It was completely put together and I rode it 11.5 miles this morning with no problems except that the shifting with the largest cogwheel was sometimes a little hinky. So I decided to investigate.
The first thing I looked at was the RD--I took off the chain and went to the Shimano Instructions linked in my first post above.
I didn't get any further than this situation of the guide pulley bumping into the side of the 34T. The low adjustment procedure indicates that it should clear without the chain on. When it wouldn't clear, I then screwed the B down all the way (without the chain) assuming it would help.
The chain is the right length.
OK, I just unscrewed the B all the way and now the guide pulley will just fit under the 34T if I match up the cogs on one with the valleys on the other. So you are right!
So now I can set the low adjustment properly (it was just a little too tight), then reassemble with the chain and readjust the B, correct?
Then I can address the next problem, which is that my triple crank in conjunction with the cassette, exceeds the Specs recommended for the RD.
What I have now:
max chainring dirrerence = 50-26=24
max cassette cog diff = 34-11=23
total drivetrain capacity = 24+23=47
total rated drivetrain capacity for the RD971 is 43 for the long cage and 33 for the shorter cage. I'm pretty sure I have the long cage, but I'm still a little over at 47 vs 44. Am I gonna crash and burn or what? Thanks for your help!
EDIT: this is on a road bike frame that I'm converting into a tourer. Using Dura-ace 10-speed bar end shifters, 105 front triple derailleur and 105 triple crank both 5600 series. Is there another derailleur which can handle my 47T capacity needs? Should I think about changing the RD?
Last edited by ClarkinHawaii; 03-22-14 at 08:32 PM.