Vintage Velo: Mavic 840 rear and 860 front derailleurs

by Gus Alexandropoulos

Today, most cyclists associate Mavic with high-end wheelsets and technical cycling shoes and clothing. While there’s no denying Mavic’s prominent position in these product categories, there was a time when the company demonstrated a similar level of innovation in its line of bike components. In the late ’70s, Mavic released its full road gruppo. The set demonstrated a refreshing level of out-of-the-box thinking that eventually became the hallmark of the brand’s components. Some of the unique features on those early components included circlip construction on the derailleurs for easy rebuilds, as well the adoption of easily adjustable sealed cartridge bearings for the hubs and bottom bracket. Mavic used sealed cartridge bearings at a time when almost everyone else was using loose bearings with cups and cones. The idea that components should be functional, durable and easily serviced carried over to other items. The Mavic headset used a small Allen-head bolt to lock the adjustment of the lockring. Its versatile index shifter – which was compatible with six-, seven- and even eight-speed index systems – also has Allen-head bolts for adjustment. Other more radical innovations could be found on the 646 Look-compatible clipless pedals that offered independently adjustable inboard and outboard lateral float long before other manufacturers adopted this now-common feature. And if all this wasn’t enough, Mavic introduced electronic shifting to the road market with the release of the Zap group in 1992. While Mavic may no longer be as relevant with bike components as it was back in 1989 when Greg LeMond won the Tour and the worlds on a Mavic-equipped bike, components such as the Mavic 840 rear and 860 front derailleurs still exemplify the unique approach this French company employed when cyclists could still buy a complete Mavicequipped bike.