Ashland, Oregon’s Madrone Cycles has finally done it with the Jab – a premium but still affordable & futureproof mechanical mountain bike derailleur to make you rethink your drivetrain. Developed out of a ‘right to repair’ mindset, Madrone designed the Jab to adapt to most major drivetrains – anything from 9-12-speeds – while being both more durable and easily rebuilt.
And now you can pre-order one for just 10 bucks down, to be ready to ride in the spring!
Madrone Jab futureproof 9-12-speed mountain bike derailleur
The Madrone Jab derailleur ticks a lot of boxes as the perfect replacement or upgrade for your mechanical mountain bike or adventure gravel bike. Or maybe even the road? This is one mechanical derailleur that can do it all, thanks to modular and fully serviceable construction, an adjustable clutch, and the ability to fit different cams to adjust it to work with tons of shifter and cassette combinations.
Plus, for such a great-looking CNC-machined derailleur, it’s surprisingly almost 10% cheaper than mechanical SRAM XX1 and still more than 25% cheaper than their cheapest wireless GX AXS Transmission derailleur. All the while the Madrone Jab is more adaptable, versatile, adjustable, and more serviceable, while also being as light as the latest modern mechanical off-road derailleurs available.
Just to catch you up…
In case you missed it, we’ve been following the universal & serviceable Madrone derailleur prototype project since Sea Otter last spring. And we caught up with Madrone creator Aaron Bland at the MADE show at the end of the summer to walks us through all the important bits.
Watch that video for the full breakdown. But the important bits are this:
The Madrone Jab is likely the most serviceable, rebuildable, and compatible mechanical mountain bike derailleur you are going to find anywhere. Plus, it’s not that expensive, and you can reserve one now.
What’s unique about modular construction?
The ‘right to repair’ concept is key. That means every part is user-replaceable. So, if you bend or break something in a crash – you can just fix it yourself without having to buy a whole new derailleur. And moving parts do eventually wear out, so get a rebuild kit and freshen up your Jab without junking what just needs a little love.
Design-wise, the modular concept also means it can work with any shifter and cassette combination, just with a simple swap of its shift cam. Madrone currently has solutions for both Shimano and SRAM 11 & 12-speed setups, but more unique combos are in the works too.
Modular also means universal fit. You can pick mounting for a convention derailleur hanger or a direct mount style that adds an additional stiffening bracket for UDH-style mounting.
Unique cage & clutch, too!
The Madrone Jab derailleur features a uniquely flexible cage that they claim has several benefits. The Flex Cage allows the lower pully to move side to side for smoother tracking of the chain and to damp some chain vibration. Combined with a rigid upper pulley for precise shift actuation, Madrone says it even helps “smooths out initial suspension movement”.
A smooth transition into their special clutch design…
The Jab also has an adjustable tension clutch with its own little secrets – partly developed to get around Shimano & SRAM clutch patents. The Madrone Jab ratchet clutch has ‘designed-in’ lag that keeps the chain from being constantly pulled so strongly that it is difficult to start moving. That means that when you shift up the chain is only resisting the normal cage return spring tension, not the extra clutch tension force which is there to prevent chain drops. That also means that initial suspension movements don’t have to fight against the clutch as chain length grows as the suspension compresses (as you feel on your bike as pedal kickback). That should allow for smoother suspension movement over small bumps.
Madrone just assures us that it was a fine line of building-in just the right amount of lag before the clutch engages to get these benefits, while still delivering plenty of chain retention.
Tech details
- fully serviceable and rebuildable CNC-machined aluminum mountain bike derailleur
- maintain it with standard tools, using online technical how-to video manuals from Madrone
- 9, 10, 11, or 12-speed drivetrain compatibility with swappable shift cams
- compatible with most mechanical shifters and their matching cassette spacing
- MTB Shimano & SRAM 11 & 12-speed cams, already made
- Dropbar Shimano 11 & 12-speed and SRAM 11-speed cams, already made
- many more options & drivetrain combination cam solutions, in development
- adjustable tension mechanical ratchet clutch
- Flex Cage to allow for flexible lower pulley alignment & vibration damping
- adjustable bushing pivots, can be tightened as they wear
- standard derailleur hanger OR direct mount UDH mounting available
- silver & black colors are standard, then plus seasonal limited edition anodized colors options, too
- 280g claimed weight, long cage
Madrone Jab derailleur – Pre-order, pricing estimate, options & availability
The Madrone Jab derailleur is set to retail for ~$295. And you will be able to pick one up in all-black, mostly silver, or with some purple or blue anodized highlights. You also will choose which cam you will need for 11/12-speed mountain bike of drop bar setups, what style of mounting you need, and whether the standard long MTB cage or medium or short cages.
OK, so the Madrone Jab derailleur isn’t quite ready just yet.
But they are ready to take low-cost pre-orders to gauge interest as they ramp up production – which will be in limited numbers. That means, send them just $10 now and you will lock in one of the first Madrone Jab derailleurs to come off of the assembly line in March or April 2025. Plus, “Pre-orders will also receive a discount when the final payment is due” so you’ll save some cash by dropping a little bit now.
That’s it send them ten bucks now and worry about the details later.
