Originally Posted by
ninox
Hi, I modified my Birdy 9speed monocoque (bought 2007) using Joseph Kuosac parts with work done by my local bike store. I changed the wheels to their carbon wheels with Kojak tyres, changed from a nine to a 10 speed capreo cassette (9-28) and a 56T chainring. The derailleur was changed to a long travel 105 with a 10 speed tiagra shifter. The bike is great to ride and much faster now BUT the gearing and derailleur are awful. The long travel derailleur almost touches the ground. The shifting is sort of awful as well, it shifts down well but shifting up it skips and slides. Any helpful suggestions? I was wondering about changing to a MTB short travel derailleur and matching shifter.
If the largest cog is 28T going to a MTB short cage rear derailer will make things worse, all things equal. I would change to a short cage (SS) shimano road derailer just to get more clearance.
Checking for a bent derailer/hanger is not a bad idea. I typically change the hanger by sticking a allen key into the derailer's mounting screw and eyeball it. Simply looking straight down at the derailer and cogs will give you a good idea whether the derailer is bent. Although I think a bent derailer (generally) results in symmetric problems.
How old is the housing and cables? Maybe you should -- or have a mechanic -- reconsider the routing and thoroughly grease the cables to get a smoother action. How old is the shifter and derailer?