Do You Really Need A Clutch Derailleur? | Clutch Vs Non-Clutch Mech Comparison

Do you really need a clutch derailleur? Rear mech technology changed dramatically with the introduction of the one by drivetrain and derailleurs built to include clutches. But with further advances in 1x gearing such as narrow-wide technology, are clutches really adding that much our mountain biking experience anymore? Doddy's on hand with some thoughts and an experiment!

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[bergerniklas]

Funny how Doddy talks about noise half the time but the editor decided to throw music over it so we couln't hear any of it.

[scootmccracken]

Doddy: I put this piece of metal so you can hear how loud it is

Producer: nah

[johnwardle]

Incredible how that old chain setup sounds like a hip hop instrumental..

[andrewallan]

chains only fall off when you let your mate try your bike for 30 seconds

[Northstar-Media]

It's more impressive that he disassembled/assembled his crank in the middle of a field & used a tree as bike lift 😁

[furyxvanity]

Puts stuff on so people who only use modern day expensive derailleurs and chainrings can hear how it sounds to not have all that luxury parts, then the stupid editor puts damn music over every test

[mtnbikerva]

That was stupid putting music overtop of being able to hear chain slap.

[scottcampbell]

“No wonder riding off-road often sounded like pushing a tool cabinet down a flight of stairs” 😂😂

[allyw]

I remember having to coast through the rough stuff and even then may require soft pedal gear change before finally stopping to reattach the chain. Clutch is such a game changer..

[.William]

I have an 8in scar on the back of my calf just above my Achilles’ tendon. Chain came off peddled real hard with no resistance, foot slipped and chainring went through the leg. I’m glad we’ve all moved on 😊

[MesaBoogie]

I can remember bashing my knees on my tubes so many times back in the day from dropping chains. Dropping chains literally shaped the way I rode and it took a long time to break those habits when I finally changed bikes in 2018. Thankful for the narrow wide

[JoshGlessner]

Editor: Agh, this riding footage audio is unusable because of all the chain slap.

[johnlangley]

Great video - one of the many helping me catch up on 20 years of MTB innovation. I can't wait to get my hands on a new bike!

[CanonFirefly]

Microshift Advent X 10sp groupset is a great budget alternative to the more expensive Shimano and SRAM set ups.

[mtbtom]

Clutch has been around for ten years and I still don’t have one 🤣

[johnlockwood]

I have ridden a mountain bike for decades and never ripped off a rear derailleur UNTIL I got one with a clutch. Now, every Autumn when my local trails are full of leaves, sticks and twigs, I manage to get something jammed in the derailleur and yank it off. I wonder if the old clutch-less derailleurs were better able to shrug off and spit out the debris, whereas the modern clutch derailleurs offer more resistance and therefore more prone to damage?

[dag]

5 weeks ago my clutch broke, because somehow moisture got into it and it rusted to death.
Replacementparts are available in about 10 weeks.
Pulled the clutch out, deraillior worked again, even without clutch.
2 rides after I made the derailiour work again, my frame broke.

This riding season starts good :D

[charlieine]

Hi Doddy. When I first looked at this title I admittedly thought it was going to be a bit boring. My apologies. It s really well put together and very interesting. I started riding in 2000 at the age of 44 in Madrid. I’ve ridden some pretty tough trails and loved mountain biking because it was a full contact sport. In all these years I have never dropped a chain. I’ve broken a couple. I never paid attention to the technology of clutches and narrow/wide all this time. I guess I’ve just ridden what I had. Thanks again for a really good article.

[jw-zg]

Chain (visually at least) looks to slap about practically the same amount in all set ups shown 🤔.

[mgoo]

The Narrow/Wide ring with it's longer tooth profile is the biggest reason chains don't come off...I run clutch off on my hardtail...