Life expectancy of a rear derailleur

[Llewellyn]

I know this is a bit of a "how long is a piece of string question" but in your collective experiences, how long would you expect a good quality, well-maintained rear derailleur to last.

Are we talking about a piece of gear that can potentially last donkeys years and thousands and thousands of km, or do they give up the ghost at some point (obviously I would expect the jockey wheels need replacing every so often, I'm taling about the rest of it).

 

[simo1733]

I know this is a bit of a "how long is a piece of string question" but in your collective experiences, how long would you expect a good quality, well-maintained rear derailleur to last.

Are we talking about a piece of gear that can potentially last donkeys years and thousands and thousands of km, or do they give up the ghost at some point (obviously I would expect the jockey wheels need replacing every so often, I'm taling about the rest of it).

I have a Campag record rear derailleur which is 12 years old and still going strong.I have only ever changed the jockey wheels.

 

[ElChingon]

For me its infinity! Or till 12 speed

 

[fatsprintking]

I am riding an old shimano 600 that I would be at least 15 years old - still working fine. My race bike still have a dura ace from 2001 which is great.

 

[Benotti69]

my mountain bike which is 20years old still with original deore DX derailleurs

 

[LongSprint]

I am riding an old shimano 600 that I would be at least 15 years old - still working fine. My race bike still have a dura ace from 2001 which is great.

I was riding Shimano 600 in the early/mid 80's so it's more like 25-30 years old!

All depends on how much use.

 

[oronet commander]

Make sure it's without tension when the bike is not in use and will last forever.

 

[frenchfry]

The Campy Athena is 13 years old and no problems. Every few years I take the jockey wheels apart and clean and oil them.

Just got a new Canyon with Campy Record. For some reason the jockey wheels aren't properly aligned and the top one even looks off center, meaning difficulty in adjusting and some unwanted noise. Problem with buying online is that there is no one to take the bike back to. I personally think 11 speed is one speed too many, but what do I know.

 

[pedaling squares]

my mountain bike which is 20years old still with original deore DX derailleurs

I loved DX RD, one is still going strong on a mtn bike I bought in '93 and gave to my brother in '05.

 

[dsut4392]

my mountain bike which is 20years old still with original deore DX derailleurs

I was riding the same until two years ago when somehow it sheared straight through at the b-knuckle, what I would have thought was the strongest part. Jumped off the kerb (was in the middle of the 7-speed cassette) and next thing I knew the derailleur was in the spokes:-(

In road use I would expect a rear derailleur to last almost indefinitely barring crash damage. MTB derailleurs do tend to get a bit floppy (mostly at the cage, but also the parallelogram links) after a few years and shifting becomes less crisp.

 

[ustabe]

I broke a Campagnolo Super Record rear derailleur that I'd been using for about thirty years. The flange that held the cable pinch bolt broke off.

 

[hiero2]

. . . In road use I would expect a rear derailleur to last almost indefinitely barring crash damage. MTB derailleurs do tend to get a bit floppy (mostly at the cage, but also the parallelogram links) after a few years and shifting becomes less crisp.

I have actually built up bikes from old parts and pushed the parts to failure, just to see how long they would go. Rear derailleurs are probably one of the most indestructible of parts. Unless they are crashed. Low-end and mid-range dérailleurs sometimes do fail. Simplex made some plastic body models in the 70's that did wear out. On the other hand, I have a Crane in my collection of old parts, from the same era, that would probably still work. Springs get weak eventually, posts and bearing points do eventually see wear. Accidents are by far the most frequent way of destruction for derailleurs.