MicroSHIFT M45 Rear Derailleur

If you're replacing a dead rear derailleur on a cheaper bike or putting together a round-town junker, the Microshift M45 shifts well and doesn't cost much.

Many folks cock a snook at lower end mechs. 'Wouldn't put that on a pram mate' is a common cat-call from some quarters but Microshift's matter-of-factly christened M45 is just the ticket for working bikes be they crossers, tourers or mountain bikes running older groupsets.

Ours was the long cage version designed to cope with 42, 32, 22 chainrings and 11-34 sprocket configurations (enough wallop to ride up down and along China's Great Wall with trailer en-tow) though there's also a short armed sibling which saves precious few grams but could prove a little snappier across less extreme set ups.

Nudging 325g by my scales, there's a definite whiff of 70s Huret/Suntour GT here, although in contemporary terms its nearest rival is Shimano's M430-sorry, I mean Alivio. Yesteryear's budget mechs were notoriously plasticky but the M45 sports a gloss black powder coated finish, aluminium alloy body and steel cage.

I was particularly impressed by its spring tension and lateral stiffness. Resin jockey wheels can't match the finesse of aftermarket types, though these should soldier on through winter's slushy mess with little fuss and perhaps the occasional drop of wet lube. Then of course, we've the inescapable fact that replacing twenty odd quid's worth of mech following a nasty spill won't add insult to injury.

Less bling has obvious advantages in higher crime areas when employed as part of a wider disguise, throwing would- be thieves off the scent, especially combined with dull enamel, stout locks and prominent location (mummifying top and down tubes with redundant inner tube, topped off with hand-painted 'bird droppings' proved a winner for me, living in London's grottier boroughs for twelve years).

Ours played nicely with my Univega's a la carte drivetrain (Microshift brifters, Alivio/LX crankset, Sun race cassette and KMC chain) pretty much immediately and has remained firm friends three hundred miles hence, skipping fore and aft faultlessly and a wee bit quicker than Alivio too.

That said, it's worth mentioning said test rig's brifters drop three cogs per nudge, accentuating its apparent superiority given the other, Alivio equipped tourer boasted lowlier Sora. Unexpected stop/starts round town and on some heavily trafficked climbs hasn't caught it napping-even shifting at slow speeds/under considerable load, immersed in bovine dung and similar unmentionables though obviously I expect it to succumb to the dreaded slop much faster than the 30,000 mile partially rebuilt LX unit it replaced.

Verdict

Quirky looking mech that shifts really sweetly - a shrewd option for budget builds and/or working bikes with wider gear ratios.