Bicycle Mechanics - short cage derailleur vs. long

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bigS
02-20-06, 02:33 PM
I am upgrading my specialized cross bike into more of a road bike. I found some brand new 105 front and rear derailleurs. I am running a 12-26 on the back and a 48-38-28 on the front. My question is do I need a long cage derailleur or will the short cage 105 do. I am possibly thinking of getting rid of the small chainring on the front if this would help the situation. I almost never use it.

HillRider
02-20-06, 02:40 PM
Eliminating the small ring will reduce the"wrap" your derailleur has to handle and a short cage rear derailleur will be adequate. Even if you keep the granny ring, the short cage der. will be useable as long as you avoid the smallest two or three cogs while in the granny.
AnthonyG
02-20-06, 03:04 PM
"I almost never use it" is a key phrase here. I almost never use my granny chainring either but it could be embarrasing if you have to walk up a steep hill because you don't have it anymore :o

I started out by setting my current road bike up as a double but its gone back to a tripple even though I don't use it much so for the tiny differences in weight I would leave the tripple on and get a long cage rear derailer.

Regards, Anthony