B1KE

I recently accidentally stripped the bold on my Shimano Tiagra derailleur. The shop replaced the derailleur but put in a 9 speed Shimano Derailleur instead of a 10 speed that comes with my bike.



I was given the Shimano Tiagra Rear Mech 9sp 4500

Shimano Tiagra Rear Mech 9sp 4500 | Chain Reaction Cycles

My bike comes with the: Shimano Tiagra 10-Speed Rear Road Bicycle Derailleur - RD-4601

Shimano Tiagra 4601 10 Speed Rear Mech | Chain Reaction Cycles

I feel the gearing on the 9 speed is all over the place especially on the high and low end of gearing.

I'm going to confront the shop about this.

2. I feel I should be given a full exchange because they gave me the wrong derailleur that is not the EXACT replacement which came with my bike. I instead received an older one that is not the right amount of gears. What does everyone think?

D1andonlyDman

I think you should be given a derailleur that works properly. But I should tell you that the 9 speed derailleurs should work, assuming the shifters are 10 speed.

Ronno6

The total travel is the same for 9 or 10 speeds.
The derailleur does not determine the spacing of the shifts: that is performed by the shifter.
It should perform normally if all has been installed and adjusted correctly.
I have used many 6speed, 7 speed, 8 speed,9 speed and 10 speed derailleurs on various 8,9,and 10 speed
Shimano drivetrains without problems (except for the old DuraAce 7400.)

bikemig 

There is nothing to confront the shop about. The 9 spd Tiagra rear derailleur will work just fine.

B1KE

Also I know theres short cage and medium rage detailers on the Tiagra range, I belief one of the reasons the gearing is off is because the derailleur is not compatible. I'm running the following specs;

[TABLE="class: setabulardata, width: 698"]
[TR="class: serowodd"]
[TD="class: selabel, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]Crankset[/TD]
[TD]Shimano Tiagra[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: seroweven, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: selabel"]Chainrings[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]50/34[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: serowodd"]
[TD="class: selabel, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]Front Derailleur[/TD]
[TD]Shimano Tiagra[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: seroweven, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: selabel"]Rear Derailleur[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Shimano Tiagra[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: serowodd"]
[TD="class: selabel, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]Rear Cogs[/TD]
[TD]Shimano Tiagra, 10-speed: 12-30[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: seroweven, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: selabel"]Shifters[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Shimano Tiagra




[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

The Derailleur I was given has the following specs;

Series TIAGRA
• Model No. RD-4500
• Pulley Cage: SS/GS
• Speeds: 9
• Max Front Difference 16T (SS)/22T(GS)
• Total Capacity 31T (SS)/37T(GS)
• Max Rear Sprocket: 27T
• Min. Rear Sprocket: 11T


Are these 2 compatible?

B1KE

I was given an older derailleur 4500 vs 4601 that was supposed to directly replace my current one (4601) I believe I should be given a full exchange for a new one no questions asked. Also they should put a short or medium cage 4601 that is compatible with my chainset and cassette.

Ronno6

The cage length is definitely not correct for your drivetrain; it needs to be longer to handle the wider gearing.
The shop did not fit a proper derailleur.
Again, 8,9,10 speed is irrelevant to the derailleur; cage length is a different issue.
Good luck!

B1KE

Thanks a lot for your help!

B1KE

I don't need fine when I'm paying money I expect a direct replacement not an older model. It's like ordering a 2015 bike and getting a 2014 model and saying fine it's still good enough. Maybe for you but not for me.

Ronno6

You are welcome.

bikemig 

That's a little combative.

Leaving aside the length issue, you might want to take a look at how much you paid for the RD. You may well have paid less for the 4500 than you would have for the 4601. Perhaps the shop was trying to give you a deal; perhaps not but you might want to ask the shop what they were thinking.

Insofar as the length is concerned, if running a 12-30 on the rear you need the longer cage version. Is that what you have? If you do, the shifting problem is not the derailleur but the adjustment.

mconlonx

If it was your fault the bolt stripped and you bought the older derailleur, you may be asked to pay the difference between the older one and the newer model. You may also be asked to pay for the install a second time.

If this was warranty coverage for a defect, not your fault, it should have been replaced with the correct 10sp unit. Unless you were in a rush to get the bike back and ordering the newer derailleur would have meant delays, as opposed to grabbing the older model off the shelf.

It could just be that the current setup needs a quick adjustment to be back to 100% functionality.

How can you tell this from what OP posted...?

bikemig 

+ 1 as to each of those points.

Ronno6

Please read post #4 .

The 4500 is inadequate for 34t.

Although I have been made aware that the Tiagra RD-4600-SS will handle 34t total difference.
That is sufficient for this drivetrain.