Front derailleur Black Friday : road, MTB discounts

For a front derailleur on Black Friday, the attachment to the frame comes first, before the number of gears and the control, whether mechanical or electronic. The discounts during the event mainly focus on front derailleurs Shimano, from the Ultegra and Dura-Ace road models to the Deore XT and XTR mountain bike ones, as well as the gravel GRX, and on Sram AXS wireless models.

Reading the reference of a front derailleur Shimano

The letter following the Shimano reference indicates the mounting type, which is the piece of information that distinguishes the most offers:

F for a braze-on model, attached to a tab welded to the seat tube, like the FD-R9100-F;
B for a clamp model, to be chosen according to the diameter of the seat tube, like the FD-R8000-B;
D for a direct mount on frame inserts, common in mountain biking, like the FD-M8000-D;
E for a plate positioned between the bottom bracket and the frame, like the FD-M9020-E.

In mountain biking, the terms Side Swing and Top Swing additionally refer to the cage architecture and cable entry. Details on the attachments and adjustments can be found on the permanent page for bike front derailleurs.

Gears and control: what must match

A front derailleur corresponds to the number of speeds of its drivetrain, 11 or 12 here, and the number of chainrings, almost always two. The control types do not mix: a mechanical model works with a cable lever, a Shimano Di2 model, like the FD-R8150, FD-R7150, or FD-RX825, with a Di2 control, and a Sram AXS with a wireless AXS control, using its own battery.

Discounted front derailleur: what to compare?

Before comparing a striked price with a displayed price, check on the product sheet that both refer to the same mounting type, generation, and control: a FD-R9100-F and a FD-R9150 only share the group. With Sram, the mention "without battery" indicates a model delivered without its battery. To get the entire drivetrain, the complete group in Black Friday includes derailleurs, levers, and crankset, and the gear controls from the operation are to be chosen with the derailleur. In mountain biking, also check the front derailleurs for mountain biking in Black Friday. The clearance sale and the new arrivals should be consulted afterwards.

Brands of front derailleurs during Black Friday

Shimano offers front derailleurs from each sports family: Ultegra, Dura-Ace and 105 for road, GRX FD-RX815 and FD-RX825 for gravel, Metrea FD-U5000 for sporty city riding, Deore XT and XTR for mountain biking, either cable or Di2.

Sram features wireless AXS front derailleurs Red, Force, and Rival, in a braze-on version.

Frequently asked questions

When does the Black Friday for derailleurs take place?

The name refers to just one day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, before the holidays. However, the discounted front derailleurs at Vélo-Store will remain available throughout November, plenty of time to check the mounting letter of your model.

My frame doesn’t have a braze-on tab: what’s the solution?

Choose a clamp model to fit your seat tube diameter, or add an adapter clamp that creates the missing tab, matching the same diameter.

Will an 11-speed front derailleur work with a 12-speed setup?

Not generally: the cage and pull are designed for a specific chain width and chainring spacing. Follow the manufacturer's compatibility charts.

Does a Sram AXS front derailleur need a cable?

No: it receives commands from the wireless control and operates on its own battery, which needs to be charged regularly.

Do I need to adjust a new front derailleur?

Yes: the height above the large chainring, cage parallelism, limit screws, and cable tension for a mechanical model. An electronic model is adjusted through its dedicated procedure, described in the manual.