Sometimes it takes an outside eye to put two and two together. Recently, SRAM introduced a universal derailleur hanger concept at Eurobike that has a lot of potential benefits. A single hanger across brands would mean replacements would be far easier to find, and the hanger design itself has a lot of cool features that improve on the standard design. But as a reader just pointed out, it may also have implications for the design of the derailleur itself.
Back in 2018, we covered a patent from SRAM that involves a coaxial installation for a rear derailleur. To put it simply, the design mounts directly around the axle without a derailleur hanger. The patent discusses the differences in tolerances between existing hanger designs and also notes the increased forces on the derailleur hanger from longer derailleurs needed for today’s huge cassettes. The direct mount derailleur would theoretically improve these tolerances and offer a stiffer, more precise shifting platform which could be necessary for future drivetrains (more speeds?).
