Originally Posted by
|3iker
What the differnece? They seem to perform the same function which is basically moving the chain b/t chainrings or cogs.
Can you throw in say a Deore RD instead of 105 and vice versa? Looking at the price, it seems the top end mtb Deore LX is way cheaper than a Dura Ace rear derailleur.
Top end Shimano MTB is XTR. Deore LX is roughly equivalent to 105.
Shimano Road and MTB derailleurs are generally interchangable. Road derailleurs don't work well for large sprockets bigger than 28 teeth (they can work in some cases), and MTB derailleurs have longer cages to take up the slack from triple cranks. I have an XTR rear derailleur on my "road" bike, but that's because I occasionally tour on it and low gears are good to have when you're as big as I am.