Rene Herse Rear Dropouts

On Rene Herse bikes, the seat- and chainstays extend as far as possible toward the rear axle. Tubular stays are stronger and lighter than flat dropouts, so this adds strength and saves weight. In the past, this required making custom dropouts by hand. Now Rene Herse is offering dropouts in four versions for different frame sizes from 48 to 63 cm. 

The dropouts incorporate a fender/rack eyelet. The hanger is optimized for modern derailleurs to provide crisp and fast shifting. A stainless steel disc is brazed into a recess on the inside to prevent gouging the paint when the wheel is inserted. (After brazing, the builder files the slot. This ensures perfect alignment, as the disc tends to rotate when it’s brazed.) 

The dropouts are made from rolled SS41 steel. The thickness of the dropout is 5 mm—offering utmost durability, yet remaining lightweight—with a 7 mm-thick eyelet to match modern derailleurs with (longer) bolts designed for carbon frames with aluminum dropouts. (The dropouts work with most classic derailleurs, too.)

Pro Tip: The table on the left shows the dropout angles for bikes with Rene Herse-style wrapover seatstays.