Mountain Bike Derailleur Rear

Branchy claims to offer ‘real protection for your rear derailleur’, but is it really necessary?

TRP's TR12 derailleur and shifter hope to rival SRAM and Shimano offerings

Novel solution to crawler cog blues

Add chain security and reduce transmission noise

Shadow Plus makes debut on XTR, expected for XT

Workhorse mech goes 10-speed

Super-durable but needs tinker time

Beefed up but inordinately expensive

Tricky to set up but tough as they come

The 2007 X-9 gear system looks a lot like the amazing 2006 X.0 set and it's very nearly as fantastic. Gone is the simple looking rear mech - and hopefully the play that developed fairly quickly with it.

The improvements to the new kit mean that this rear mech wouldn't look out of place on a high-end bike. The new broad pantograph plates give greater precision when shifting the gears, and both versions are outwardly similar to the 105 range.