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Possibly a dumb question - but can you run 2x9 with a short cage mech, or are they only for use with a single ring?
Thanks!
It'll depend on lots of factors, you may find it fine, you may rip it in half if you go big/big. We all know you shouldn't do it, but I personally wouldn't preclude myself doing it by accident!
I stick medium cage for versatility, unless you're running a very close ratio cassette.
I run a short cage on a 3x9 and it's fine. I don't cross over at the extremes and it's been fine
Like I said, it'll depend on many factors, just because someone finds it fine doesn't mean it'll always work!
And 'work' is relative; you also have to ask yourself if the 7g saving is worth it to snap an expensive mech if you accidentally go big/big. We all know you shouldn't, but personally I wouldn't want a bike where I couldn't do it. You can't always tell what gear you're in if it's dark and what not.
I run 2x9 on my Patriot with a short cage, I havnt managed to snap anything yet and it changes gear no problem. I run a short cage due to the number of bent medium and long cages I was experiencing.
Super short cage with 2x9 is absolutely fine. Its only 3x9 that causes probs.
Mech cage length just increases of decreases the capacity of the Mech to take the slack out of the chain in different gear ratios. Sram and shimano publish this capacity data for each Mech in 'teeth'. You can work out the capacity for your own set up. For if you have a wide range cassette and a wide range triple you will need a much bigger capacity Mech... less capacity for the opposite situation. This in the main is why road bikes have shorter cages as their gear range is smaller.