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Hey Folks,
I have a mate who has bought a hybrid Giant Fast Road bike from ebay and - having found it to have a bit of a mix of 10 and 11 speed components - replaced the rear derailleur with a Shimano Deore and an SLX 11 speed front shifter. He was having shifting issues so brought it round and we put it on the stand.
After much tinkering it turns out that it is essentially shifting 2 gears on the 11 speed block with virtually every click. It gets from the bottom to the top with only 5 clicks.
I can only assume that it is because he has replaced the previous road mech an MTB mech? I have bought a new 105 mech but before I get it out of the box and fit it I wanted to draw on your extensive wisdom!
Am I right or is it something else?
Cheers
Dogsby
and an SLX 11 speed front shifter.
What's an 11sp FRONT shifter?!
Front shifter will be 2x or 3x, surely?
I'd start by compiling a full list of exactly what is what - the brand and model of each part of the drivetrain and I'd do that before you start fitting all manner of other bits and pieces!
Sounds like it might have 8 or 9sp shifters (or some properly buggered cables) for it to be multi-shifting across an 11sp cassette.
Without knowing model numbers of the components it hard to say about compatibility. But this shouts to me like the cable is routed the wrong side of the bolt or some other routing issue.
Some pics and more info on the parts would help.
So what is the rear shifter - speed and groupset - and what's the rear mech? Mostly, as I understand it, once you move about 9;-speed components, there's pretty much zero compatibility between Shimano road and mountain bike groupsets, bar the odd bit of accidental weirdness.
There are various adaptors you can use to tweak pull ratios so various stuff - Google 'Tanpan' - eg:
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/products/tanpan
So you may be able to make the existing combo work regardless, but the easiest solution is likely to be to use a rear mech and shifter which are designed to be compatible in the first place.
Cheers all,
So, the shifter is an 11 sp SLX shifter. When you undo the cable it shifts through all 11 of its clics.
The mech is a Shimano Deore long cage.
Thanks for the replies so far.
Dogsby
My guess then is it's an older 9sp rear mech and is designed to use the appropriate cable pull ratio from a 9sp shifter.
Using an 11sp shifter is going to pull the mech a different amount hence it moving further, missing cogs etc at the back.
So, the shifter is an 11 sp SLX shifter. When you undo the cable it shifts through all 11 of its clics.
An 11sp shifter will have 10 clicks. Likewise, a 10sp shifter has 9 clicks etc.
So, the shifter is an 11 sp SLX shifter. When you undo the cable it shifts through all 11 of its clics.
The mech is a Shimano Deore long cage.
That should work, I think, as long as the mech is 11-speed, or potentially 10-speed. There's a Deore mech which is 10/11-speed and you can use 11-speed Shimano mtb rear mechs with 10-speed mtb shifters as they have the same pull. If the mech is, as above, 9-speed, then it won't work.
The easiest way to sort it out would be to fit either an 11-speed rear mech to match the SLX shifter - any 11-speed Shimano mtb mech should work. Or to fit a shifter that matches the mech if you know what speed it is. A 105 mech won't work with the SLX shifters.
I guess it could be some sort of horrible cable mis-routing if the mech and the shifters are both 11-speed, but it's hard to know without seeing it.
This is a not unreasonable outline of rear mech compatibility:
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/a-complete-guide-to-rear-derailleurs
The cable into the rear mech is definitely installed the right way? As in, it is attached to the locking nut on the right side and follows whatever path it should?
The mech is a Shimano Deore long cage.
But what model number? This is critical info to be able to answer your question.
I'm sure I'm not the only one with a riding acquaintance who just buys something from the top of a google search, struggles to make it work and it becomes your (and everyone else in the whatsapp group's) problem.
You've gone one step further by sub-contracting the issue internationally. Fair play. 😀
Because I'm soft I still waste my time trying to help but inside I know the real answer is to tell them to take it to a bike shop. There's not enough minutes in my life for this stuff and they never learn.
Bon chance mon ami.
But this shouts to me like the cable is routed the wrong side of the bolt or some other routing issue.
That was my first thought too. If it has a Deore derailleur and SLX shifter, they should be compatible.
A Giant Fast Road should have road components on it.
Have a look HERE for the model your mate has and check the component list.
if it’s as above, then it’s using an SL-RS700 road, flat bar shifter. The lever is designed in such a way that if you push it all the way forward, it will shift two gears. Click-click. Alternatively, you can half shift and it will do only a single shift. Click.
It is designed to work with road derailleurs, so I’ve no idea if the cable pull ratio is the same for a MTB rear mech.
It's not. Road flat bar shifters need a road mech.
OP find the model numbers on all the parts you can't get to work together. List them here. Without them it's all guessing. With them there is the possibility of spotting a problem.
it is essentially shifting 2 gears on the 11 speed block with virtually every click
That sounds more like you are mixing different cable-pull shifter and rear mech, than just cable-routing, which I don't think would make so much difference. Could be wrong though.
If it has a Deore derailleur and SLX shifter, they should be compatible.
Depends on what model Deore rear mech.
I have bought a new 105 mech
You need that *road* mech to be compatible with your *SLX* (MTB) shifter. Might be a bit optimistic.
There used to be a great website with a big table of compatibility but I can't find it.
Best I can find is this one:
https://bike.bikegremlin.com/1278/bicycle-rear-derailleur-compatibility/
Asking ChatGPT it claims:
- 11 speed 105 is 2.7mm per shift.
- 11 speed SLX is 1.1:1
So I don't think this will work, but you should do your own research (i.e. ask ChatGPT).
This whole thing - assuming the shifter really is SLX and not a flat-bar road shifter - comes down to what speed the Deore mech is. If you have a road shifter and mtb mech it's very unlikely they'll work or vice versa, unless they're both 9-speed or an odd mix of GRX 10-speed and a 9-speed mtb mech, anecdotally. But basically you still need to identify the exact Deore mech.
The Shimano part number for the mech will be stamped on the underside of the parallelogram bit of the mech from which you can use google to work out what it actually is. Eg: I have an RD-M770 one here, which it turns out is a rapid rise, 9-speed XT jobby.
Cheers folks,
Thanks for all of your help and patience. Some more detail:
The mech is a RD-M5100-SGS 1 x 11s HG -X11
The shifter is an SLX Dyna-SYS 11
It moves from the bottom of the block to the top in 6 clicks. 11-9, 9-8, 8-6, 6-5, 5-3, 3-1.
I am stumped as to why an MTB mech seems to not be compatible with an MTB shifter.
Thanks again for the help and I hope someone can put me out of my misery!!
Dogsby
It's the frame mech hanger straight? If it's a replaceable hanger is if done up properly? As someone posted above is the cable entering the derailleur correctly?
This is going to sound strange but: which way have you put the cable into the mech? Can you share a picture? (It should look like this 6100 mech - cable in through the top, into the pinch bolt, out at 90º)
as said above, it looks like you hook the cable around the sticky out bit next to the cable anchor bolt, so the cable is pointing inwards toward the wheel. That's not how it should be and will mean that the derailleur moves further per click than it should. (it's been put to good use here: https://nsmb.com/articles/shimano-inadvertently-upgrades-friction-shifting/ to shorten the lever throw for a friction shift pervert)
If it's routed 'round the back' as infovore has shown, there's a kindof curved guide for it to sit on. it's not quite as obvious a cable guide as perhaps on older mechs, but it does guide it.