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Which Rear Deraileur for 11-28 9spd cassette


totss's picture

By totss - Posted on 05 March 2013

NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.

Looking for a rear derailleur that will work on an 11-28 cassette to replace the rubbish Deore M591 that is currently on my bike.
I have tried XT shadow derailleur but it didn't shift well with the close ratios of the 11-28. I was looking at the XT M771 rear derailleur but I am unsure if it will work, hence my question here.
Bit more information - I am running a triple crank 22/32/42.

Any ideas?

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mike95's picture

On my old flat bar commuter i was running 1x9, 48T - 11-28 cassette, & used an old sram xo mid cage.
Shifted gears perfectly for the 10 months or so i used it daily.
This was with xo gripshift & fully sealed transfil flying snake gear cables. This bike got ridden in some pretty bad weather.
Now retired & just used as a backup to the roadie on really really wet days.

You sure you need a new derailleur, might just need a cable change & gear adjust?

TheOneRing's picture

I've been using road cassettes on my HT commuter for the last 4-5 years. Initially 11-23 9sp and more recently 11-25. Currently using a long cage X9 but I had an XT shadow on it for maybe a year or 2. No issues.

I would be checking the gear cable inner and outer for any kinks and blast some WD40 down the outers to clear out any gunk. Also worth checking to see if the hanger is bent. If they are all ok, is your cassette or chain worn/damaged?

ChopStiR's picture

Wouldn't a short cage work/shift better with the small cassette?

TheOneRing's picture

True, but short cages have limited capacity (about 30T for SRAM, I think). They aren't designed to be used with a triple ring at the front as that requires a range of 37T in the example above. Also, I may be wrong, but to get a short cage in Shimano, I think that you need to get a Saint for 9sp

muvro's picture

Sounds like it could be any or all of the following. Dirty/worn inner and or outer cable. Bent or worn deraileur. Bent hanger.

Cassette size has less to do with deraileur cage length, than front chainring arrangement. Running a smaller casette, I dare say you no longer use granny ring? If this is the case, you can use a short cage, but it has no real bearing on shift quality. It more has better control of the chain tension and slap. But I'm also guessing that this is a commuter due to the cassette size, so unless you are hopping gutters/median strips, it's a moot point.

totss's picture

Looked at it a little closer last night, jockey wheels were dead. Replaced them and played a bit with cable tension and shifting has improved a lot, still not fantastic tho. Going to try a mid cage derailleur today, see how it goes. Cables were replaced not that long ago, so they should still be ok.
Yep bike is a commuter but also doubles as a long distance XC bike. I've kept the granny ring on to help climbing with only a 28 out back instead of a 34, so what I'm saying is I still use all 3 rings up front. Med cage derailleur is rated to 35T, so as long as I don't shift into big big it'll be fine.

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