Now not too way back I lauded the 10-speed friction transferring on my newly-finished Milwaukee:

Smartly, I shouldn’t must inform you that the Nice Lob On Top does no longer let such hubris stand, and of past due I’ve begun to enjoy some ghost-shifting when hiking. Whilst possibly that is some basic factor with the usage of friction and 10-speed shifters in combination, I believe it can be the derailleur, for once I grasp it and transfer it aspect to aspect it’s all wiggly, like a free enamel:

Not one of the different derailleurs I’ve in provider show off just about this a lot play (or actually any in any respect), and having subjected this drivetrain to foul stipulations that experience already wiped out the entrance chainrings and former set of pulleys, it could no longer wonder me if, like its proprietor, its merely wiped out and drained and able to be consigned to the portions bin. Once more, it might be another downside, however given all that slop it’s no longer laborious to consider it shifting sufficient to auto-shift once I’m hiking, my diminutive energy output however:

[I measure my power output in DFUs.]

Whilst I will indubitably scavenge some other derailleur from my huge holdings and on the very least take a look at whether or not or no longer that is certainly the issue, it’s nonetheless tempting to buy groceries. The derailleur plays a a very powerful serve as on a bicycle, and but it’s additionally roughly like your motorcycle’s earring, as it simply form of dangles there and is thus a chance to make a way observation. I by no means actually totally favored the way by which the derailleur acts upon the psyche of the motorcycle dork till I learn this through Grant Petersen, by which he issues out that folks will pass judgement on a whole bicycle through its rear derailleur, and but there’s actually little or no purposeful distinction between an affordable one and a pricey one. You’ll be able to pay like $20 for an Altus:

Or like $400 for a Campagnolo Tremendous Report:

Sure, clearly with listed programs they’re best going to be suitable with sure shifters, however in case you bolt them to a motorcycle with friction shifters in all probability you’d by no means know the variation. Now not best that, however due to the entire Campagnolo Aesthetic Inversion factor that came about across the time they went to 11-speed, the Tremendous Report derailleur may be a number of occasions uglier than the standard Altus, which regardless of its weirdly embiggened pulley has a undeniable understated class.

Certainly, Grant’s article impressed me to shop for an Altus myself–and but I’m this type of sufferer of the very phenomenon he describes that to this point I’ve no longer been in a position to are living with it for extraordinarily lengthy, both at the Eye of the Tiger Motorcycle:

Or at the Faggin:

I imply it roughly hit the spokes at the Faggin in low tools, and I’d most definitely nonetheless be the usage of it at the Eye of the Tiger Motorcycle if Paul from Vintage Cycle hasn’t despatched me a snazzy XTR derailleur, however the reality is that he did, and I put it on there quicker than you’ll say “RapidRise.”

So let’s put aside capability for the instant and lean into the speculation because the derailleur as model accent. Only for the sake of these days’s put up, let’s take a ruin from sifting throughout the portions bin and as a substitute browse aisles at Bergdorf Goodman. What’s occurring in the market within the realm of the derailleur-as-status image?

Smartly, having spent a while with the Campagnolo C-Report derailleur I can admit it’s possibly probably the most beguiling parts I’ve ever used (along with being impressively overbuilt), and right here’s one that may be yours for only $800:

I had one operating simply tremendous on a 9-speed motorcycle (didn’t even hit the spokes), and I wouldn’t be in any respect shocked if it will take care of 10-speed too. Nonetheless, that’s about up to a Tremendous Report digital unit:

Despite the fact that an digital derailleur is ready as interesting to the mechanical derailleur fanatic as an NFT is to an artwork collector.

Regardless, whether or not you’re looking for new or antique, prime finish or low finish, Campagnolo pricing follows its personal good judgment–or, extra appropriately, the good judgment of Campagnolo fans, who’re about as logical as oenophiles on giggling gasoline. Additionally, oddly, Campagnolo Report 10-speed derailleurs are nonetheless to be had new from quite a few on-line outlets, although they’re fairly pricey:

In reality they’re costlier than present Tremendous Report mechanical derailleurs:

This is not sensible, except you pass judgement on them solely through their look, by which case it utterly is smart.

After all, in case you’re browsing to provoke the handlebar bag set, you’ll get extra indie cred out of one thing like this:

It’s nowhere close to as beautiful as Campagnolo and it’s in reality made through Simplex, however you will get some Gen Z-er who has a mustache and rides a Crust to confess he had no concept Mavic used to do derailleurs.

Anyway, when anyone desires $250 for a boring-looking derailleur like that simply because it’s French and used to be well-liked within the 80s like Gérard Depardieu, it could possibly make spending $160 on one thing like this appear to be an absolute cut price:

It’s possible you’ll acknowledge the Huret Jubilee from David Cronenberg’s “Lifeless Ringers:”

I could also be outdated, however I’m no longer that outdated, so I do not know how a Huret Jubilee would paintings on a contemporary motorcycle. For a similar worth you may well be more secure going with a SunTour Superbe Professional, which will probably be much more acquainted automatically and but nonetheless make Crust man cream in every single place his body bag:

Ever since Top Fixie, hip cyclists have cherished SunTour, because it’s no longer made anymore, however it’s no longer fairly so outdated they may be able to’t faux they weren’t already accustomed to it.

Much less difficult to understand however nonetheless stuffed with antique panache is this hopped-up Dura Ace unit:

Despite the fact that the bang-for-your-buck winner is most definitely the lengthy cage Shimano Crane, which is easiest in your gravel motorcycle:

Or simply move normcore with the MicroShift, no matter works for you.