Until what year were derailleurs banned from use in the Tour de France?
Answer
1937
Professional road racing showed significant resistance to variable gearing, largely due to figures like Tour de France founder Henri Desgrange, who reportedly dismissed the technology as being suitable only for older riders. Consequently, derailleurs were officially forbidden in the Tour de France races up until the year 1937. Before this ban was lifted, riders wanting to change gear ratios were forced to stop, dismount their bicycles, and manually switch the rear wheel to access a different sized sprocket mounted on the reverse side, a system known as the flip-flop hub.
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