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Madrone Jab MTB Derailleur is a Serviceable 9-12sp Mechanical Beauty Cheaper Than XX1

Madrone Jab MTB derailleur_universal future-proof serviceable modular 10sp 11sp 12-speed mechanical mountain bike derailleur, v2.5 prototype
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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

Madrone Jab MTB derailleur_universal future-proof serviceable modular 10sp 11sp 12-speed mechanical mountain bike derailleur, v3 pre-production rendering in purple
(Photos & renderings/Madrone)

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…

Madrone Cycles prototype rear derailleur
(Photo/Zach Overholt)

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?

Madrone Jab MTB derailleur, future-proof serviceable 10-12-speed mechanical mountain bike upgrade, open with RIght to Repair

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!

Madrone Jab MTB derailleur_universal future-proof serviceable modular 10sp 11sp 12-speed mechanical mountain bike derailleur, v2 prototype

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…

Madrone Jab MTB derailleur, future-proof serviceable 10-12-speed mechanical mountain bike upgrade, inside the mechanical ratchet clutch

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

Madrone Jab MTB derailleur, future-proof serviceable 10-12-speed mechanical mountain bike upgrade, standard silver
  • 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
Madrone Jab MTB derailleur, future-proof serviceable 10-12-speed mechanical mountain bike upgrade, UDH direct mount detail
  • 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

Madrone Jab MTB derailleur, future-proof serviceable 10-12-speed mechanical mountain bike upgrade, all-black or silver

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.

Madrone Jab MTB derailleur, future-proof serviceable 10-12-speed mechanical mountain bike upgrade, in purple of blue

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.

MadroneCycles.com

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Alan
Alan
12 days ago

I hope that they make a go of it. It’s nice to have alternatives and some fresh thinking in the market. As long as it works at least as well as the major brands it should survive, but if it is just boutique for the sake of being boutique, then it will be a struggle.

carbonfodder
carbonfodder
11 days ago

I really want to love this derailleur. pivots you can tighten down? modular, replaceable parts? A clutch with some give? All in. $300? Ouch. If in fact the replacement parts do become available and are not an arm and a leg, that $300 can actually be very cost effective (Ever smashed an XTR RD? that’s most of your $300 right there). Please, please, please make this happen as advertised / envisioned.

Rick Flair Bars
Rick Flair Bars
11 days ago

I’m so into this. Appeals to the old-schooler in me as well as the low product churn mentality I have now. This would be on the list if & when my current mech dies. $295 is reasonable, I think.

Dinger
Dinger
11 days ago

Neat concept. The modularity and versatility is really appealing, being able to repurpose from one bike platform to another, like an MTB to a gravel bike, for example.

A nit to pick is while the pulley cage looks cool, the space between the chain and the cage between the pulleys looks like it would more easily ingest sticks in mtb use environments. Maybe that’s a minor concern. I feel like I need to stop and remove something from my XT R/D cage every few times I ride, especially in the fall season.

Last edited 11 days ago by Dinger
Booyah
Booyah
11 days ago

Looks great, would love to try it out, but I have to disagree with calling it affordable. I’m not saying that the price isn’t justified, but if you think a $300 derailleur is affordable you need to step out of the bougie side of the cycling industry and get a reality check. I mean, it’s more expensive than an XTR 12 speed, is XTR affordable all of the sudden too?

Jon Lane
Jon Lane
11 days ago
Reply to  Booyah

But it’s serviceable

FritzP
FritzP
11 days ago

Is one of the elements of smooth shifting the geometry of the upper pulley’s location, the angle of the chain engagement with the ramps & gates of the cassette and how the chain angle changes across the gear range due to rotation of the pulley cage? Without pulley cages specific to different brands geometry will there be smooth shifting?

Looks like a really nice piece of kit! Hope you’re successful!

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 days ago
Reply to  FritzP

The chain is always tangential with the cogs. The thing that changes in the distance of the jockey to the teeth, and of lesser concern, the degrees of chain wrap.

HDManitoba
HDManitoba
7 days ago
Reply to  Anonymous

That distance of pulley to cog is critical in shifting performance. So like FritzP said, how well is this going to work when it’s designed to fit everything.

Is it an instance of Jack of all trades, master of none?

I’m guessing that someone who pays $300 for a derailleur is going to want it to shift better than $100 derailleur, repairable or not.

bmwt
bmwt
11 days ago

No one has called it out. Something must be said for this being a mechanical derailleur that’s UDH compatible.
That represents a definite ding in SRAM’s plan to force one on to digital shifting. That is if you think UDH gives some advantage or your frame has no hanger option.
Wishing these guys the best. Like a pathway to tooling up in someway that makes for a slightly lower price option.
A forge of their own?

Ken Neville
Ken Neville
10 days ago
Reply to  bmwt

There are numerous add-on UDH-to-conventional-hanger adapters (here’s a fancy Silca one, but even SRAM themselves make one).

Antoine
Antoine
11 days ago

great product, hopes it work. Hard to compete with XTR 12sp mechanical at around 130$

Andy
Andy
11 days ago

Interesting concept. For those that feel the price is too high, you are correct. To put it into perspective, however, the Paul rear derailleur (one of the few to attempt a small market alternative to Shimano) cost $280 in the 90s at a time when XTR was under $100. I’m intrigued to see if this sticks around.

HDManitoba
HDManitoba
7 days ago
Reply to  Andy

How repairable is one of those Paul derailleurs now? That was one of their claims as well. Couldn’t get parts for them by the year 2000. How long will this company bother losing money trying to sell this and stop making parts.

Kind of changes the “affordable” equation.

Not to mention that if you simply wear it out, you will likely need enough parts to make it work like new that it is no longer reasonable to repair.

Kind of like the debate you have when your car needs new brakes. And shocks. And ball joints. And bushings. And hub bearings. And…

alex
alex
11 days ago

I’d love to see a similar one made for road bikes.

Gerald
Gerald
10 days ago
Reply to  alex

I’d like to see one that works with Campagnolo. I run Chorus 11sp on my road bike and Chorus 12sp on my gravel bike, both mechanical and they work great. It’s just that I would like my next bike to be a bit more bespoke and this derailleur cost several hundred dollars less than an Ingrid. Drop-bar bikes have several options for cranksets and even disk brake calipers (Hope) but this is a somewhat cheaper option for a rear derailleur.

Javier smith
Javier smith
11 days ago

If i could match that to.a sugino crankset and bottom brakcet i would be in heaven

MerlintheBikeWizard
MerlintheBikeWizard
10 days ago

$300 is steep. I’ll stick with used parts or MicroShift.

PHILIP
PHILIP
10 days ago

I just want that clutch for my AXS GX.

Pete
Pete
8 days ago

OK I’ll be the one to ask this…2x compatible?

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