Originally Posted by
Iride01
I thought there was a old Shimano RD I looked up for someone in another thread that was 23 teeth for the max low sprocket. Maybe not.
Digging a bit deeper, the 1960s "3.3.3" derailleur came in 24t and 28t, the difference seems to have been the length of the hanger. But I'm not seeing any 23t - maybe Shimano specified 23t but Sutherland's knew better?
Originally Posted by
Iride01
Still, the advise remains.... One should check the spec's of their RD to know whether they are within spec. Or are about to be experimental. Not that going out of spec means immediate failure. Given a choice of RD's, new or used I'd get the one that's in spec.
Indeed - know if it should just work, or if you're pushing the limits. Various factors like the length of the hanger and the width of the freewheel will influence your results.