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UK-based company Ratio began making conversion kits that paired drop-bar levers with mountain bike derailleurs, and last year it finally released its own derailleur, simply called Mech. John’s been riding the Mech (£287.50) for a few months and is ready to talk about it…
The award-winning Madrone Jab ($327) derailleur is now available in a wide spectrum of custom anodizing colors. Madrone’s small team has been hard at work delivering some fun and funky colored derailleurs, which can be built to suit any modern drivetrain, flat or drop bar. These derailleurs are completely rebuildable when they wear out, too. You can read all about the Jab in John’s verbose review, but just know, we don’t hand out product awards to just any brand or component! Roll on over to see the full display of colors at Madrone.
Vivo has been busy since releasing its award-winning Enduro derailleur in 2024 and has just announced two new products that are visually and physically lighter: the Air Derailleur ($450) and Linear Stealth Shifter ($290)…
Our Derailleur of the Year award went to the Madrone Cycles Jab Derailleur, heralded for its multi-dimensional/cross drivetrain compatible chassis and rebuildable parts. The team at Madrone just announced the Jab’s first major update. Let’s unpack it below…
After two years of riding the Ingrid RD1 MK3 on his Black Cat Swami, John contextualizes this rear mech’s importance in the recent rebuildable derailleur arms race…
UK brand Ratio Technology first teased its new derailleur aboard a Tumbleweed at the 2025 Made Bike Show and today, the brand unveiled the made in the UK Mech to the worldwide masses. Let’s check it out…
We’ll spare you a lengthy press release post about these. If you’re a fan of Rivendell like we are, then you know the OM-1, or the brand’s in-house designed derailleur, has been in development for some time. Rivendell just announced that they are in stock. We bought one, and if you’re intrigued, you ought to as well. They won’t last long! Roll on over to Riv to check them out.
Madrone Cycles has been on our radar since we first spotted the brand’s rebuild kits for SRAM derailleurs, which Spencer reviewed. Then Madrone announced the Jab derailleur ($298), a US-assembled mech with a lot of cross compatibility. John’s been putting some high-torque miles on his for over a month now and has penned some thoughts on what makes the Jab a huge shift in the right direction…
The US-assembled Vivo Enduro Derailleur and F3 shifter just underwent a round of updates. Read on for what’s changed…
If you bought a bike with the new rebuildable SRAM cable-actuated 70 or 90 Transmission kit and would like to exchange cables for wireless, SRAM just made that possible with the new GX Eagle AXS Transmission Upgrade Kit…
At Bespoked UK, manufacturer Garbaruk unveiled a bit of its normally secretive R&D: an electronic rear derailleur and shifter. John took some stunning photos of this equally as flash kit while attending the framebuilder showcase, so let’s check them out below…
A newly updated and expanded edition of The Dérailleur Project Book is now available for preorder!
Robert D. Jones will be accepting preorders of the Dérailleur Project Book Expanded Edition ($80) until Sunday, April 20, 2025 at midnight. The Dérailleur Project Book is a fine art photography book of bicycle rear dérailleurs. The book features 51 rear dérailleurs from 12 different manufacturers. Every book that’s preordered will be signed and will include a 4” x 4” glossy print of the Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary model that’s featured on the cover of the book.
“This book was inspired by love and fascination for bicycles and their simple yet complicated design. My goal was to create a book to the absolute best of my abilities as a photographer and artist at this point in my journey. It truly represents my dedication and commitment to my craft with no compromises and illustrates my passion for studio photography, cycling and bicycles! I created it and put it out into the world with the hope that people will truly enjoy the book and recognize that it was a genuine labor of love.” – Robert D. Jones
Check out more and pre-order a copy today at The Dérailleur Project.
Madrone Cycles has been working on its Jab derailleur ($295) for years and after debuting it at 2024 MADE, has finally opened it for pre-order…
“Why would anyone make custom derailleurs when modern electronic shifting works extremely well? It’s a bit like driving a car with manual transmission even though the latest automatics are very sophisticated. It’s about being involved in the operation of my bike, rather than just pushing a button. There’s a joy in feeling the gears engage perfectly because I – and not a computer – timed the shift perfectly.”
Head on over to the René Herse blog to read all about Jan’s PBP bike and for some tech insight into rear derailleurs!
You might be thinking, “does the world need another 12-speed MTB shifting system?” To which TRP answers, “for $329.99 retail it does!” The G-SPEC TR12 12-speed shifter and derailleur offer up some new technology including Hall Lock, named after Aaron Gwin’s mechanic, John Hall. The Hall Lock is a lever integrated into the derailleur mount, which locks the movement of the B-knuckle around the mounting bolt when closed. The Hall Lock can be opened to easily remove the rear wheel. When closed, it provides additional stability and less noise to the shifting performance. The TR12 shifter utilizes sequential shifting, which utilizes a linear shifting path, making it easier to shift on the fly. Here’s the TR12’s full cassette compatibility chart.
Check out more information at TRP.
Finally… Easton EA90 Aluminum Cranks – Morgan Taylor
Photos and words by Morgan Taylor
Finally. The day we’ve all been hoping and/or waiting for. You can now buy aluminum cranks from Easton.
This was one of the big pieces of feedback that came from my review of Easton’s super-compact double rings on my EC90 SL cranks last year: people loved the idea of the 46/30 ring combo, the adaptability of the Cinch system, and the option to add a spindle-based power meter – but the price of the carbon crank arms was somewhat prohibitive.
So here’s the deal. EA90 crank arms will run you a cool $120 USD, in comparison to $400 for the EC90 SL arms. You still have to buy a bottom bracket for $50 and choose a chainring setup ($80 for a single ring or $150 for a double). But the bottom line is, you can get into a complete EA90 crank for about half the price of the EC90 SL. Cool.
… and how they changed cycling is an article at the Guardian I highly suggest you read!
Jan from Compass and Bicycle Quarterly takes us on a look through the “Derailleurs of the World – Huret” book, with some incredible insight. If you like to nerd out on vintage bikes and components, head to the Bicycle Quarterly blog for more.
