Rear Derailleurs
Something often overlooked in bike maintenance are the rear derailleurs. In fact, some of you might not know what these are. In short, the rear derailleurs are the mechanisms that move the chain at the back end of the sprockets. There are a wide variety of different models but most of them have the same basic design and way of functioning.
It's important to note that the front and rear derailleurs have different purposes, and should not be mixed up. While the rear has a more specific job to hold and carefully guide the chain, the front is not so important. Essentially, the front derailleur uses two plates to push the chain sideways.
At Bikester, we have a number of different bike rear derailleurs to make sure that you can get the one to match what you need.
Changing rear derailleurs
You might not think that a rear derailleur will need replacing but, actually, this happens on a regular basis. It does wear relatively quickly especially after prolonged use. When it starts to wear, it will begin to move at the pivot points. This means that it won't be keeping your bike chain in place in the way it should. Subsequently, this will begin to affect the performance of your bike.
Riding rough
If you plan to ride on a rough road, then you need to have a rear derailleur that can withstand a lot of abuse.
Shimano rear derailleurs are designed for just that purpose. The GRX has been designed with gravel riding in mind. For example, it has adjustable chain stabilisation, which prevents the chain from jumping out of the chain line, something that is more likely to happen over rougher terrain. Additionally, there's an option to turn an adapter on in order to adapt to the terrain at hand. The rear derailleur also has shifting tension that’s smooth and reliable even when on rough ground. It's also compatible with a wide range of different road bikes.
More gears
Sram is another top brand available at Bikester. The Sram rear derailleurs have been carefully designed to do one job, and do it well. The AXS rear derailleur from Sram is very smart and can actually protect itself due to the robust overload clutch. It also has 12 gears so that you can change up and down easily no matter the terrain or type of biking you are doing. It's also super easy to install thanks to the Cage lock technology.
Extras for your chains
It's all well and good to have an excellent rear derailleur, but you will need some other gear accessories too. Protecting your chain is an important thing as well, so with that in mind, we have a range of chain guards available. These can help to prevent your chain from jumping out, but also stops debris from clogging it up or damaging the rear derailleurs while you're on rougher or muddier rides.
Check out all the options we have at Bikester to get your bike running smoothly.