Author Topic: Short cage vs. long--rear derailleur (Read 5926 times)

kondilemma · « **on:** March 23, 2006, 01:35:04 pm »

I've been lurking around the Shimano site, trying to answer some questions about building up the drivetrain on my 857 frame. Think I have it cased, with one exception.

--With the following drivetrain combo, what model of rear derail'r do I need--the short or long cage?

Cranks-- XT M760, 44-32-22T

and

Rear cogset M760 aq (11-32T)

I'm leaning toward the long cage model, but would like to poll the expertise out there. Haven't had time to get down to my LBS to pick their brains.

My brakes arrived in the mail today, so I'm itching to put this thing together ASAP. Now if the 3ft of snow outside would just melt...

thanks,

--brad

Douglas_Johnston · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2006, 08:33:11 pm »

the long cage is gonna give you more "cross chaining" options.You wont be able to ride in Big _ big.Not that you should

edit...you wont be able to ride big big with a SHORT cage..so yeah Long cage

Simon · « **Reply #2 on:** March 24, 2006, 12:56:41 am »

Long cage,
you only want a short cage if you run single front ring
and your main riding is Dh.

Simon.

Old Proflexer · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2006, 01:07:55 am »

long cage -

our setups are why they make them -

OP

shovelon · « **Reply #4 on:** March 26, 2006, 11:19:00 am »

Yep, long cage. Only drawback tendency for increased chainslap.

Thunderchild · « **Reply #5 on:** March 26, 2006, 03:37:15 pm »

Hehe, always one in the bunch. I run nothing but short cage old DX rear deraileurs without any problems on my Oz and my 5000. I run an 11-32 Tooth(T) 8-speed cassette on the rear. Up front I am running a 44T 32T and 20T. I never run my inner chainring past the middle gear in the back and never the large chainring past the middle from the outside in. I run the middle chainring on all gears 11-32.

Thunderchild

kiwi · « **Reply #6 on:** March 26, 2006, 08:25:33 pm »

Quote

never

thats a big word brotha....
thats wot i did too,untill racing along a road next to a stop bank(levee?) with a group of mates someone took a detour and shop up the bank....without thinking i hit the downshift stood up and bang....first broken chain,i had shifted big-big..... [smiley=diaper.gif]

Matno · « **Reply #7 on:** March 26, 2006, 10:27:54 pm »

You gotta keep in mind that Thunderchild is a die-hard "they don't make 'em like they used to" guy. New and improved just doesn't seem to sink in very well - especially when it comes to drivetrains and tires.

Thunderchild · « **Reply #8 on:** March 30, 2006, 06:03:40 am »

Amen Matno! I'll pedal to that...[smiley=yawn.gif]

OK Kiwi, 99.9% of the time instead of never;D

Note on the short cage. It is interesting that the derailleur lists 28 tooth as the max, but it works on a 32 if you set it up correctly.

Thunderchild

kiwi · « **Reply #9 on:** March 31, 2006, 08:57:09 am »

ummm Matno,taken a look around the room lately???

Quote

You gotta keep in mind that Thunderchild is a die-hard "they don't make 'em like they used to" guy. New and improved just doesn't seem to sink in very well - especially when it comes to drivetrains and tires.

Matno · « **Reply #10 on:** April 01, 2006, 01:22:28 am »

HaHa. You're right. I guess he's not the only one, eh? Then again, I don't think I'm the only one who would balk at the idea of having thumb shifters on an Oz frame. (Not RapidFire, but rather the old kind that have a single lever on TOP of the bars...)

I guess we probably mostly fall into two groups: those who think like Thunderchild, and those who, like me, can't afford to buy something newer... Fortunately, we all have the common bond of liking to do things ourselves, improve what we have, and ride as much as possible!

shovelon · « **Reply #11 on:** April 01, 2006, 01:31:34 am »

Quote

HaHa. You're right. I guess he's not the only one, eh? Then again, I don't think I'm the only one who would balk at the idea of having thumb shifters on an Oz frame. (Not RapidFire, but rather the old kind that have a single lever on TOP of the bars...)

I guess we probably mostly fall into two groups: those who think like Thunderchild, and those who, like me, can't afford to buy something newer... Fortunately, we all have the common bond of liking to do things ourselves, improve what we have, and ride as much as possible!

Nice bedside manner!

Terry

kondilemma · « **Reply #12 on:** April 04, 2006, 02:35:11 pm »

Thanks to all for the advice--and the bonus entertainment! [smiley=nod.gif]

Found an interesting tidbit about the XT crank I quoted above--my LBS says I'm better off with a RaceFace X-type Evolve XC crank. Better bang for the $$, to quote. Seems the Shmannos' bolt-on crank likes to sing, and the bearings go south in a hurry. Other than the M760 crankset, they like the rest of the XT components from that series.

But who knows what I'll end up with. Like Matno said above, I may not have the $$ to go XT and might have to resort to ebay, scrounging for castoffs. I've been shopping around for wheelsets lately, and nearly pooped my pantaloons at the prices. Suddenly those Sun Rhyno Lites on Deore Disc hubs look pretty good...which leads me right into my next new post....

Matno · « **Reply #13 on:** April 05, 2006, 10:22:37 am »

"Advances" in crank technology are not that great. Sure, the newer designs with the bearings outside the frame are stiffer and lighter, but do you think most people can tell the difference? I still have a SQUARE TAPER bottom bracket/crank on my single speed and I guarantee I can't tell the difference in stiffness between those and my Shimano Octalink BB's. The only real difference is a few grams of weight. Rode a new XT setup a few months back and couldn't tell the difference there either. As for bearings wearing out prematurely, no Shimano BBs have ever had a problem with that. ISIS bottom brackets, on the other hand, (including Race Face) have a reputation for nearly universally short life. A lot of people say they've had to replace them annually (which is WAY too short, in my opinion - unless you ride 10,000 miles in that year!)

As for my favorite choice, I'm still happily riding the first generation of Shimano LX Hollowtechs with the ES-70 BB (XT level BB). Shimano subsequently changed the compatibility of their BBs and cranks so that you couldn't mix and match LX and XT. I guess a lot of people were doing what I did and saving money on the crank (which was nearly identical to XT, but looked better - XTR gray) while still getting the nicer BB, which was significantly better than the cheaper ES50...

ReBeL · « **Reply #14 on:** April 07, 2006, 10:52:30 am »

Hey there!

Just thought I’d add my 2 cents worth. [smiley=laughing.gif]

Two of my Buddy’s run Race Face BB and both have had a problem with them staying tight. After applying some removable thread locker the problem was solved. But It’s a hard lesson to learn when out on the trails. As for me, I use the new Hollowtech II LX set up with a large 48t XTR ring. However I’ve learned that its great for building up speed on some sweet flat single track but a pain in the @ss when you have to ride over larger obstacles. Can I notice difference in smoothness, stiffness or what ever between my buddy’s Race Face and my Shimano? Nope. So I'd look for the deal when shopping.

As for my cassette I run a SRAM 11–34 for hill climbing. My bike (TREK Fuel 90) is a tad heavier so I opted for the larger granny gear. My rear derailleur is a long cage XT and I have only had one problem with a chain braking…and that was my fault for trying to ride in that super muddy mess…you could barely walk let alone ride! LoL

On a side note I still haven’t built up the 856 yet…but I do have all the parts so very, very soon I’ll have some pics of the beast.

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Author Topic: Short cage vs. long--rear derailleur (Read 5926 times)