How to choose the right rear derailleur for racing bikes, e-bikes, gravel bikes and city bikes

Using a rear derailleur for cycling is an absolute necessity on routes with climbs, mountainous terrain, and cities with high altitudes, where the bike's rear derailleur makes pedalling easier, so it is essential to choose the most suitable model.

More and more cyclists, both professionals and amateurs, like to relax while riding through the hills. Nowadays there are different types of bicycles than in the past.

Choosing the right rear derailleur or rear derailleur becomes even more important. There are two types of rear derailleur. Long-arm and short-arm.

Short-arm derailleurs are used when the largest sprocket of the sprocket set does not exceed 28 teeth, while the long arm is used on MTBs, E-MTBs or Gravel bikes where the largest sprocket easily reaches 46 teeth, but gears with 50 teeth and more are also common.

It is essential to respect the specifications of your groupset when choosing a gearbox. 

For example, a Shimano Turney can normally be used on bikes with 5 to 7 speeds, or a Shimano Acera is good for 7/8 speeds; if you have a 10-speed or an 11 or 12-speed, you must respect this value. Otherwise the rear derailleur will not function correctly. 

The operation of a rear derailleur is in itself very simple: a steel wire that starts from the rear derailleur control on the handlebars activates the rear derailleur itself, and a spring ensures its return. 

In recent years, electronic derailleurs have also come onto the market. They work in the same way, but instead of steel cables, wires are used; electronic derailleurs use electrical connectors that are powered by batteries placed outside the frame or inside the seatpost.

In the case of E-BIKE, the power supply to the rear derailleur will be taken directly from the battery of the bike itself. 

This type of rear derailleur is much more precise in shifting and adjusting because it is electronically self-adjusting. 

We have a wide variety of derailleurs for racing bikes, from the cheapest to the most professional, even for city-bikes or hybrid bikes, using a good derailleur can not only make pedalling easier. 

You can find different types of rear derailleurs available on the market: Road bike rear derailleurs, Mountain bike rear derailleurs, E-BIKE rear derailleurs, Gravel bike rear derailleurs, City bike rear derailleurs.

You can buy all these types of gears on Ilovebike.it in the dedicated section.