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Thinking of lower gears and also the expiry of some bits of my drivetrain maybe not being far away.
Running 32 x 11-42 10speed, SRAM setup. Mech is looking a bit battered and the little switch to hold the cage forward is broken. Time to start looking for its replacement (shifter, mech, chain, cassette). I know I'll likely need a chainring but that's the easy bit.
HG freehub body (like 8,9,10 speed) and I don't want to change that really for cost reasons so I know that affects some options but not quite sure what.
Number of cogs 10+
Lowest sprocket 48+.
I am drivetrain agnostic. What could I be looking for at Deore/SLX or better quality that's likely to be available and not bank busting?
Rear end is 142*12 if relevant.
definitely worth looking at Microshift Advent X. Ticks all your bockses.
definitely worth looking at Microshift Advent X
Yeah, I'd look at that or some kind of Shimano mash-up of Deore & SLX (maybe with an XT shifter if you've been a good boy).
Sram NX or SX. Just buy the whole lot, it comes in one box, it'll all work together flawlessly, you dont need to change your freehub, and you get new cranks to boot.
SX is about £200, NX £240ish, all over the usual places.
ETA - if you want SLX quality/weight you need to go with GX, which means a freehub change (although this is exaclty what I would reccomend doing, its worth it).
not sure they still have them, but CRC were knocking our NX groupsets for £140 or so recently
Edit - nope, they are back to twice the price
just bought my second set of microshift advent x from CRC, good offers currently. Been running for a year on my sonder full suss and this set is to build up cotic solaris. Work on a standard hub, been pretty flawless in use on the Sonder so far with no dropped chain in a year. Cassette is reasonable light and upto 48 tooth.
SLX 12 speed shifter Merlin 17.50
M5100 rear mech (branded as 11 speed but works perfectly with 12 speed/11-50t). Wiggle 32.99
SRAM 1230 cassette 61.00 at Tredz with the inevitable £5 discount code which pops up
kmc 12 speed chain black/silver 19.99 at ebay/hopkinsons cycles
If you need a new front ring then any of the cheap narrow wides on ebay for 10.00
Full new 12 speed for £142 ish
Deore 5100, works with 1x10 or 1x11 speed shifters (and 1x12) and whatever HG pattern cassette you can find.
I'm currently using mine with an 11-48t Microshift cassette (10 speed), should stretch up to a 50 or 51t cassette (Deore/Sunrace/etc) apparently...
I'm interested in the mechanics of how a 1.11 compatible Shimano derrailleur works properly with a 12 speed shifter... As I've tried it with other specs (11speed XTR mech and 12 speed XT shifter) and it definitely does not work.
Does the Deore 5100 mech have two options for how you attach the cable clamp to change the pull ratio?
They never really changed the pull ratio from Dynasis did they, whatever that was when people worked it out (1-1.16?) the first thing people did when Dynasis came out was work out how to get it to talk to SRAM 9 speed shifters (with a washer)...
They know people are going to "hack" it and they've already put the important technical barriers in place by blocking easy backwards compatibility to 9 speed and MTB and current Road/Gravel groups (1-1.4 IIRC?), they want you to buy the more recent versions of their clickers.
I don't reckon shimano really care if you want to use their "11 speed" derailleurs with their 10 or 12 speed shifters and cassettes, they still sell you a bunch of parts either way. and they know they've got growing competition, some of it more "cost Vs Range" focussed..
tried it with other specs (11speed XTR mech and 12 speed XT shifter) and it definitely does not work.
Does the Deore 5100 mech have two options for how you attach the cable clamp to change the pull ratio?
11 speed xtr mech issue may have been a range thing rather than pull ratio - 11 speed rear mechs generally are designed for 11-42 and -46 and most 12 speed cassettes are at least 50t.
The 5100 (and other more recent 11 speed MTB mechs like 8130) have a very different geometry/design.to accommodate 51t cassettes. Just the one way of routing the cable.
5120 is a mech designed for 10/11 speed but up to 42t or 46t
The pull ratio is all pretty much identical, just mech geometry/swing path changes to deal with the bigger low gears.
NX cassette is fine but go GX/Deore or better for the rest. NX chain is utter bobbins.
I tried mrs_oab's shiny new Advent set up last weekend. It was really good.
I've put Advent X (shifter, mech and 11/48 cassette) on my hardtail, works really well.
