Back in April, John found Vivo Cycling’s Instagram account, on which the brand displayed a US-assembled CNC rear MTB derailleur. It is big. It is blingy. But it was still affordable-ish ($320), thanks to Vivo’s global supply chain of machined parts. He reached out to get ahold of a prototype of the Enduro derailleur for review and has been riding it for about a month now. Read on for his thoughts on why it took almost thirty years for someone to make another US-assembled CNC derailleur!
My NOS PAUL Powerglide derailleur was bought at Interbike in 1995 from the first batch…
Paul Components Powerglide
Back at Interbike in 1995, Paul Price unveiled his Paul Component Engineering Powerglide derailleur. It was the first* US-made CNC rear mech. The design incorporated 40-ish CNC-milled pieces, all held in tension with tiny circlips. The Achilles was when the derailleur was put under intense shifting load, the circlips would pop off, and the derailleur would explode into pieces. While the Powerglide wasn’t worth pursuing after the first production model, it proved that it could be done: a US-assembled derailleur. Now, the question is, why did it take so many years – 1995 through 2024 – for it to happen again?
The answer is a bit of Occam’s razor: Shimano did a great job with its MTB components. After Suntour closed its cycling division in 1994, Shimano had zero competition in the field until SRAM introduced its ESP rear derailleur in 1995. It took a while for SRAM to compete fully with Shimano, but once that happened, the two brands have dominated the market ever since.
While the Powerglide was by no means the only US-made derailleur to come out in 1995, it created a buzz for the brand that had historically been invested in the singlespeed mountain bike world.
Paul had to say this about the Powerglide:
“It was 40-42 parts per derailleur, including screws, springs, etc. We made about 28 of those.
*I believe we were the first to make a US-made production derailleur. I don’t know if anyone else made one before us. I do know I did a lot of experimenting with handmade cages, trying to get more gear spread out of existing derailleur, and things like that. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one doing that in the late 70’s early 80’s.
Joe’s, Gorilla Billet, and the other guys were doing it at the same time. They had derailleurs at Interbike, but I had one on a bike that pedaled and shifted, and you could see it was working. It was on a bench on a trainer, and you could shift the gears as you pedaled. The response was instant and intense.
I was king of the world for a couple of hours. This led to many bad decisions and so much learning through fuck-ups over the next few years. But that is a whole ‘nother story…”
This bit of cycling ephemera sets up today’s in-depth review of Vivo Cycling’s Enduro derailleur and F3 Shifter.
Apologies for the gunky grease. The derailleur was installed without cleaning the chain. Time to strip and wax this whole drivetrain!
Vivo Cycling Enduro Derailleur Quick Hits
- $320
- Robust and rugged Enduro build
- 12 speed, 10-52 cogs
- Stiff oversized aluminum pulleys, 16T lower
- Full AL 7075 CNC construction
- Two sealed cartridge bearings at each parallelogram pivot
- G5 Titanium Pivots and hardware
- Sealed cartridge bearings in pulleys and cable roller
- Precise positive shifting
- Solid and stable sealed frame mounting bolt
- Fully rebuildable with standard tools
- Parts are machined all over the globe and assembled in the USA
- Each derailleur is hand-built and numbered
Vivo’s opportunity arose within a special moment in cycling, taking advantage of a couple of key factors. The first of which is electronic shifting. As with digital anything, be it cameras, music, or even autos, people will prefer the analog experience. Shimano’s Di2 and SRAM’s AXS have been around long enough for consumers to have an opinion on either side, and there are enough people who just want a solid mechanical shifting derailleur.
Ingrid’s 3D printed and aluminum Derailleur (left), Vivo’s CNC Enduro Derailleur (right)
The second, at least anecdotally speaking over here at The Radavist, is the rise of popularity of the maker mountain bike market. Numerous steel full-suspension bikes have seemingly created a robust new market, along with domestically produced cranks, stems, bars, brakes, and chainrings. It feels like you could conceivably piece together a largely domestic-manufactured bike at this point.
This bricolage assemblage resulted in an evolution of manufacturing that meant someone eventually had to make a derailleur. It is possible, after all. Especially after Ingrid made one in Italy from a mix of metal and 3D-printed components, surely there would and could be a fully CNC’d equivalent?
Vivo Cycling did just that with a 12-speed, long cage (10 – 52 t range) derailleur it calls the “Enduro.” These blingy mechs are hand-assembled in the USA from parts machined all over the globe in batches. More on that below…
This unit is stunning, machined from 7075 aluminum, with eight bearings pressed into the pivots, plus bearings on the pulley wheels, and a pronounced spring that provides tension. There’s even clutch adjustment. It’s all held together by titanium hardware and is completely rebuildable.
The Vivo Enduro looks great on my Black Cat Swami rigid 29er…
All this for a 320 gram unit that’s just as good – if not a bit smoother feeling once the chain wears in the aluminum pulleys – as the bigger brands. The first few rides were a bit noisy since the pulley wheels are aluminum and the chain had been previously used, but that went away rather quickly.
