Hi,

I bought a sunrace 11-42t cassette to fit to a CX with a 50/34 chain ring (for gravel bike duties) thinking the shimano shadow (not the plus) derailleur I had would work, but there's only just not enough clearance for the top jockey wheel with the b-screw right in ( can't reverse the screw).

My b-screw is already quite long so I don't think a 25mm one will be much longer but never measured it

Goat link info say the derailleur needs to be shadow plus, does anyone have experience to know if it could work with the non-plus one?

Has anyone used the road/goat link copies on eBay or sjs cycles that are only a few quid?

Any other options/ideas? I read an 11 speed MTB long cage derailleur should work with 10speed brifters without any additional link?

Thanks for any advice

I did look into a goat link for the wife's hybrid bike but it wasn't compatible with her mech. I had thought that it was an add on to move the mech down but I think it actually replaces the direct mount link on the mech so only compatible with mechs which already have the correct link.

In the end I just changed the gearing on her MTB instead, I fitted a Shimano 11-42 and that seems to work fine with a SRAM long cage mech.

When I was first thinking about changing the gearing on the hybrid I thought for Shimano it was 9 speed MTB which was compatible with 10 speed road? I might have got this the wrong way round but worth checking.

Would it perhaps be easier to change the front rings? I found a 50/34 to be pretty useless off-road.

It's the tooth difference between the two chainrings that's crucial, not the actual size. For instance, there are super-compacts available in 48-32t but they need the same rear mech range. I don't know if going 48-34t would be enough.

I don't see how anyone who needs a 34-42 also needs a 50-11 on a gravel bike!

I have a short cage road mech and a road link with an 11-42 works fine...but then I only have a single singe (38) up front

t's the tooth difference between the two chainrings that's crucial, not the actual size. For instance, there are super-compacts available in 48-32t but they need the same rear mech range. I don't know if going 48-34t would be enough.

You misunderstand me Colin - I mean, in an aid to lowering the gearing, would changing the front rings not be an easier option that fitting a larger cassette and all the potential problems it can cause. I don't mean, changing the front rings might make fitting a large cassette less problematic.

Ah - of course

restlessnative wrote:I don't see how anyone who needs a 34-42 also needs a 50-11 on a gravel bike!

My "gravel" bike is my tourer. It has a full Ultegra triple front and an XT cassette ;-)

ScotRoutes wrote:My "gravel" bike is my tourer. It has a full Ultegra triple front and an XT cassette ;-)

There's always one I'd argue a tourer has no need of a 50-11 though. When I did the Irish end to end 'touring' my biggest gear was 46-13 and I think I only spun it out once...it was at this point I also discovered putting everything in 2 big rear panniers was not so great.

Basically I am too weak to push a 50-11 and am clearly jealous.

restlessnative wrote:I don't see how anyone who needs a 34-42 also needs a 50-11 on a gravel bike!

I don't need 50-11, I'm just working with what I have (shim 105 50/34 up front). Though I will use it for to**ing/gravel bikepacking too.

Ideally I'd buy a new subcompact crank set, but don't ready want to go to that expense. I've also considered going 1x, but as above.

BTW, it is a 9speed shadow rear mech I have on, my mistake. Maybe there's a longer 9speed mech that would work??

I've ordered a long b screw with a hex head rather than screw head as it can screw further into the mech and maybe do the job. If that fails I'll maybe risk one of the cheap derailleur hanger extenders that are on eBay and sjs.

If I could just open my wallet and buy all the right bits or get a bike built to suit it would be so easy

10 speed STIs and a 9-speed rear mech will work up to at least 34T on the back.

I suspect 42T is just too much to expect.

Reversing the B screw is also a workable hack for more clearance

Yeah tried reversing it but there's a boss in the way that stops me getting the screw in and couldn't work around it.

I used a goat link with 105 10spd, med mech with a 40t cassette and it worked fine. Fiddly to set up for 2x but doable, though for full disclosure I didn't have a front mech, just pushed the chain over when I needed to shift into the lower ring.

That's interesting as I have a 105 rear mech in the shed

Did the chain stay on without a front mech when you did that? I don't really need the 50t ring anyway. I thought chains were likely to jump off without the mech or chain guide if not using g a narrow wide chain ring?

Never had a problem at all, even gravel touring around Iceland.

I'm under the impression it's your front rings that are causing the problems. They are ment to be no more than ten apart. So I'm running cx gearing of 46-36. And also it's ment to be a max 40t out the back, but I managed to just squeeze a 42 on with a longer b screw.

Have a look at the compatibility yourself.

http://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/products/roadlink

Cheers, yeh I had looked at the compatibility but my brain was struggling with MTB one with the specifics of shadow models, not being sure what mine was.

Also the guidelines are often conservative and peoples real world experience suggests you can get away with more or wangle it; such as shimanos guidelines which people often exceed with no issues, and they've recently revised their guidelines up.

Not sure what you mean about the front issue? Surely if they make 50/34 then that's OK? Or do you mean the difference front to back as in too much chain for the derailleur to take up? Excuse my ignorance, every day is a school day with some of this stuff.

Hopefully the long b screw without the head will move it down enough. Will let youse know.

I've just got a chinese copy of the Roadlink for my CdF to do the same thing. I paid £2.60 from China. Not sure if it will work with the 42T ring, I found a vid on Youtube where a lad managed to get a Tiagra rear mech working with a 40-11 cassette.

Cheers! The clearance for the upper jockey to big cassette is almost there, so doesn't need a lot. Will look at that video

Justchris wrote:I'm under the impression it's your front rings that are causing the problems. They are ment to be no more than ten apart.

That's incorrect.

If you can spring for the one up Rad cage its a better option than the goatlink - it puts the top jockey in the same place as the shimano 11 speed ders so it clears the big sprok but doesn't end up miles away from the small sprok in the high gears. The goatlink just drops the mech away from all of your gears. Note that an old style shimano none shadow mech already has the top jockey wheel in the right place.

Good to know my non- clutch shadow is in right place then.

Ordered a £3 extender for now as well as b screw , worth the punt for £3. I'll sort it one way or another

ScotRoutes wrote:

Justchris wrote:I'm under the impression it's your front rings that are causing the problems. They are ment to be no more than ten apart.

That's incorrect.

How come? It states in the wolf tooth comparability data that the front rings should be no more than 10 teeth apart for them to work with a 40 at the back. If your beyond those limits the rear mech won't have a large enough swing, I would have guessed.

My XT 9s GS mech (that I've just upgraded from) works with 11-40. Yes, beyond that would need a RoadLink I'm pretty sure.

Well the 25mm b-screw from MTB riders Ltd came and it's working 2012 Genesis Vapour set up with 50/34 10 speed Shimano 105 up front with 9 speed shimano deore shadow out back long b-screw and 11-42t sunrace 10 speed cassette.

It's on my road wheels just now to try it out, but unless I'm doing a road to*r it'll be in my off road wheelset.