Video: SRAM Type 2 derailleurs to use internal clutch
Following intense speculation, SRAM have unveiled a clutch-equipped rear derailleur to rival Shimano's XTR Shadow Plus design.
The Type 2 mech, which will be available in both X0 and X9 guise, has a clever mechanism inside its otherwise-standard lower knuckle that combats excess chain movement on rough terrain. After riding it for two solid days, we can not only say that it works but that it's a genuine game changer.
The SRAM and Shimano clutch rear derailleurs are similar in design intent – in both cases, forward pulley cage movement is permitted, but significantly restricted in speed – but their methods are quite different. Shimano opt for an adjustable steel band lined with friction material and clamped around the pulley cage shaft, while SRAM have built a miniature one-way roller clutch that — ironically enough — is similar to the guts inside Shimano's old Silent Clutch rear hub.
SRAM argue that while the Type 2 derailleur is perhaps more complex in terms of design, it's simpler to use than Shadow Plus. There's no on-off switch to overlook, the friction level is factory set, and it supposedly requires no maintenance. (While Shadow Plus involves an initial break-in period and periodic adjustments afterward, SRAM say the even, 360-degree arrangement of needle bearings about their pulley cage axle's self lubricating polymer liner sleeve will yield consistent friction characteristics over at least five years of frequent use.)
King of the Hammers a “Learning Experience” for Race Prep Racing #4474
March 14, 2012, Simi Valley, CA: The 4474 Race Prep Racing team known for consistency and perseverance encountered a day ending break at the 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers race in Johnson Valley, CA on February 10, 2012. At race mile 68 (of 171 miles) the driver Richie Carter was told by his pit crew that fluid wasn’t going to be enough to keep the rear differential happy. Carter, thinking he was simply leaking a little fluid from the rear axle due to a seal failure, had planned to add fluid at the pits as needed. But when he stopped there for fluid and fuel the crew had to tell him the issue was larger than that. Upon further inspection it seemed the rear axle housing had suffered a break at the spindle and the axle was being held together by the brakes on the passenger side. The team had no choice but to end their race efforts there.
This was unfamiliar territory to Carter and the team who had been able to finish all but one race in their rookie season and in the one they didn’t finish they simply timed out, having suffered a roll over earlier in the day that slowed them down. “I hated to end it there. I was so sure it just needed a little fluid! We had just come through 5 miles of punishing rocks without any trouble and we were running in the top 20”, Carter said about this end to his race day.
You are able to wait until it is painted inside before permanently fitting the chassis and rear axle to the upper body, so that is a real help.
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