Rebuild Your Derailleur Instead of Trashing it With Madrone Cycles

Bikes and components get abused, used, and oftentimes discarded after they no longer function as new. However, a few small brands have recognized this and offer solutions and support for riders who don’t want to chuck a part into the bin after it has served its purpose. We see rebuild kits and replacement parts offered for scores of components, but for some OEM components, it is hard to find alternatives. This has inspired some tastemakers to rise to the challenge and offer aftermarket support to make these consumable parts reusable.

An increase in demand for aftermarket repair options has seen the rise of a few facilitators over the years. Madrone Cycles made its big debut at the Sea Otter Classic this year with its cages and replacement links for SRAM Eagle components alongside a rear derailleur of its own design that touts compatibility with both SRAM and Shimano shifters. I recently spoke with Aaron Bland about his motivation behind launching his line of replacement parts.

“I noticed a surprising lack of precision when it came to OEM 12s rear derailleurs, as they all demand high tolerances that the machining just doesn't meet, with slack or play often developing early in the life of the bushings. I want to solve these problems and reduce the waste that is generated by throwing away these valuable parts.” Said Aaron Bland of Madrone Cycles, who is running this intriguing operation out of Ashland, Oregon , which is quite a special place for those who love riding world-class trails year-round.

While the majority of riders might not realize that there are options to repair components that are often seen as consumable, there are those of us who tip our hats to these brands and will happily share our hard-earned cash to keep parts out of the landfill, change factory imperfections, or add those small “cherry on top” details to our beloved bikes.

The disruption of the status quo is refreshing, and the emergence of brands like Madrone that aim to keep you riding even after parts break seems to be extremely well-received in the industry, especially with the constant advancements that are likely to sunset some of the more affordable drivetrain components that keep the average rider on the trail. This also shows a growing consciousness of the waste that can be generated by our sport and the impact that the individual can have just by keeping a single component in action for another season.

The offerings from Madrone Cycles give you the ability to replace broken linkages on Sram 12s MTB rear derailleurs or cages as opposed to shelling out for a new rear derailleur. These rebuilds not only replace the original linkages, pulleys, or cages, but they also add durability to the system as they are machined out of more robust materials than you find on the OEM parts. Oh, and they look gorgeous. Have your cake, and eat it too.

In another service to the consumer, Madrone also 3D prints the tools required for the disassembly, and they can be purchased as a package kit or a la carte if you are so inclined to add these to your toolbox.

Solutions don’t end here, either. Madrone also machines the aforementioned replacement pulley wheels out of 6061-T6 aluminum, with a continuous surface area that makes them less prone to cracking and much easier to clean than the stock pulleys. Perhaps you have noticed sloppy shifting, but your linkages and cage are in fine condition.

The solution could be as simple as the “super shims” that, for only $5.99, will remove the play of the mounting bolt that has a tendency to develop play and contribute to sloppy shifting. If you aren't comfortable doing the repair on your own, Madrone offers the aforementioned mail-in service that will get you a refreshed 12s SRAM rear derailleur for a fraction of the cost of a brand-new part, and yes, that includes AXS and mechanical restoration.

“I want to offer an easy and sustainable way for people to keep their parts out of the landfill, and it’s not just for the mechanically minded that love tinkering on their own bikes. I am offering this as a service for those who want to ship me their derailleur for rebuilding, as it takes a lot of the guesswork out of the equation. I also try to offer as many resources as possible in the form of video tutorials on the website for those who would like to do it themselves. This is a small operation, but one with a lot of passion behind it, and I want that to be clear to the customer.” continued Aaron.

The operation over at Madrone is inspiring, to say the least. Aaron Bland has a background in engineering, and it shows with the exceptional attention to detail that has gone into the R&D, execution, and final product. The amount of support offered to those receiving these rebuild kits is rousing. The documents included in each kit are detailed and clear, with further guidance provided via a QR code that links back to an exceptionally detailed video tutorial to ease the process of refurbishing these complex mechanisms.

Understandably, this is a fairly niche segment that not everyone will take advantage of, but the dedication to keeping stuff out of landfills while also improving the product is admirable. I personally think we need to see more of this in the industry and I encourage anyone weighing the options of a new groupset to seriously consider supporting a small brand that is dedicated to supporting you!