sjt78

I currently own the 1st gen 10 speed Ultegra Brifters (not sure what model that is) but the rest of my drivetrain is 9 speed. I want to move to all 10 speed but want to try an 11-32 or 11-34t cassette for possible light touring. My crankset is a 9s Ritchey compact 50/34t. I know I need either a long cage RD or mountain RD. Is there a 10 speed Ultegra/105 RD that will work? If not, what model XT RD would I need to work with Ultegra brifters...I see so many versions of the XT RD that it is confusing. Basically I'm trying to mimic the type of drivetrain SRAM is trying to popularize as an alternative to a triple. Will older 9 speed XT/XTR RD work with the Ultegra brifters along with a 10s cassette as I might have a couple of serviceable units I could try but don't want to wast my time if it is a no go. Thanks.

reptilezs

any non dyna sys rd

Shimagnolo

Shimano road brifters work with any Shimano mtn RD *except* the ones intended for 10s mtn shifters.

Yes, I have Ultegra 10s brifters, a 10s 11-36 cassette, and 9s "Shadow" RD on one bike.

sjt78

I guess I will go check out my stock of old RD and see if any are worth installing. The XT/XTR RD I have are circa year 2000, but if they will work then I will try it. The XTR might be one of those funky ones that work in the opposite direction, that one might not work.

So no issues with running everything 10s except for 9s crankset? Don't really want to upgrade the cranks ATM.

rdtompki

The common advice on the crank seems to be to go ahead and try it. As long as the chain can't hang up between the chain rings you should be fine. I recently converted our tandem from 9 spd to 10 spd without a problem, but we have very unusual chain rings. Upon reflection my setup doesn't have an indexed front shifter. I suppose it's possible that the 10 spd FD cable pull is different than that needed for the spacing on a 9 spd. set of chain rings.

sjt78

Well I've been running the 10s Ultegra brifters for a couple of years with this crankset, just with a 9s chain. I guess I was asking if the 10s chain would have any issues on the 9s chainrings of the crankset. It sounds like that shouldn't be a concern though.

motobecane69

i have an ultegra GS (long cage) rear deraileur and run an 11-32 rear casette with zero issues. some people will say you need the b screw all the way in, some will say that it will depend on the length of your deraileur hanger but i've done this on a couple of different bikes without issues.

Barrettscv 

I also have used an Ultegra "GS" long cage rear derailleur with a Sram Apex 11-32 ten speed cassette with Ultegra brifters.

See: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...r-fear-no-hill

operator

Max cog you can run again, is dependent upon a number of factors, including the derailleur max cog spec and the length of the hanger itself. Shimano doesn't publish numbers for assumed hanger length. So like post #5 says, try it.

With a 11-32
(50-34)+(32-11) = 16 + 21 = 37, exceeded capacity for a SS derailleur, at capacity for GS

With a 11-34
(50-34)+(34-11) = 16 + 23 = 39, exceeded capacity for SS and GS derailleur

6600SS Capacity = 29t
6600GS Capacity = 37t


So with your current compact and a 11-34,

The 6700 is 1t max cog better. Otherwise just buy a mountain derailleur, it'll work with any possible setup you can imagine 10 speed wise cassette and your current compact.

Barrettscv 

Keep in mind that chain wrap capacity and maximum cog size are not the same specification.

Shimano rated maximum cog size for most road bike rear derailleurs at 27t, some road bike RD's are rated at 28t. MTB RD's are rated at 34 or 36t. It is possible to exceed these ratings by 3 to 5t, they have a safety margin built in.

You can also go beyond the maximum chainwrap capacity by a few units. I'm 50/39/26 triple with a 12-27 cassette and have no issues with any gear combination.

billydonn

XT Model M771 high normal RD works nicely if you need to go that way.
Can anyone explain why you cannot shift an Apex RD with Simano brifters?

ausdb

I am using an ultegra 6700 GS RD with an 11-32 sram cassette, apart from winding in the B tension screw a bit more and little tweaking the high and low stops the change from 11-28 was pretty painless. FWIW the rest of the drivetrain is 6700 compact on a Roubaix.

sjt78

Thanks for all of the great advice everyone. I decided to go ahead and upgrade the whole drivetrain minus brifters (I already have Ultegra 10s). Here are the parts I ordered:

Ultegra 6650 50/34 crankset
Ultegra 6700 BB
Ultegra 6600 GS RD
SRAM 1070 11-32 cassette
SRAM 1051 chain

I hope to have it all by this week to be installed this weekend. The only real splurge was the crankset as I already had a Ritchey compact crankest on the bike. I've never really like the Ritchey though as I've notice some flex so I'm hoping the external bearings along with the Ultegra cranks should make things more crisp. I also wanted to get a set of the old ice grey Ultegras before they get rare. The 9x parts coming off the bike will go in the parts bin to be recycled onto another frame some day.

Al1943

Let us know how it turns out. You're pushing your luck running a 32 cog on a rear deraileur rated for max 28 teeth.

operator

It doesn't matter, 6 months down the road the OP will realize that he should've waited for the new 105 stuff that is rated for a 33t max cog. Or ran a MTB derailleur. If it doesn't work with his 6600 that is.

Al Criner

SRAM RDs require different cable pull than Shimano so the brifters are not cross-compatible.

sjt78

Don't worry I'll post here with the results. It sounds like a few people have gotten the GS RD to work so hopefully I will also be able to do it. I have a ten year old XT RD if not that I can use either permanently or until I find something else. I just like the look of matching RD and cranks so I'm willing to experiment.

billydonn

Post back with your results...

motobecane69

no he's not, i run it on mine just fine, same setup make sure you have enough links in your chain, thats all.

Al1943

Does this mean that his derailleur hanger is the same length as yours?

mconlonx

On a current setup, I'm running an Ultegra GS rear with a 11-34 SRAM Cassette (9sp), no issues, 44/32 rings up front. Currently building a bike with a 12-36 cassette, and will be using and old Dura Ace 9sp GS rear der, compact 48/34 up front. If that doesn't work, I'll switch to a LX short cage.

mconlonx

I wussed out and went with a 10sp 11-32 rear cassette, which works fine with a Dura Ace GS 9sp rear derailleur. Front is Ultegra double 9sp with a 48/34 crank. DA bar end shifters, right is indexed for 10sp, no friction option.

motobecane69

you've obviously never even attempted this on one bike let alone 4 like I have so your really probably shouldn't even be commenting in this thread. my bike has a fairly short hanger and it works NO PROBLEM!

OP, good call on the ice grey ultegra cranks, they are all over the internet for $125-$150 so I hope you didn't pay any more than that

cycle_maven

Why not just use 9-speed? The 10-speed ultegra brifters will shift a 9-speed cassette when the "alternate cable routing" to the rear derailleur is used. I'm doing it myself, and have absolutely no problems. The last click on the brifters just doesn't happen. Then you can use any of the common and relatively inexpensive 9-speed mountain bike stuff.