Madrone Cycles Jab Rear Derailleur

Madrone Cycles was named after the Madrone trees that grow in the Oregon region that the company calls home. It was founded in 2023 by Aaron Bland, who had become disenchanted with the lack of good rebuild and repair options for rear derailleurs. After initially launching a series of replacement parts for SRAM derailleurs, Aaron realized that Madrone could easily make a whole derailleur by themselves. The Jab was launched in 2025, and it sports a number of unique features that made us want to test it – after several months on the trail, this is our report!

Madrone Jab Highlights

• Materials: CNC machined 6061 and 7075 aluminum
• Compatibility: SRAM and Shimano 1x12 and 1x11 mountain bike drivetrains, specific version available for T-Type Transmission
• Fully rebuildable
• Unique interchangeable cam to easily adapt to different drivetrains with same derailleur
• Available with standard derailleur hanger mount OR with a stiffener plate on UDH frames
• Adjustable MTB-specific clutch with ratcheting mechanism (lighter “gravel” clutch also available)
• Long or short cages available
• Weight: 308g to 326g depending on the configuration
• Colors: Grey, Silver, Purple, Blue
• MSRP: from $298 USD

Initial Impressions

The Jab (which was named after the well-known Jabberwocky trail in Ashland, OR) is made to be completely rebuildable, with all the individual components available to replace as needed. A number of the small parts that make up the Jab are fabricated in China, and then shipped to Madrone’s Oregon facility for assembly and distribution. The finished product certainly looks the part, with modern design cues and several fresh colors available to choose from. We went with the rad purple option, but you can tone things down if you want to as well.

Aside from the impressive looks, the Jab also offers a number of interesting design features. First of all, it’s built around a replaceable cam that will allow the same derailleur to work with all the main drivetrains on the market. The cam is what translates cable movement into derailleur movement, and by altering its shape it’s possible to precisely match the cable-pull ratios of different drivetrain manufacturers without having to change anything else on the derailleur.

Moving from a SRAM to a Shimano system? No problem, just swap the cam and you're good to go, no need to dispose of the whole derailleur. Moving from 11 to 12 speeds, same thing – just get the correct cam for your new setup. You can also get a specific cam if you want to run a SRAM/Shimano combo. SRAM T-Type cassettes require a specific model Jab though, so make sure you pick the right one in this case.

Second, the Jab is equipped with a tunable and rebuildable clutch, which operates in a novel way – it moves on a one-way ratchet system which releases as the cage returns, making for quicker “rebound” after the cage swings forward. To alter the strength of the clutch, you can open it up and add or remove shims to a small shim stack that generates the friction of the clutch assembly. This operation can be carried out with standard tools, but it will require some attention to detail and the ability to manipulate some pretty small parts. Note that this MTB-specific clutch was introduced recently, so if you have an older version of the Jab it may not have it. Not to worry though, the clutch can be easily upgraded to this stronger version at home. Incidentally, Madrone is committed to making sure that any changes they make to the Jab remain backwards compatible, and they make them available to legacy customers at half price (as another example, they have just recently moved from using bushings in the main linkage plates to ball bearings, and they have a replacement kit for that too if somebody wants to upgrade).

A third aspect of interest is the “stiffener plate” – an extra brace that can be added to the outside of the hanger mount to add stiffness to the system in this area. It only works with a UDH hanger so make sure it’s compatible with your frame before selecting this option. Also note that there is a special version of the Jab available for T-Type drivetrains, so make sure you get that one if you need it. On that note, it is possible to convert a regular Jab to work with T-Type, but it requires changing the mount part of the derailleur in addition to just the cam.

Installation

Installing the Jab was straightforward, and comparable to installing any classic mechanical derailleur. We opted for that extra brace that leverages the UDH standard to provide a more solid interface with the frame. This is an option, you don’t need to run it as the Jab will function just fine hanging off a derailleur hanger in the traditional way, but the brace adds a degree of stiffness to the system and will also keep your hanger from bending needlessly. Up to you to evaluate whether you want it or not.

The Jab features a cage lock hole, unlike some other derailleurs it doesn’t have a little button to push here so you’ll need to use a tool of some kind to hold it open while working on it (SRAM has "buttoned up" the patent for that little button, pun fully intended...). The hole is sized to take a 4mm allen, which works well. Once installed, set the limit screws and the B-tension properly to get the system shifting smoothly – make sure the gap between the upper pulley wheel and the cassette meets the requirements, as this will greatly influence shifting quality. Also note that the cable pulley can be oriented in two different positions to best match your frame’s cable routing. 

On The Trail

On the trail, the shifting quality is crisp and fully comparable to the derailleur we replaced  - a SRAM Eagle GX in this case. The clutch is strong, which can make itself felt at the lever; it may require a bit extra force to move up the cassette in some cases. Our clutch was set at about 75% of its maximum strength, which is already stronger than the previous derailleur we were running. This translates to a very quiet drivetrain, with noticeably reduced chain slap.

We’ve observed great consistency in the shifting, no missed shifts or ghost shifts were detected with the Jab. Chain retention has also been excellent (not that we suffered from dropped chains on this particular bike before, but still worth pointing out). The pulley wheels are smooth and seem to at least match the original system performance (this would require some very fine measuring techniques to validate with any scientific accuracy, but as far as we’re concerned, the drivetrain is as easy to pedal with the Jab as it was with the previous derailleur). We've also not had to come back to adjust the shifting during our three months of testing, it has remained as crisp as it was when we first installed it.

Things That Could Be Improved

The absence of a handy little cage lock button makes itself felt when you need to hold the cage open to work on your drivetrain. Having to use an additional tool for this step is a bit fiddly, but it’s hardly a game-changing issue. As for the price, it’s up there with the most expensive mechanical derailleurs currently on the market, but you do get a very well-made product that offers real performance benefits and is completely rebuildable should the need arise down the line. The value for money equation is still largely positive here we feel.

Long Term Durability

We’ve not had any major crashes nor have we run into any huge rocks with the derailleur while testing it, so we can’t fully vouch for the strength of the Jab, but it is clearly a robust piece of kit that should be able to take a beating. We like the extra brace that is available for UDH frames, which means worrying less about bending a hanger too easily. Granted, a hanger is designed to bend to protect the derailleur and frame, but for us, running direct mount derailleurs over the past couple of years in general has not translated into any extra damage so far. Knowing that the Jab derailleur is fully rebuildable and that you can just replace individual broken parts as needed is a great bonus in this regard as well. 

What’s The Bottom Line?

The Jab was born out of the idea to make a more durable and conveniently rebuildable rear derailleur, and on that count it delivers. Designed around a unique, replaceable cam system it can quickly and easily be adapted to work with drivetrains from different manufacturers, which further contributes to increasing its service life. It also offers great performance on the trail, with a strong, adjustable clutch that makes for a quiet drivetrain, and we love the fact that it is available in several different colors, a welcome breath of fresh air in a product category typically dominated by pretty bland appearances. Pricey, yes, but you do get what you pay for.

For more information head on over to madronecycles.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 52 // Years Riding MTB: 20 // Weight: 190-pounds (87 kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Photos by Johan Hjord and Nils Hjord