Which 1895 derailleur patent by Jean Loubeyre was deemed a technological dead-end?
Answer
La Polyceler
Jean Loubeyre is cited as the first candidate for an explicit derailleur patent, filed in France in 1895 for a two-speed device named *La Polyceler*. Despite being the earliest recorded derailleur patent, it was not commercially successful. The text specifies that this design used fixed sprockets lacking a freewheel mechanism. Due to these limitations and the subsequent lack of meaningful manufacturing evidence, it is characterized historically as a technological dead-end when tracing the evolution toward modern systems.

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