Overall, nothing is compromised regarding the riding experience with the Vivo Enduro or Shimano XT in terms of shifting quality. It is superb. Thanks in part to its very own shifter.
The Enduro is shifted by Vivo’s own shifter, which is highly customizable with a variety of 3D-printed parts offered.
Vivo Cycling F3 Shifter Quick Hits
- $255
- Interchangeable 3D printed paddles, housing, cable barrel, and optional clamp band
- Precise positive shifting
- Clear audible shift clicks
- G5 Titanium hardware
- Push and Pull release lever
- Weighs 118-123 grams
- CNC 6062 & 7075 Aluminum construction
- Choose paddle fit by TRR (Thumb Reach Rating)
- Class reinforced MEGA GRIP paddle textures
- Each shifter hand built and numbered
- Double cartridge bearings
- Over 30,000 possible custom combinations
Vivo Cycling F3 Shifter Use
Designing a 12-speed, 10 – 52 tooth capable derailleur might seem like a small feat compared to the Vivo Cycling Shifter. The shifter is ultra-customizable, allowing you to select various paddle shapes with 3D printed grips, all swapped out via a torx bolt. You can even select the cable tension barrel adjuster from a few options.
Vivo allows you to specify the exact distance between the shifter paddles and your thumb, based on what it calls Thumb Reach Rating. The higher the number, the more the lever is moved or curved closer to your thumb. Vivo’s website walks you through the combinations.
The Vivo Shifter is specifically designed to work with the Vivo Enduro derailleur but it does work with SRAM and Shimano mechs as well. However, you cannot use a Shimano shifter with the Enduro derailleur, only SRAM or Vivo’s F3 shifter.
I’d put the Vivo Enduro derailleur in the same class as the Shimano Deore XT 12-speed ($118.99) or SRAM XO-1 12-speed ($214). It gets the job done with finesse and smooth, crisp shifts. When the cables do stretch, adjustment is easy. The Vivo F3 shifter ($255) is a premium addition to this drivetrain kit. While it is over three times as expensive as a Shimano or SRAM counterpart, its customization of Thumb Reach, build quality, and repairability might merit that cost to some.
Size
While it is smaller by comparison to the behemoth SRAM T-Type mechs developed for e-MTB drivetrains, the Vivo Enduro is slightly smaller than a traditional SRAM Eagle 12-speed mech, mostly due to the lower pulley wheel size. Yet, on the right bike, it blends in. On a 29er with a 2.4″ tire, it doesn’t look overly big and still sits relatively close to the bike’s chainstay.
Pricing and Availability
The Enduro derailleur is $320 and will be shipping in early February, 2025. You can get on the pre-order list by hitting up Vivo via its contact form. The Vivo F3 Shifter is $255 and shipping today. You can customize yours to spec on VivoCycling.com
The Vivo Cycling Enduro derailleur has some pros and cons:
Pros
- Finally, a 12-speed silver CNC derailleur
- All metal design
- Rebuildable with standard tools
- Robust construction
- Shifts as well under load as Shimano XT
- Oversized aluminum pulleys
- Works with SRAM shifters
- When paired with Vivo F3 shifter it feels like a cohesive unit
- Assembled in the USA from global parts
Cons
- More expensive than other big-brand derailleurs
- Not in stock yet *February 2025
- Does not work with Shimano shifters
Who is Vivo?
Now that the derailleur review is over, we wanted to offer a brief Q&A with Vivo Cycling John Calendrille. John has been a design engineer within the bike industry for decades and has worked on various drivetrain patents. He’s written two books on the subject, ‘Shifting Gears Book Part 1 & 2‘. When he began to design his own derailleur and shifter, he wanted to bring that knowledge to the plate and develop something unique.
Read on for some Q&A!
Are you making these CNC parts in the USA? If so, where? If not, where?
“Every shifter and derailleur is hand-assembled here in the US. For parts, we have partner CNC and 3D print shops that we work with in Minnesota, Shenzhen, Illinois, Baoji, New York, and Las Vegas. All loose individual parts come to us for inspection, assembly, testing and packing.”
How many CNC components make up the Enduro derailleur?
“Aside from O-rings and bearings, every part is CNC’d, making for 19 pieces. If you want to count the custom titanium pieces, add in another 9.”
Why now? What was the main motivation for the Enduro?
“Because it was time to make them exactly the way I wanted. I have been designing parts for a long time but now I can have fun and create what I want without any limitations.”
What is a detail you are most proud of?
“As an obsessed designer, I am never content with what I have created; I am constantly chasing the next great concept…I am working on new stuff right now.”
Who do you see buying this?
“These products are for someone who wants something different; they are made in small batches / limited quantities. I am not making thousands of pieces like the other guys do. These are for someone who likes products made with an artisan approach. Products which incorporate a personal passion, from the maker, and a commitment to quality materials and construction .”
Thanks, John!
If you’d like to pre-order the Vivo Cycling Enduro derailleur, roll over to Vivo Cycling and contact John to get on the pre-order list.
