Wolftooth Tanpan review
 

I was looking for a way to run lower gears on my 11-speed road drivetrain, and coincidentally, a new product just came out. It allows road brifters to work with an MTB rear derailleur and cassette. Very easy to install, and works perfectly so far. Had the bike out today on the Mount Vernon Trail, which is paved, but very twisty and hilly, so I really put the Tanpan through its paces on a 20+ mile ride.

The cassette is 11-40, giving a really nice low gear, without losing anything on the high end. I actually rode the entire time on the smaller chainring to simulate a 1x setup with a 34 on the front, and was able to ride from 5 to 24 mph comfortably, which is perfect for commuting. This will be my new setup on another bike, so it was a test to see how a 1x with 11-40 would do. Very happy with the result.

One nice benefit to the XT M8000 derailleur is the clutch, completely eliminating chain slap. I love a silent drivetrain, and all the root ridges and other bumps can really cause a lot of chain noise. It is slightly harder to shift with the clutch on, but I haven't adjusted the clutch tension yet, so that may not be noticeable if the tension is lowered.

Here are some pictures from the first test ride.

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/...6D7505AD32.jpg

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/...2991EDA667.jpg

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/...37B4A0C292.jpg

Tres bien!

Is that the recommended housing length?

You can use the Tanpan with full length housing, or in my case, a short price of housing with a cable stop. There are no recommendations other than avoiding extreme bends. The Tanpan fits into the housing hole on the RD, so there are no options on housing length.

Also, the Tanpan is CNC aluminum, and the top part of the RD does not move at all, so the length of the housing is not important. Here is a link to their website to show what the unit looks like uninstalled.

Tanpan ? wolftoothcomponents.com

What cassette did you get? Did you buy an already 11-40 cassette or modify an 11-36 using the Wolftooth GC kit?

That's the Shimano XT M8000 11-40 cassette. Also comes in 11-42 for a slightly lower gear. Rumor is Shimano will come out with an 11-46 at some point soon, but too low for my needs. Really more for MTBers. The new SRAM 10-50 has a crazy wide range (500%) but is cost prohibitive. Looks like the 1x drivetrains will soon offer a derailleur-based option with a range comparable to the Rohloff Speedhub, at a lower cost and weight.

Interesting, looks sort of like this Avid piece from my old bike's XT setup from about 20 years ago.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...psb8374c56.jpg

In use here with a different RD:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...psdpjcefq6.jpg

also essentially the same as a shiftmate, right?

I don't think the piece on my bike does anything other than allow the RD cable to make that tight turn from seat stay to RD. I've used that setup with regular 3x8 flat bar shifters, and then also used the same RD and shifters on a different frame without the little pulley, makes no difference whatsoever.

Looks like a Problem Solvers Travel Agent that allow drop bar brake levers to be used with V-brakes.

Shiftmate has a range of products designed to do the essentially the same thing. The Tanpan is designed specifically for the newest generation XT and XTR derailleurs, one piece of housing is required, and the wheel is made of Delrin (thermoplastic). The Shiftmate 8, which is the comparable product, requires two lengths of housing, the wheel is metal, and the unit is inline with the cable housing, rather than inserted onto the RD. So in theory, at least, the Tanpan should be a better product. In doing a bit of research to solve the problem of wanting lower gears, there is not much out there in terms of reviews or options.

I use a shiftmate to pair Campy shifters with my Shimano drive train. In that case, only one length of cable housing is required. It works pretty well.

I just used the TanPan myself on my change from a 10sp. 105 to a 1 x 11 w/ Force CX1 crank, 40T ring and Shimano XT derailer w/ XT 11-40 cassette.

So far so good. You pretty much only get one shot with the shifter cable with the tanpan. I messed it up once and it shreds it, so you need a new cable. Once in right it all works super smooth. Here's mine:

In my experience Shiftmate walks over time. I found it an OK solution for a while but over time it becomes cumbersome, i.e. something more permanent needs to be sought. Still the many available ratios make it quite a unique product.

