Shimano FD-M667

ALLEN DONHAUSER | JANUARY 2009

I haven’t run a big ring for a while now and I’ve still always had trouble keeping my chain where I want it on fast, rocky descents (Burma in Annadel and Pine Mountain Road come to mind). Sure you can usually shift your chain back into place but I like to be able to pedal between the chunky stuff and out of corners without wondering if I’m spinning free or not.

I’ve tried shiftable chain guides with rollers and both SRAM and Shimano normal front derailleurs but nothing works quite like this innocuous little gem. At first glance it looks like all it cousins – but because it doesn’t have to shift up to a big ring Shimano has been able to optimize the shape of the cage for the small and middle rings and it just will not let the chain drop.

It also is more comfy with shifting between a bigger jump from small to middle (22 to 36 tooth), which makes up a bit for missing out the 44 those few times when you’d spin out a regular middle ring. Plus, it’s cheap, doesn’t add the weight of a roller and backplate and won’t get any more gunked up in the winter than a regular derailleur. Honestly, this is my favorite product from last year because it such a simple solution to a problem that has caused me so much frustration.

Shimano makes two double front derailleurs as part of their brand new SLX line of parts, an offshoot of the Deore line. Learn more here.