Branchy Protection rear derailleur protector review

Nov 01, 2023

Branchy claims to offer ‘real protection for your rear derailleur’, but is it really necessary?

This competition is now closed

By Will Poole

Published: August 7, 2023 at 3:00 pm

Derailleur protection is not a new concept and derailleur protectors aren’t the most exciting products you can buy for your mountain bike.

However, most of us will have caught some kind of trail debris in our drivetrain at some point.

That can lead to a slight bend in your rear derailleur and reduced shifting performance – or worse.

Intended to prevent such irritating issues, the Branchy Protection derailleur protector is a bash guard designed to keep your rear derailleur safe.

Mounting to the underside of the chainstay via a 3M adhesive strip and three chunky, proprietary cable ties, Branchy sits just ahead of the rear derailleur. It’s intended to protect the upper cage throughout its range of movement.

At 150mm (6in) long and extending 100mm (4in) below the chainstay, the Branchy protector isn’t much bigger than a rear derailleur itself.

However, the ‘paddle’ protrudes approximately 5mm outboard from the derailleur in order to provide the protection.

It is compatible with all brands of drivetrain and is claimed to fit over any chain-slap guard, which may be mounted on the chainstay. Clear instructions on exact placement relative to the derailleur and chain are included.

The weight is 36g, including the three cable ties cut to length.

The Branchy protection generated plenty of funny looks and questions about it from other riders during my testing. There was visible superficial damage after only a couple of rides, proving its effectiveness.

On gravity-focused enduro bikes, the 36g weight wasn’t noticeable on the trail, but it might be harder to justify for XC racers whose bikes are on a diet.

When set up correctly, the Branchy protector is silent, making contact with no other part of the bike and being stiff enough not to flap.

Ridden mostly in conditions that were varying degrees of soaking wet, the Branchy protector stayed in place impressively and has so far required no adjustment.

Even in filthy conditions, cleaning my bike was no harder with the derailleur protector in place.

Branchy operates a crash replacement service if any problems don’t fall under its defective materials or workmanship warranty, offering a fresh derailleur guard at a reduced cost.

While it’s effective at protecting the derailleur from knocks and bangs, it can’t guard against incorrect setup. Badly adjusted limit screws, bent hangers or other influences aren’t within the Branchy’s limits of damage mitigation.

At €64.95, the Branchy Protection initially seems expensive for what is essentially a bit of plastic and three fancy zip ties. However, with all but the cheapest derailleurs costing more than that, if you find yourself needing to replace your derailleur more regularly than you’d like, it’s probably worth looking into.

Lapierre has at points included a carbon fin sprouting from the chainstay just above the rear derailleur, while many budget mountain bikes have had tubular steel arrangements bolted to the rack and mudguard eyelets on the dropout.

While both of these had a similar goal to the Branchy Protection derailleur protector and both had more integrated attachments, neither were versatile enough to fit bikes not explicitly designed for them.

Lapierre sold its proprietary unit for around £20, while generic budget offerings were around £15, but the manner in which these mounted meant an impact could transfer damage to the frame. The Branchy derailleur protector presents no such complications.

Although an addition of 36g to their bike won’t bother most riders, Branchy won’t be on the wish list for those who pay specific attention to their bike’s weight.

However, if you like riding janky, tech trails or don’t want your rides jeopardised by an errant rock, this derailleur protector is definitely worth a look.

Workshop manager

Will Poole is BikeRadar’s workshop manager. As a Cytech Level 3-qualified mechanic charged with running one of the busiest workshops in the UK, Will knows almost everything there is to know about bike setup and component configuration. He has ridden and raced road and mountain bikes for more than 25 years, and can often be found ripping up the trails of south Wales. Will is also a regular contributor to BikeRadar and our sister titles, Cycling Plus and Mountain Biking UK magazines, putting his experience as a rider and mechanic to use by testing the latest bikes and product to their limits.