The only thing I miss is the dual way you can use a Shimano XT shifter to thumb or finger press to drop down gears.
Thanks. Just looking at Advent X. Only downside seems to be that it's limited to 48t but that's 6 more than now and I don't need lots more so would work.
From what I can gather of the rest it's a shop around for individual bits Deore/SLX mix or an SRAM box set.
(maybe with an XT shifter if you’ve been a good boy)
Not a chance then 😂
The one thing switching me off the SRAM in a box is I really don't need another crank and especially not a DUB one that won't fit my Hope BB so I'm looking around for buying bits. I suspect that would end in a crank I couldn't sell on cluttering up the shed. 🫤
Thanks, I now know what I'm shopping around for. 👍
Don’t buy SX, it’s atrocious. But NX is perfectly fine (as well as cheap)
little switch to hold the cage forward is broken.
They do just screw in, so you can find a replacement easy enough if you want to save some coin.
They do just screw in, so you can find a replacement easy enough if you want to save some coin.
Thanks will have a look at that. It is a mild annoyance but as that gear may transfer onto my hack/claggy ride bike for occasional use it won't hurt to fix if I can.
I’d add to that, it’s well worth getting something that matches the old gear. I have two 11sp SRAM derailleur and two 11sp XT for two bikes. I’ve mixed and matched parts from them as they get bent etc. just last night I swapped the goat link off one XT for the one I bent in a stack on Wednesday.
Having piddled away a month while I took 5 years off my life with changing my bearings I've finally ordered some Advent X at £120 for mech, shifter, chain and cassette, figured it has to be worth a go as other surprise bills have snuck in for broken things by children.
I bought a full NX groupset for £210 on the eBay Alpkit store and swapped the mech and shifter for SLX from Merlin and sold the NX mech and shifter for exactly the same money on eBay. Hopefully the best of both groups.
I bought a full NX groupset for £210 on the eBay Alpkit store
It's £189 at the moment.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225466051279?
Hopefully advent x works well for you.
I was just going to add don’t be tempted to buy Sram eagle sx - it’s junk.
I think with hg I’d probably have gone with 5100 Shimano deore rear mech with an 11 speed 11-50 or 51 cassette (Shimano deore 11 speed or Sunrace) and 11 speed sram X1 chain - plus whatever 11 speed compatible NW ring would fit on your current cranks. If you have sram gxp then a sram x-sync steel chainring is cheap and good.
It’s £189 at the moment.
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225466051279? <
Wow. The thing is you can probably sell the crankset and BB for £100 net if you don't need them. So that's £90 in effect for cassette, mech, shifter and chain. Although I admit the chain needs upgrading to GX as per the comment which is what I did for a net cost of £5.
Hopefully advent x works well for you.
I've had to replace Microshift after a couple of months of commuting. It literally fell apart (a couple of pin fell out ) TBF it was 7 speed stuff, but it's replacement isn't the healthiest thing after a couple of years of the same. I'm waiting for it to die to replace it with something else from Shimano.
had to replace Microshift after a couple of months of commuting. It literally fell apart (a couple of pin fell out ) TBF it was 7 speed stuff, but it’s replacement isn’t the healthiest thing after a couple of years of the same. I’m waiting for it to die to replace it with something else from Shimano.
Hmmm, not exactly what I wanted to hear. It doesn't do lots of miles (lack of time around work and sailing) and the bike is going to be ready for replacement in a couple of years I expect (it's a 2015 model) so hopefully it'll last the course.
I expect your commuting is covering a lot more miles than my riding.
My commute is 8 miles a day on flat cycle paths. The microshift mech that's on there is really bargain basement stuff (as was the original) pressed cheap steel, cheap brittle plastic and all riveted together, it became sloppy after just a few months, and while it's carried on like that, it shifts maybe 5-6 times each way. I wouldn't have it anywhere near a mountain bike that being used half way properly.
sorry, I know that's probs not what you want to hear, but if NX/SX is poor, then microshift stuff is another level under that IME.
And while SX is quite poor, NX isn't.
Ive fitted Advent X to 4 bikes over the last year. All running fine with no adjustment and surviving winter riding at the FoD. On the other hand NX lasted one ride and the GX on my ebike needs constant tweaking. Kids Racing have the mech, shifter and cassette for about £113...
On the other hand NX lasted one ride
What happened to it?