move axially in the bores after lots of vibration.
  3. Interference. The first version had an area on the cage that contacted the cable cam in the small cog (depending on adjustments). This is a straightforward fix.
  4. Mounting bolt complexity. We had too many parts in this sub assembly, and it was too complex to assemble. Our goal is to improve mounting bolt play because its basically the "base" of the derailleur structure, and found play in most SRAM and Shimano derailleurs here (even when brand new).

The V2 prototype

Our V2 derailleur addresses all the issues we've learned about through testing, and also takes a step forward in compactness, manufacturability, serviceability, simplification, and steers clear of existing patents. We unveiled it at the MADE Show in August 2024 and received a ton of positive feedback. 

The derailleur has 2 mounting configurations: UDH direct mount, or conventional hangar mount. 

The clutch is fully rebuild-able, and you can adjust the friction level to suit your preferences.

October 2024 Testing Update

We've been testing the V2 derailleurs for a while now. We are pleased with the overall performance of the shifting and clutch,. The clutch is working well too, and is great for rough terrain. We are finding and addressing various small issues through testing, such as set screws coming loose, difficulty cleaning some areas, the cable pulley rubbing, and cam interference in the small cog. We've also simplified the cage design to still allow a bit of flex, but it now has a more conventional cage design with fewer parts. Overall it is simpler, lighter, and more reliable. Stay tuned.

November 2024 Update

The V3 prototype design is done. Through testing, we've addressed a lot of issues and came up with some innovative solutions. The V3 prototype is expected to be the last significant iteration before the production units. Improvements to the clutch, pivots, industrial design, and weight have been significant for the V3 design compared to V2.

The weight is now about 275g, which is competitive with other long cage derailleurs such as XT, X01, and GRX. We have been pushing to use aluminum whenever possible for better strength and recyclable. However, it is clear that using more plastics or composites would further reduce weight.

For this iteration we also moved away from ball bearing pivots to adjustable bushing pivots. The main reasons are weight, corrosion, and easier service. They are much easier to replace, and they are also adjustable as they wear, allowing you to remove the play in the joints over time, keeping your shifting crisp the entire time.

The derailleur parts will be CNC machined and anodized in Shenzhen China. The derailleurs will be assembled in Oregon in the US.

We will be surveying people on which color options we will offer. The options are shown below.

 

To receive updates on our derailleur, subscribe to our emails at the bottom of the page. We will send out updates on the development, release timing, colors, cost, etc.