Rear derailleur upgrade?
 

I'm currently running Shimano tourney RD and STI 7 speed brifters. I'd like to upgrade to a better RD as this one does not shift well.

Will any road Shimano Rd be able to replace my tourney? More specifically one made for say 9 or 10 speed? I was hoping to grab maybe a used ultegra mech off of eBay.

Also will this show an improvement in shifting or are the shifters also a problem.

Thanks,
Andy

Generally RDs all shift pretty much the same, and differences are generally about weight and durability.

I don't know what you mean "shifting poorly", but I'd suspect the cables, levers and/or the mechanic before the RD itself. Chain and sprocket condition also play into this. Either way, unless you identify what may be causing your poor shifting, I doubt you'll magically get an improvement simply by spending dough on an RD upgrade.

What cassette are you using?
If a "road" cassette vs "mountain", that might be part of the issue, since Tourney is a mountain DER, expecting the largest cog to be on the "large" side.
Is the B screw properly adjusted?

Going from Tourney to anything else will not solve your shifting problems if your cables, housings, shifters, etc. need work due to worn or poorly-installed parts (likely cables) or poor adjustment. Unless you find and cure the root cause of your troubles all you will do is to lighten your wallet.

First examine the cables inside your brifters to make sure that one has not begun to fray; getting a broken-off cable head out of a Shimano brifter is exquisite torture. Always check this when any sudden change in shifting is noticed.

Then remove the shift wire from the derailleur clamp so that you will have slack to be able to thoroughly examine your shift cables, both inner wires and housings.

Check with your derailleur documentation to determine the correct routing of the wire to the clamp bolt for when you put it back; the correct routing is usually OVER the little tab next to the screw. If it is routed wrong it will throw off your indexing. This is a frequent mistake!

I would then start by scrutinizing at the last loop of cable going into the rear derailleur, it is a frequent cause of shifting woes, moving along to the others systematically. If there is any doubt as to their condition I would suggest that you replace them all, with lined housings and die-drawn stainless wires, they pretty are cheap. Then move along to check your levers and derailleurs for free and correct movement. Then reinstall any removed/disturbed components and reattach the shift wire CORRECTLY.

When all is well with the hardware I would suggest that you follow this procedure from the beginning without skipping any steps, as if it were a totally new installation: Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » Rear Derailler Adjustments (derailleur)

+10 on cleaning, lubing and adjusting everything first. Replace only what is damaged or badly worn. If the RD does turn out to be the problem, an Alivio or Deore derailleur should serve you well on a bike that originally came with Tourney. Once you get past Deore, you start getting into bigger bucks for low weight and nice finish with less return per $ in performance improvements.

I agree with everyone else, while the Tourney series isn't very glamorous unless damaged, dirty or out of adjustment the components work very well. If it isn't working properly then I'd be looking at adjustment, dirt or damage before just replacing it.

Thanks for the replies all. The cables and housing are about new, they are what came with the STI levers. The bike did not come with tourney, it's a converted 10 speed to 14 speed. My main problem with shifting is probably the indexing. When installing the rear derailleur and shifters I spent probably 2 hours trying to get cable tension correct in order to shift with a simple click of the shifter. I usually have to click once and then push on the lever until it almost clicks again.

I would honestly like a durability upgrade at least. I appreciate the advice on the alivio/Deore; good point I will look at those.

Thanks,
Andy

would Claris be another good option?

If you spend 2 hours then something is wrong besides a turn of the adjustment barrel. If you installed the cables you may have left the housing too long, there may be a problem at the housing ends that's allowing flex into the system. If you have the same problem on all the shifts then something is interfering with efficient transmittal of the lever movement to the derailleur. The only thing between them is the cable/housing.

What's important in order to help you (and indeed with any similar problem):

• When did the problem start?
• Did any maintenance procedure or incident (accident, transport, lent bike, etc.) occur just before the problem began?

Pictures from the side of the entire bike and of the rear derailleur would be helpful.

Andy; there is NO durability upgrade from Tourney; more expensive ones are lighter, more exotic materials, sexier BUT definitely not more durable.

The fact the OP didn't take any suggestions or answer questions pretty much means they are just asking us to agree with them.

Hopefully these pictures help!

Derailleur Help - Imgur

I am not sure what is considered 'too much' housing. All I know to do that affects indexing is cable tension, which can be changed by turning the barrel adjuster...? My bike downshifts (to bigger cogs) just fine with one click of the shifter resulting in changing one gear. It's when I go from bigger to smaller cogs that it requires a "click and a half."

I appreciate the help again, but if you're here to be condescending and ignore what is going on here; what's the point.

Thanks,
Andy

Apologies, I missed your reply. I am using a 7 speed shimano cassette. Not 100% which one but it is a road cassette.
I'll fiddle with the B screw, thank you
Andy

Front cables are too long, but that isn't going to cause the problem you are having. Cable housing at the RD looks fine if not slightly short.

RD alignment looks off to me, a new derailleur hanger might be in order. Can't say for certain without using a gauge. Have you loosened the wheel and made sure that it was seated properly in the drop outs? That may be why the alignment looks off to me.

A RD with an 11tooth pulley wheel is an upgrade over one with a 13t pulley... in general. Not that one is inherently better, but 13t is an indication that the RD was made cheaply. Simply removing the pulleys, cleaning them out, regreasing, goes a long way and most likely the RD would be as good as new and not yield any shifting problems. If the bushings are still good then a new RD probably won't result in any noticeable improvement while riding the bike.

"RD alignment looks off to me, a new derailleur hanger might be in order. Can't say for certain without using a gauge. Have you loosened the wheel and made sure that it was seated properly in the drop outs? That may be why the alignment looks off to me."

The hanger is the claw that came on the RD. None of it is damaged, I know, but I will reseat the wheel it is budged slightly to the left. Do you mean the alignment of the pulleys and chain to the gears on the cassette is out of alignment?

That's what I'm saying, doesn't look parallel. Could just be the photo/angle though.