This SRAM patent advances a new direct mount mechanical derailleur

The inventiveness of SRAM engineers seems to have no limits. If a few days ago they surprised us with a patent to integrate the front derailleur into the chainrings, now they are putting their ideas into a new mechanical derailleur that would adopt all the technology of their AXS derailleurs with Full Mount design to meet the still high demand for mechanical groupsets among mountain bikers.

SRAM proposes to transfer the technologies of its AXS derailleurs to mechanical models

Once again a patent, and once again from SRAM, allows us to guess where the North American brand is directing its steps. This time, to transfer the technology developed for its Eagle AXS mountain bike groupsets to a mechanical actuation model, a type of derailleurs that still enjoy the preferences of many bikers.

In this way, the derailleur that we can see in the new patent presented by SRAM proposes a derailleur that adopts the direct frame attachment or Full Mount that we can see in their top-of-the-line mountain bike groupsets, and in the Red AXS XPLR for road and gravel.

RECOMENDADO

How much time would a professional cyclist take out on an amateur in a race?

Why short cranks are trending?

The new Pidcock's SCOTT bikes for 2025 in detail: "The Addict RC has impressed me"

Moving a 68t chainring is a matter of mathematics

When do helmets have to be changed? Do they have an expiration date?

The Orbea Oiz 2025 is updated with a new integrated handlebar, dropper post and remote lockout

A derailleur with a modular structure that would allow replacing some of its parts in case of breakage and whose pulley cage, with the off-center pivot point as SRAM has been using for some time, seems practically identical to that of the XX SL Eagle.

The most interesting thing that this patent proposes is to solve one of the headaches for mechanics when trying to achieve perfect operation in these groupsets. In current derailleurs, adjusting the separation between the upper pulley and the cogs is essential for it to function correctly. A task that requires a specific template that is placed between the upper pulley and the large cog while adjusting the so-called B screw to bring the upper pulley closer or further away from the cogs.

Well, in this new derailleur proposed in SRAM's patent, this adjustment would be done more simply. The B screw is eliminated as such and, instead, the method described would involve using an allen key that would lock the derailleur in a kind of adjustment mode. A piece would be placed to adjust the tension to the desired chain tension and, upon removing the allen key, the derailleur would be in its correct adjustment.

The advantage of this system is that it is flexible and, depending on the allen key used to lock the derailleur, one adjustment or another is achieved that will depend on the type of bike. This is done thinking about full suspension bikes in which the derailleur geometry can vary with the suspension action. Undoubtedly, a step forward to make their derailleurs work as they should and make things easier for mechanics.