I have a soft spot for simple, low-cost gadgets that can improve your ride, and this little Parrier Derailleur Guard is a perfect example. We all are out there riding with our derailleurs flapping in the breeze, so surely it’s not 100% necessary. But for just thirty bucks, this small plastic fin will deflect mud and fend off rock strikes, keeping your vulnerable rear derailleur a bit more out of harm’s way…
David Cachon is always on some off-road adventure
Two-time Trails World Champ and pro mountain bike adventurer David Cachon just updated us on some of his latest past and future adventure riding projects. He’s always sharing both amazing footage of riding in exotic locales, but also a bunch of helpful tips for improving your riding technique (most often in Spanish with English subtitles).
And of course, he’s hyping a new partnership that will have him move to Niner bikes after rotating through a few other bike sponsors in recent years.
But some of his most recent How To videos like this ‘How to Improve Your Bike Jump‘, had me wondering what was the deal with that big orange fin hanging off his bike’s chainstay. It turns out that it’s the simple plastic Parrier Derailleur Guard.
Do you absolutely need it? Probably not, if you’d made it this far without one.
But maybe you’ve bashed a derailleur hard enough to have broken it, or even just enough to bend your hanger? Or maybe you just ride gnarly tracks like those in Cachon’s ‘Top 5 Place To Ride MTB‘ video up top, and want an extra insurance policy against derailleur damage. Not all of us can afford the latest ‘crash-proof’ Transmissions.
And this little gadget will only cost you about the same as a replacement derailleur hanger!
Parrier Derailleur Guard zip-ties on affordable protection
So this Parrier Derailleur Guard isn’t an entirely new concept. I feel like I remember something like this from 1990s mountain biking. And we covered the flappy-slappy Branchy last summer which had a similar protection goal. But Parrier’s lower-cost solution is a bit more robust & heavy-duty also, aiming more to hide your derailleur and deflect anything that comes its way like the hull of a boat parting the seas.
This Parrier Derailleur Guard is a simple impact-resistant high-density polypropylene “dynamic fin” with internal stiffening structures that then hangs under your chainstay, easily attached with included 3M VHB adhesive and 3 zip-ties.
It is designed to protect your rear derailleur – one of the more mechanically complex, ride-critical, and often time expensive individual components on your bike. By gently curving away from the chainstay, Parrier deflects rocks, sticks, and even mud or dust away from your precious derailleur.
Based in Mallorca, Spain, Parrier sells the Derailleur Guard direct for just 29€ in black, orange, turquoise, or olive. It measures 27cm long x 10cm tall, and curves out 8cm from your bike – weighing just 85g. They say it will fit most bikes, from classic trail and all-mountain bikes to gravel, cyclocross, enduro, and DH. And also most e-bikes, too.
Parrier ships throughout the EU including VAT, or worldwide with customs clearance the responsibility of the buyer. Purchase more than one Derailleur Guard, and shipping is free.
