How to Use derailleur in a Sentence

derailleur

noun
Definition of derailleurnext
  • Use an old sponge and toothbrush on the chain, chainrings and derailleurs.
    — George Petras, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2023
  • Yet As gravel tires grow wider, the amount of space between the front derailleur and rear tire has shrunk.
    — Josh Patterson, Outside Online, 18 May 2020
  • But for me, the standout feature was the bike's gears—seven of them on a rear derailleur.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 31 Aug. 2022
  • First, the brain of the system lives in the fork and is powered by a standard AXS battery, the same one used on the rear derailleur and seatpost.
    — Rob Reed, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2021
  • The 8-speed flat-bar shifter is easy to operate, and the rear derailleur offers precise-enough shifts.
    — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 8 May 2019
  • The same technique works for the front derailleur, which also has a barrel adjuster.
    — Berne Broudy, Outside Online, 18 June 2013
  • Direct mount of the derailleur to the frame offers a stiffer, more precise shift and overall performance.
    — Popular Science, 29 Nov. 2023
  • Shift the derailleur back to the smallest cog or chainring, loosen the cable bolt, and take up any slack before tightening it again.
    — Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 29 Mar. 2021
  • The Adventure is easy to pedal thanks to the Shimano 8-speed Acera derailleur that doesn’t spin out from under you as 30mph...
    — Bill Roberson, Forbes, 25 May 2021
  • The derailleurs should move the chain easily between sprockets.
    — George Petras, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2023
  • In the main area, dozens of men and women assemble the bikes -– each with a specialized job, like looping the chain around the derailleur, or threading brake cables.
    — Jenny Leonard, Bloomberg.com, 31 Oct. 2020
  • Mind the battery, though—after putting 140 miles on the Creo, my Garmin warned me that the rear (and only) derailleur battery was critically low.
    — Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 18 Dec. 2023
  • So far on the Divide I’d been chased by dogs, climbed a tree to get away from a territorial bull, and shattered my derailleur a week into the route.
    — Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 15 Aug. 2024
  • This bike comes with seven gears (the shifter and derailleur are from reputable brand Shimano) and has a grippy set of tires that are intended for on- and off-roading.
    — Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 24 Aug. 2023
  • If the cables are adjusted properly, the derailleur that moves the chain between gears would be lined up perfectly on one of them.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 10 Nov. 2018
  • If braking and shifting require lots of hand force, or if the derailleur is slow to shift the gears, that means there’s drag (dirt) inside the housings, so those and the cables need replacing.
    — Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 29 Mar. 2021
  • Secondary targets for theft include the pedals, crank arm and crankset, handlebar grips, shifter, derailleur, and brake calipers.
    — Matt Jancer, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2023
  • The two biggest sticking points for me were making adjustments to the placement of the back brake caliper and the derailleur cable, which are not exactly part of the assembly.
    — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 14 June 2024
  • The sound of a chain clanging against a chainstay was once as much a part of mountain biking as shin bruises and peeing in the woods; now it’s been silenced forever by the advent of the clutch derailleur.
    — Eben Weiss, Outside Online, 17 Mar. 2022
  • Though materials and build play a part in the Ajax’s silent operation, the main reasons are the 8-speed internal hub and belt drive at the heart of the bike’s derailleur-free drivetrain.
    — John Bradley, WIRED, 21 Apr. 2011
  • Think of it somewhat like a bicycle’s derailleur gears, only lightning-quick.
    — Sean Evans, Robb Report, 28 June 2024
  • By 1940 Campagnolo had developed the Cambio Corsa shifting system, which was a derailleur that used two levers and rods attached to the right-side seat stay.
    — Andrew Freeman, Outside Online, 21 May 2012
  • Modern derailleur hangers are designed to break first, saving the expensive bits.
    — Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 1 June 2021
  • For five years, Rivendell has been working on manufacturing its own derailleur.
    — Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
  • Superstar Peter Sagan stayed upright, but his chain jammed into his front derailleur and needed servicing.
    — Blair Anthony Robertson, sacbee.com, 11 May 2017
  • The village spent $1,300 to purchase a Fixit, which includes all the tools necessary to perform basic bike repairs and maintenance, such as fixing a flat tire to adjusting brakes and derailleur gears, along with a heavy-duty air pump.
    — Chuck Fieldman, chicagotribune.com, 9 Jan. 2018
  • Consider the maintenance required The characteristics of bike components like the chain, brakes, derailleurs, and gears will impact the level and type of maintenance required.
    — Kevin Brouillard, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2023
  • This could be as simple as a ten-second cable tension tweak, or as intricate as patiently straightening an expensive and hard-to-come-by derailleur hanger.
    — Mike Levy, Outside Online, 19 Feb. 2023
  • This reduces weight and complication by eliminating a shifter, chainring and derailleur.
    — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 8 May 2019
  • If the derailleur itself is broken, temporarily convert your bike into a singlespeed.
    — Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 1 June 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'derailleur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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