Fair enough. I usually try to keep my money in my city (or country), if possible, which is why I went with JTek (UK-based), which is why I like them. But, I've given up gears all together now.

Don't think I'd make it up the hills where I live on a single speed without busting a gut.

pretty flat around these parts :)

Flip flop hubs?

Wolftooth tanpan
 

I have recently manage to install the tanpan on my bike and i have had nothing but sucess, how ever the gears are a bit noisy and need regular indexing. I have a barrel adjuster on the cable near my handler bar so i can index on the fly which is very very usefull. Having a 50x11 top gear and 34-40 bottom is a crazy range and thanks to that i have been all over places i shouldnt be on a road bike. I also went touring with 13kg of baggages and god bless that 34-40 when doing long climes. One other really nice addition of using an XT rear mech is that clutch. When riding gravel with my plebbian friends still using normal road derailleurs all i hear is how noisy their bikes are and the amount of chainslap they have to deal with.

I have only engaged the clutch on one ride and my gear indexing became really sloppy and noisy. The adjuster barrel needed adjusting a couple of times and the shifting was really stiff and unresponsive. I'm hoping that the system will loosen up a bit with use. Disengage the clutch and everything is sweet as.

Sorry to hear that but are you using an 11spd system or the 10spd one, shifting for me feels like a normal rear mech and i cant feel any difference when engaging the clutch.

Lucky you. 11 speed Ultegra RS685 shifters with XT 8000 rear derailleur and the Taipan. I'm hoping after a few more rides it will settle down - although I have avoided engaging the clutch on the last couple of rides.

I am using those exact components, but i recall my friend saying who by the way is a mechanic is that its crucial to have the cable as tensioned a possible so that the little loop around the tanpan is tight. So remember to prestrech your cables by holding your rear mech and shifting up with the lever to put a bit more tention on the cables but dont be abusive. I have a 3T aeronova which has internal cabling and the way the cables exits the bar is really not ideal and i thought the system would feel heavy but every shift is super light. If you do want to try with the clutch on maybe reduce the friction on the clutch. How recent is your cabling? What casette are you using?

I'm sure the Tanpan is set up to specification. Next I will try adjusting the clutch. The cassette is 11-40. Shifting is fine with the clutch off. The bike is new and I installed the Tanpan with a new cable.

I set the clutch fairly light, just enough to eliminate chainslap, and have never had any issues. No adjustment ever after initial setup. I must be a brilliant mechanic or just lucky.