After three weeks, the Tanpan is still doing great. The best endorsement I can give is I don't notice it's there. The shifting is smooth and perfect up and down the range. So far, highly recommend for those who want to run a mountain cassette. The lowest gear of 34-40 comes into play at least a couple time each day on my commute, and riding the bike fully loaded on a tour will be a bit easier.

3 weeks in myself riding my rig and smooth so far as well. Highly recommended as well.

Cant get mine to shift smooth
 

Hi All,


Not sure where I'm going wrong, but I cant get my setup to shift smoothly. Ultegra 6700 matched to Xt RD 8000. 11-36 cassette. Mounted inline as I have top tube routing on my Lynskey cross bike, and attaching it directly to the derailleur resulted in some heinous cable routing. I bent the shift cable a little with installation, and I'm wondering if I just try a new inner if that will help. It does seem like there is a lot of slack in the cable, which would make sense if the ratio wasn't pulling enough. Any thoughts on installation would be appreciated. Of note, my procross has a 130mm spaced rear end, but I cant see how that would complicate anything....


Thanks,


Tony

A picture might help clarify the routing. Are you using the SH-11 or SH-10? 6700 shifters are 10 speed, which according to the website, is compatible with the SH-10. Tanpan ? Lindarets

The shifters you're using are 10 speed but the derailleur's 11 speed. You need you a new shifter.

Shiftin
 

Hi Alan, that derailleur is an sgs right? Can it handle cross chaining, i know your not supposed to but it does happen to me so i want to be sure my derailleur does not snap off. And you mentioned slightly harder to shift with the clutch on, there is a switch on the derailleur and that is what i plan on doing when going on and off road but the shifting is crisp and accurate in general right. Is the harder shifting and both ends or just one, i would imagine it would influence the front mostly. Or is it just a harder lever pull?

Yes, SGS (long cage). No issues with cross chaining. The clutch on the rear derailleur makes shifting the rear slightly harder, with the emphasis on slightly. The amount of tension in the clutch is adjustable, so I set it pretty lightly, and to be honest, I don't notice a difference any longer. If the clutch is off, the chain will slap the chainstay on larger bumps, reminding me to flip it back on. Overall, the Tanpan, 11-40 and XT derailleur work perfectly together.

shift made changes the pull ratio by having 2 diameters, that just lets the cable , bare make a sharper bend..

a 1 diameter pulley..





;)

gears
 

Perfect! do you think it would handle a 42 and still be able to crosschain ? With a 50 up front. Its for a monstercross bike so i need a massive range.What length of chain did you use? Did a 116 link and master link on top do the job and is the tanpan still doing good?

I think a 42 would be OK, but you may need to go with a longer B screw to clear the larger cog. Wolftooth sells them and also their website has additional info on compatibility. Probably want to call them to check. Don't recall whether I used the full 116 links or removed any, but definitely didn't need to add links. Post up some pics when done.

Having difficulty with the conversion
 

I tried the same conversion on my ten speed with mediocre success at best. I added a 12-34, new cable, new chain, etc. And when you have the bike on the stand, it works well. It took me nearly a week to find the right cable tension, and then it was never really sound. Once I road tested it, under load, the rear derailleur is in a constant state of wanting to shift, you hear it, and feel it through the pedals. With the chain line right down the middle, it's silent and efficient at moments, and then depending on the attitude of the bike, will ghost shift up or down. The B screw tension is within Shimano specifications, the chain is a Ultergra directional 10 speed. As a measure of test, I borrowed an old 9 speed Shadow XT, installed it, and it ran through the gears flawlessly. The wider jockey wheels have no affect on the narrower chain. Wolf Tooth tech support has been great, but they have no idea what's going on. I am wondering of you had any of the same experiences. If I can't this working, I am going to an old 9 speed rear mech, which works perfectly with the 1:1 pull ratio.