Ok, this is bugging me! Can anyone explain how it's become acceptable for rear mechs to be so damn HUGE? Mostly the cage and jockey wheels looking like some Shimano Acera X junk from the 90s!
We've been banging on about gearboxes for ages now, mostly due to the vulnerability of rear mechs, but all that's happened is they've become more vulerable!
I have a Sram AXS setup on my bike (didn't choose it, I chose the bike) and every single time I go for a ride some crap gets caught up in the lower jockey. Last time it was actually some wire that started scraping horrendously against the rear wheel.
I've got this lovely looking XO derailleur on my hardtail, which is small, tucked away and actually a very nice piece of design. I wish I could swap it over but the internal routing, without something already in there to replace, is too big a deal to tackle. (And apparently some manufacturers are doing away with cable routing?)
Am I the only one hating this new development? Does the new Shimano electronic gear suffer from the same design?
It’s possible to fit smaller cages, I put an XO DH cage on an eagle GX AXS mech, and shorter cages are soon to be available for transmission. Not cheap though.
What's that? Not sure I like the look of it, but I'm sure it will pick up less grass and debris!
I do much prefer a short cage mech (as I'm eyeing up my 94 XT short cage rear mech that I now have as a paperweight!)...suspect the longer cages are to do with 1x and making sure the mech has enough capacity to keep the chain tensioned throughout the full range.
If a smaller cage can be had that allows smooth operation of 1x then I think I might be very keen...but I also suspect it isn't quite so easy.
you are aware that the size of the cage is required to cover the difference in chain length across the cassette right?
you can run smaller cages with smaller changes in cassette, ie the new shimano stuff offers a smaller cassette over 12 speed, or you could use a tiny cassette with something like a classified rear hub
you are aware that the size of the cage is required to cover the difference in chain length across the cassette right?
I guess not. But then again:
Eagle cassette with the XO non-huge mech... works fine
perhaps it also has to consider chain stretch over suspension compression also? although i would imagine the chain will get tighter as the suspension moves up, and in theory the chain would also be on a smaller cog?
or the cage allows the mech upper pulley to run closer to the cassette cogs? ie similar distance at bottom and top?
What's that? Not sure I like the look of it, but I'm sure it will pick up less grass and debris!
Fraezen DH cage, due for release in the next few weeks. Also available in black. Don’t expect much change from £400. Link to std sized cages here https://fraezen.de/en/pages/schaltwerkkafig
or, give eagle AXS a go with an XO DH cage. Not sure how well it will work with full sized cassettes, mind
Certainly bigger, but my mech smashing rate hasn't gone up since I started using Eagle in 2017.
Am I the only one hating this new development?
Doesn't bother me. I'm a singlespeeder😁
Another one - non huge XT mech with 1X and wide range cassette.
Maybe no-one else rides places with grass or debris around!
£400 for an ugly cage knows where it can go 😀
Am I the only one hating this new development?
I just hate the whole dinner plate rear cassette and tiny chainring look. Ruins the aesthetics of modern bikes.
I just hate the whole dinner plate rear cassette and tiny chainring look. Ruins the aesthetics of modern bikes.
On the upside, it makes going back to the SS or gravel* bikes even more of a fun surprise when the rear wheel isn't slamming into everything with the momentum of a 500g cassette behind it.
*I'm a luddite, it still runs on 11-28!
Thing is, when you’re going a reasonable speed in the higher gears where mech damage is likely, it’s tucked up out of the way.
I do agree to some extent and may switch back from SRAM GX 12 to Shimano XT 11 with a smaller chainring.
More due to cassette price and finicky setup.
It’s one of the downsides of 29ers. I didn’t need the range on the 27.5 or 26.
it’s tucked up out of the way.
AXS isn't. That thing can't tuck itself anywhere. Also it's better with a 29 wheel cos its almost scraping the ground with 27.5!
Am I the only one hating this new development? Does the new Shimano electronic gear suffer from the same design?
Anything that has to accommodate a bigger Cassette has obviously got to grow in the Rear mech area, If you don't want a big rear mech, what you really want is 2x... Which neither of the Big 'S's seem particularly keen to offer on an MTB, unless you opt for CUES, which funnily enough has replaced Acera (amongst other lower tier groups), So I guess the only way to avoid the Aesthetics of "Acera X Junk" is to buy some new Acera X level junk...
You mention Gearboxes, you do know they are available now right? 5 mins on Google could have saved you from this trauma...
Yep I've deliberately chosen recently to go with smaller chainrings (28 or 30) with an 11-40 or 11-42 cassette & medium cage XT Mech rather than a 32/34 plus 11-46/50 etc.
I'd rather have a smaller chainring & cassette and less weight/cage length on the rear of the bike than go the other way. Only sacrifice is top speed but I can still pedal ~20mph on the flat and that's plenty!
5 mins on Google could have saved you from this trauma...
rEading the rest of the thread could've saved you this "Anything that has to accommodate a bigger Cassette has obviously got to grow in the Rear mech area", plus I clearly wasn't saying I WANT a gearbox, just... oh forget it 😐
I know this is frequently raised as an issue (and I realise posting this next bit will lead to inevitable mech destruction imminently), but the last time I damaged a mech through some kind of trail mishap was 1999.
I remember the date because I was living in Germany at the time. It was in the middle of some woods where I wasn't sure if I was allowed or not (probably not). A thick twig/thin branch got flicked up into the mech and bent it out of shape.
Most of my riding is described as mincecore-lite though, so probably a factor?
Anything that has to accommodate a bigger Cassette has obviously got to grow in the Rear mech area, If you don't want a big rear mech, what you really want is 2x
I can't be arsed to do the maths, but surely there's not much difference in the amount of chain slack you need to take up on a 10-51, compared to the days of triples when you went from 44 front-34 rear to 22 front-11 rear?
Even then you could run a medium cage mech because you knew you'd never run big:big or small:small gear combos.
I'd add that obviously gear capacity is a large part of it, but it's also gear capacity concentrated in one spot. 41T difference; but the actual size difference between a 52T and an 11T sprocket is immense, and the mech has to cover that, right?
But yeah, I've gone XT 11-speed 11-42 with a 32T so I can use a medium cage mech
but the last time I damaged a mech through some kind of trail mishap was 1999
You know what.. I've NEVER damaged a mech when riding, I've been out with people who have, but this one collects more grass and shit than any other I've had, so seems to be willing itself to be the first.
You know what.. I've NEVER damaged a mech when riding
I said that on this forum a few years back. Then, within a month, I smashed two on the exact same corner when sticks jammed in the spokes.
