Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Bicycle Mechanics
Reload this Page >

For the true LBS Mechanics a question

Search
Notices
Bicycle Mechanics Broken bottom bracket? Tacoed wheel? If you're having problems with your bicycle, or just need help fixing a flat, drop in here for the latest on bicycle mechanics & bicycle maintenance.

For the true LBS Mechanics a question

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 07-09-13 | 10:10 PM
  #1  
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 272
Likes: 4
For the true LBS Mechanics a question

Using the Shimano Ulterga 6800 RD mid-cage for parts, will i be able to use the cage to bolt up to the Dura Ace 9000 RD to turn it into a mid-cage RD to use with Ulterga new 11-32 cassette?
Bad1 is offline  
Reply
Old 07-10-13 | 05:02 AM
  #2  
Mechanic/Tourist
 
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,522
Likes: 12
From: Syracuse, NY

Bikes: 2008 Novara Randonee - love it. Previous bikes:Motobecane Mirage, 1972 Moto Grand Jubilee (my fave), Jackson Rake 16, 1983 C'dale ST500.

True mechanics have not necessarily tried or spec'd every combo of parts mashups (often it's the garage mechanics who have the time and inclination to experiment) but the geometry/dimensions that allow a derailleur to handle a larger cog are not primarily in the cage, whose function is to take up chain slack.
cny-bikeman is offline  
Reply
Old 07-10-13 | 07:35 AM
  #3  
Wilfred Laurier's Avatar
Seņor Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 5,070
Likes: 306
what cny bikeman said is true
lbs techs seldom have time for experiments of idle curiosity
there is more money to be made by selling a whole derailleur
than by taking two hours to rebuild an old one

anyways
i seriously doubt this is possible
the main problem is that shimano derailleurs
are not designed to be servicable
beyond replacing jockey wheels and maybe bolts

so even if the derailleur parts mate together properly
which is a big if
it will be tough to get the thing reassembled and functioning

however
if you have the two derailleurs
you can go ahead and try
and report back here

also
what i want to know is
the reason you cant just use the ultegra derailleur

edit
also like cny bikeman said
a long cage will not allow larger cogs
for that you need a long body
like a mtb deralleur
Wilfred Laurier is offline  
Reply
Old 07-10-13 | 08:47 AM
  #4  
rccardr's Avatar
aka: Dr. Cannondale
Titanium Club Membership
Sheldon Brown Memorial - Titanium
15 Anniversary
Active Streak: 30 Days
 
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 8,694
Likes: 6,429
All true.

However, people have reported that they have successfully used both a mid cage and long cage Ultegra RD with an 11/32 cassette. Mid cage may require installation of a longer B screw (or removing it and reinstalling from the hanger side to get more length), long cage seems to handle it just fine.

Hope they are correct, as I'm planning to use a 6600 long cage RD with an 11/32 combo on my century build.
__________________
Hard at work in the Secret Underground Laboratory...
rccardr is offline  
Reply
Old 07-10-13 | 08:52 AM
  #5  
bikemig's Avatar
Senior Member
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
Community Builder
Community Influencer
 
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 21,855
Likes: 5,832
From: Middle Earth (aka IA)

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Or the OP could simply buy a RD designed to handle an 11-32 cassette. In any case, disassembling an ultegra RD to move the arms over to a dura ace body doesn't seem to make much sense. If the ultegra is doing its job, why waste your time on this project? If it's not, it's hard to believe this will make an improvement.
bikemig is offline  
Reply
Old 07-10-13 | 12:52 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
15 Anniversary
Community Builder
 
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,180
Likes: 1,699
That is not something "true LBS bike mechanics" would deal with. More like folks who live bikes and spend their boss' time on the interweb thinking up such nonsense. If you don't believe me go in on the next really nice Saturday (I'm thinking 10 or 11 AM) and ask, see what he says...
wheelreason is offline  
Reply
Old 07-10-13 | 10:40 PM
  #7  
oldbobcat's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,992
Likes: 713
From: Boulder County, CO

Bikes: '80 Masi Gran Criterium, '12 Trek Madone, early '60s Frejus track

Originally Posted by rccardr
All true.

However, people have reported that they have successfully used both a mid cage and long cage Ultegra RD with an 11/32 cassette. Mid cage may require installation of a longer B screw (or removing it and reinstalling from the hanger side to get more length), long cage seems to handle it just fine.

Hope they are correct, as I'm planning to use a 6600 long cage RD with an 11/32 combo on my century build.
The capability for using a 32t cog with any Ultegra derailleur has more to do with the length of the derailleur hanger than the length of the cage.
oldbobcat is offline  
Reply
Old 07-11-13 | 03:41 AM
  #8  
ot.net slave
 
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 571
Likes: 0
From: Canberra, Australia

Bikes: Salsa mtb * 3, Intense mtb * 1, Abeni SS rd * 1, Salsa road/touring * 2, Trek Damn one * 1, Vintage/projects * many

The cage length makes no difference to the maximum sprocket size. I would hazard a guess that the cages are not interchangeable anyway.

