JayB

My wife & I are more tourers than racing types. We have been using 10 sp IRC 11-34 cassettes for a few years and get reasonable shifting from my XTR RD-M952 SGS (long cage) rear derailleur. And we have been using "standard" non-directional HG Ultegra CN-6600 chains.

Does anyone know if the Shimano 10 sp CS-M771 or CS-M980 cassettes would work with this setup? I mean, could I just slip one of these newish Shimano cassettes on my Shimano HF08 hub and get similar or better shifting with a new chain of the same type I have been using?

Or would I need to change other elements of the drive train. According to Shimano, for optimal shifting with the CS-M771 or CS-M980 cassettes I would need:

-directional HG-X type chains, eg the CN-HG94
-Shadow type Shimano rear derailleur such as RD-M980 or RD-M773-SGS
-maybe a different front derailleur (I use an Ultegra FD6603 with FSA 30/30/52 triple)

Anyone with experience of these new 10 speed Shimano derailleurs? The TandemGeek wrote in June 2010:

"Pending release of the 11x32t Shimano CS-M771 cassette, the first cassette listed below (11x32t 9 speed) is our current 'alpine' gearing, and it's less than ideal with that awkward 18 to 21t jump that we have to deal with a lot on moderately long or steep climbs. The 11X32 CS-M771 will beak that up a bit."

So, Mark, have you tried the M771?

Thanks,

TandemGeek

Yup. Works just fine on our funky, hybrid Campy Ergo & Derraileurs /Shimano cassette drive train using a Shimano 105 10 speed chain and I certainly didn't pay attention to the direction when I installed it. I would expect the M771s to be very good on a more conventional all Shimano derailluer/STI.

Receipt: https://tandemgeek.wordpress.com/2010...now-available/

First use: https://tandemgeek.wordpress.com/2010...great-weekend/

JayB

Thanks, TandemGeek I will try one of these. As we take the tandem to distant places - Sardinia, Thailand, Albania, Turkey - I am always worried about robustness of components. The C-M980 is similar, right? Did you decide to use the M771 because it is stronger? And the 105 chain, stronger than the Ultegra CN-6600 we use, do you think?

Thanks again,

TandemGeek

M771 because it was:

a. available in an 11x32t, C-M980 only in 11x34 & 11x36
b. uses steel sprockets, whereas C-M980 uses Ti for 5 largest sprockets
c. only cost $82 at Universal Cycles vs. $299 for the C-M980

105 chain... because that's all REI had in stock and for cost. Chains are consumables....

JayB

Thanks, TandemGeek. Helpful as always!

rdtompki

I'm very anxious to change over my Ergo/Shimano daVinci 9 speed 11-32 to a 10 speed 11-32, but I've been waiting for Todd @ daVinci to come up with a newly-modified SRAM RD. I'll give him about another month and then I'll bite on a Jtek since most/all folks have had good luck. I love the Ergo shifters and would never want to go back to Shimano on a tandem. That extra gear in the 11-32 in particular looks sweet. We could use something lower than a 24-32 on long, steep, sustained climbs, but what's the use of climbing under 4 mph; I'm working the 'get stronger' approach instead.