In my inbox this morning… Madrone, Ingrid, and now Ratio, giving you some choice with your drive trains. (And Growtac I guess, via the shifter rather than the dangler)
The Mech is the culmination of everything we’ve learned in the five years we’ve been designing and manufacturing our own drivetrain components. We mill and turn the metal components and jockey wheels here in the Lake District, while the additive manufactured nylon components are produced further south in Kent.
Through the development of our shifter-modifying Upgrade Kits, combined with the notoriously challenging riding conditions in the Lakes, we developed a long list of design requirements for our own mechanical derailleur. The performance should rival electronic systems. The geometry should be optimised for modern 1x cassettes, rather than simply bolting-on modifications each year. The rotating components should run on stainless bearings to reduce friction and resist shifting degradation. The cable routing should fit every bike, without irritating loops or tight bends. Tired of bending or breaking flimsy hangers, there should be an option for direct coaxial mounting with the dropout. Most importantly, the design should be modular, fully serviceable and compatible with as many different setups as possible.
The finished Mech is available in Hanger and Direct Mount configurations, 46t and 52t cage lengths and with an initial range of seven different cable fins for common 12 and 13 speed drivetrains (with more 11, 12 and 13 speed options to follow). The Direct Mount is compatible with SRAM UDH-compatible dropouts and any cassette - we recommend this option if possible, as the stiffness increase is measurable versus the SRAM UDH hanger. The entire Mech can be stripped down and rebuilt using a multitool, including removal of the clutch, changing the cage or the mounting configuration, or replacing the links. In particular, the clutch and spring assembly is fully self-contained; the cage can be replaced with a single T25 screw, with no complicated winding/unwinding of the cage spring.
The Mech also features our Cage Stop design for efficient wheel removal: Shift into the smallest sprocket and pull the cage forward to lock, then pull the cage forwards and push the derailleur inboard to unlock. Set up is made simple with instructional markings on the Mech itself. The outer limit screw controls the outboard movement, while the inner screw controls inboard. The cable adjuster includes a simple diagram showing indexing directions, while the front and back of the cage feature B gap markings which correspond to a lookup table on our website for each possible drivetrain setup.
Product details:
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Links, bolts, cage plates and mounting arms machined in the Lakes from 7075 aluminium
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Jockey wheels and end caps machined in the Lakes from acetal thermoplastic
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Links and jockey wheels run on stainless Enduro bearings
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Brass, steel and stainless wrap-spring serviceable clutch, machined in the Lakes
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Additive manufactured nylon knuckles made in the UK
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Initial batch in black anodised finish with silver options to follow
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Spare and replacement parts available on the Ratio website
Pricing from:
£345 GBP inc VAT / $377 USD / €328 EUR / $581 AUD
