Boulder, Colorado-based photographer Robert D. Jones brings a selection of studio photographs and excerpts from his book, The Dérailleur Project. No matter whether you prefer friction or indexed shifting, high-normal or RapidRise, mechanical or electronic, the derailleur is one of the most captivatingly complex components on geared bicycles. Here’s a brief overview of shifting’s greatest hits from the mid-1960s to the mid-2010s.
Dé•rail•leur: noun
A bicycle mechanism that moves the chain allowing it to shift to different gears. The heart of a modern bicycle is the rear dérailleur, also known as the rear mech, and my favorite, the gearbox! The Dérailleur Project was inspired by my love and fascination for bicycles and their simple yet complicated design. The book is presented chronologically and in order of significance.
01 HURET SVELTO
The Svelto was first introduced in 1963. This is a later production, first-generation model that features all-steel construction and toothed pulley wheels.
02 CAMPAGNOLO NUOVO RECORD
The Campagnolo Nuovo Record was first introduced in 1967 in Campy catalog No. 15. This is a second-generation model with an ’82 patent stamp. It’s one of the first dérailleurs to be constructed largely of aluminum.
03 CAMPAGNOLO VALENTINO EXTRA
The Campagnolo Valentino Extra was introduced in 1968 at the Paris Trade Show as a mass-produced and low-cost option. It’s named after Tullio Campagnolo’s son and is constructed of unadorned, stamped steel.
04 ZEUS CRITERIUM
The Zeus Criterium was introduced in 1969 by Zeus Industriale SA and was produced in the Basque region of Spain. This is a first-generation model and is an all-steel copy of the Campagnolo Nuovo Record.
05 CAMPAGNOLO SUPER RECORD
The Super Record was first introduced in 1974. This is a 1978 version of the premier racing derailleur of its time. It featured a revised pulley cage design that allowed the parallelogram to swing farther.
06 CAMPAGNOLO RALLY
The Rally was first introduced in 1975. This is a second-generation model with the reinforced hanger neck that was introduced in 1982. It’s considered to be one of the best long-cage derailleurs of its time.
07 SUNTOUR CYCLONE
The Suntour Cyclone was introduced in 1976. Suntour invented the slant parallelogram in 1964 and this is an updated version of the Gran Prix. This is a first-generation model and it was one of the lightest and best-shifting dérailleurs of its era.
08 MAVIC 851 SSC
The Mavic 851 SSC was part of the Special Service de Course Group and is the professional version of the 801 which was introduced in 1979. It’s completely rebuildable and is held together with pins and circlips.
09 OFMEGA MISTRAL
The Ofmega Mistral was introduced in 1982 by Ofmega SpA of Italy and is constructed of plastic with an aluminum inner cage plate. It was also available in black, blue, yellow, and pink.
010 RINO CRONO
The Rino Crono was introduced in 1982 and was a mix of Suntour’s Vx, Superbe, and Cyclone derailleur technology. It was very light and was one of the best-shifting European derailleurs at the time.
011 SUNTOUR SUPERBE TECH
The Superbe Tech was introduced in 1983 and was the most technologically advanced and over-engineered derailleur at the time. It features an enclosed and geared parallelogram and a non-replaceable top pulley wheel.
012 CAMPAGNOLO SUPER RECORD 50TH ANNIVERSARY
The Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary model was introduced in 1983 to commemorate Campy’s 50th year in business. It’s also the year that founder Tullio Campagnolo died. This dérailleur is from group No. 7088 of approximately 15,000 that were produced.
013 CAMPAGNOLO C-RECORD
The Campagnolo C-Record was introduced in 1984 and was their first new derailleur following the death of Tullio Campagnolo. This is a second-generation model with an open lower pulley wheel. It was a big departure from Campy’s previous designs in terms of aesthetics but not mechanical design.
014 SHIMANO DURA ACE 7400
The Shimano Dura Ace 7400 was introduced in 1985. This is a first-generation model featuring 6-speed Shimano Index Shifting, or SIS. It was one of the best-shifting dérailleurs of its era and forced all of the other manufacturers to adopt index shifting.
015 CAMPAGNOLO CROCE D’AUNE
The Croce d’Aune was introduced in 1988. It’s named after the pass where Tullio Campagnolo was inspired to create the first quick-release hub axle. It features a rod-actuated “twin-axle” shifting system.
016 SUNTOUR SUPERBE PRO
The Suntour Superbe Pro was introduced in 1986 and this is a later seven-speed version with the gold stripe on the body. It was excellently engineered, elegantly styled, and features sealed-bearing pulley wheels and a titanium cable adjuster.
017 SUNTOUR XC PRO
The XC Pro was introduced in 1990 and was designed to compete with Shimano XT. This is a long cage version that was made in July of 1992. It was beautifully constructed and engineered but lost out to Shimano’s superior marketing budget.
018 CAMPAGNOLO RECORD OR
The Campagnolo Record OR was introduced in 1992 and was Campy’s high-end mountain bike group until 1994 when they ceased production of mountain bike parts. This is a medium-cage version designed for 8-speed index shifting.
019 SHIMANO XTR M910
Shimano introduced XTR in 1992 as a high-performance racing group. It was so durable and precise that it quickly eliminated many of the high-end boutique manufacturers. This is a second-generation model that was introduced in 1995.
020 PAUL POWERGLIDE
Paul Component Engineering’s Powerglide was introduced in 1995 at the height of the US-made, CNC machined, mountain bike parts era. It was available in a variety of colors and featured aluminum and titanium hardware.
021 SHIMANO XTR M950
The XTR M950 is a 3rd generation model of Shimano’s high-end, off-road racing group. It was introduced in 1996 and was superior in both performance and engineering.
022 SHIMANO DURA-ACE 7700
This Dura-Ace 7700 is a first-generation model that was introduced in 1996 and is 9-speed compatible. It was the premier, high-end racing derailleur of its time.
023 SRAM XO 20TH ANNIVERSARY
This XO model was introduced in 2007 to celebrate SRAM’s 20th Anniversary. It features an engraved hanger bolt, a titanium spring, a CNC-machined carbon fiber cage plate, and sealed-bearing pulley wheels.
024 CAMPAGNOLO SUPER RECORD 80TH ANNIVERSARY
This Super Record model was introduced in 2013 to celebrate Campagnolo’s 80th Anniversary. The group features a matte black, carbon fiber finish with 80th Anniversary logos on all of the components. This one is from group number 1647 of 2013 that were produced.
And if these photos tickle your fancy, don’t forget to order a copy of Robert D. Jones’s book, The Dérailleur Project! The first print run sold out, but RDJ is printing the revised edition by early February 2025. The new version of the book is going to feature 51 derailleurs from 12 different manufacturers, printed in full color on 116 pages.
Jones is also selling fine art prints of all the derailleurs and they can be ordered here.
No matter how they say it, everyone has a favorite derailleur – drop yours in the comments.