- Joel
tomacropod is offline  
Reply
Old 07-11-13 | 07:49 AM
  #9  
rccardr's Avatar
aka: Dr. Cannondale
Titanium Club Membership
Sheldon Brown Memorial - Titanium
15 Anniversary
Active Streak: 30 Days
 
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 8,694
Likes: 6,429
^^ Agreed, as well as whether it's a horizontal or vertical dropout- horizontal typically gives you more room to play with.

Read an interesting post recently talking about body (as opposed to cage) geometry and how much it contributes to proper shifting on larger cassette cogs. Pretty cool analysis.
__________________
Hard at work in the Secret Underground Laboratory...
rccardr is offline  
Reply
Old 07-11-13 | 09:41 AM
  #10  
Banned
 
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 43,586
Likes: 1,380
From: NW,Oregon Coast

Bikes: 8

I OTOH, bought a Campag Euclid/Olympus RD from the era when Campag was trying to compete
in the MTB sector. then dropped the idea.. late 80's they were moving into close outs ..

Those were able to replace the pulley cage, and so found another one Medium cage ,

bought the long cage pieces from the shop's vendors .. Its on my touring bike, still ..
have the medium one to sell.. [inner and outer plate]

NB Shimano really makes just putting a whole new RD on, the More efficient use of the shop time ,
as their parts supply chain, through wholesale distributors, is whole boxed RD's .

Last edited by fietsbob; 07-13-13 at 04:06 PM.
fietsbob is offline  
Reply
Old 07-12-13 | 12:39 PM
  #11  
Dave Mayer's Avatar
Senior Member
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,873
Likes: 873
Originally Posted by Bad1
Using the Shimano Ulterga 6800 RD mid-cage for parts, will i be able to use the cage to bolt up to the Dura Ace 9000 eRD to turn it into a mid-cage RD to use with Ulterga new 11-32 cassette?
I have done this operation a few times, because I am too cheap to buy new derailleurs. I have merged a good cage from one Shimano derailleur to the scavenged body from another.

Shimano derailleur parts are surprisingly interchangable, even between the mountain (not the latest 10-speed stuff) and their road lines. I have created long-cage road derailleurs by merging mountain cages to road bodies.

However, when it comes to the derailleur parts, XTR and Dura-Ace units are quite different. The cage attachment is incompatible with Ultegra/XT and the lower lines. I suggest you use the Ultegra as-is.
Dave Mayer is offline  
Reply
Old 07-12-13 | 02:11 PM
  #12  
oldskoolwrench's Avatar
自転車整備士
 
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 885
Likes: 4
From: Denver, Colorado USA

Bikes: '86 Moots Mountaineer, '94 Salsa Ala Carte, '94 S-Works FSR, 1983 Trek 600 & 620

Bottom line? Buy the right derailleur for the right application.
You don't want that DR to blow up 40k from home on a rainy Sunday afternoon...

oldskoolwrench is offline  
Reply
Old 07-12-13 | 07:19 PM
  #13  
chriskmurray's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,134
Likes: 2
From: Colorado Springs

Bikes: Borealis Echo, Ground Up Designs Ti Cross bike, Xtracycle, GT mod trials bike, pixie race machine

Originally Posted by wheelreason
That is not something "true LBS bike mechanics" would deal with. More like folks who live bikes and spend their boss' time on the interweb thinking up such nonsense. If you don't believe me go in on the next really nice Saturday (I'm thinking 10 or 11 AM) and ask, see what he says...
Lots of truth here. As someone who works in a small shop that generally goes way beyond what most will take apart, it is very tough to justify the time it takes to do this on the clock. Personal projects, sure we have all tried weird mash ups but there are some days that the sales floor is so overwhelmed that I rarely get to touch a wrench and end up going in after hours to get us out of the weeds with scheduled repairs, today is a great example. I went in at 6:30am to get some repairs done before we opened because on Fridays we are lucky to turn many wrenches, we still have so many repairs that I am about to head back into the shop here in 30 mins or so to simply try to keep us caught up. Obviously part of the problem is we are to quick to say we will get it done by the weekend but quick turn around and willingness to try and fix things before replacing is why other shops send people to us for tough service issues.

With that being said, there is more to how big of a cog a derailleur can handle than simply cage length. Try it if you are bored but I personally think it will be a waste of time and not really be any improvement.
chriskmurray is offline  
Reply
Old 07-13-13 | 03:39 PM
  #14  
Delmarva's Avatar
Senior Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 565
Likes: 5
From: Virginia, USA
Originally Posted by rccardr
^^ Agreed, as well as whether it's a horizontal or vertical dropout- horizontal typically gives you more room to play with.

Read an interesting post recently talking about body (as opposed to cage) geometry and how much it contributes to proper shifting on larger cassette cogs. Pretty cool analysis.
Do you have a link to that post?
Thanks.
Delmarva is offline  
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
tarwheel
Bicycle Mechanics
11
02-05-15 03:25 AM
Jakedatc
Bicycle Mechanics
10
09-08-14 07:17 PM
spdntrxi
Bicycle Mechanics
1
03-22-14 07:38 AM
JoeOxfordCT
Road Cycling
40
04-24-10 06:21 PM
ZippyThePinhead
Bicycle Mechanics
4
02-16-10 09:32 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.