Question:

Hi chris from my experience in the industry gripshift do work better with older type of derailleurs,  with their adjustable tension such as shimanoo XTR prior to 95and old XT(also found in older type road derailleurs… not anymore !!) they had that ajusting screw inside the main parallelogram,   It’s surely not the length of the cage .  The good people at SRAM would tell you that the less friction the better,   that’s exactly why the stronger spring is better it ‘ll counter balance the tension caused m by friction for instance : dirt or inadequate cable routing :if you look at your derailleur the cable housing should start curling upwards after coming out an inch or so out of the adjustment barrel you should also consider getting an  AVID Rollamajig! this will work wonders  my company stocks it as a regular OEM on our MTB. Patrick Ypperciel >I like my gripshift, but hate my XT rear del.

Somewhere in the lost time >of Internet surfing I found a FAQ that said the

best shifting MTB rear >del/gripshift combo was one using a short cage

road del like an Ultegra or >DA. It also said the torsion spring in those

models was just like the ones >in the old XT’s that worked well w/ twist

shifters. There is a short-cage >XTR, so this makes me wonder. Sooo….Has anybody

tried this setup?  And >if so: >1. Is the short cage really a problem? (the

Ultegra can handle 28T) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->2. Does it work worth a damn? >Comments please!

Response:

>I’m running an XTR short cage deraillure, but with XT shifters, so I’ll just >answer #1.  The SC  XTR, according to shimano, can handle up to a 32-tooth cog. > I’m running a 30 with no problem…it shifts fast and crisp.  The only thing >you definitely have to be careful about is cross-chaining…running your >biggest cassette cogs with your big chain ring.  If you do this (according to >Shimano) you’ll tear up the deraillure and also probably your frame.  I haven’t >tried this, but I’ll take their word for it :) .

That would be bad… There are two choices when you’re running a rear derailleur that can’t handle the spread of your gearing.  You can cut your chain so that you can run your "small-small" combo, at the cost of potentially destroying your frame and/or rear derailleur if you accidentally shift to the "big-big" combo…. or… You can leave the chain long enough to handle the "big-big", and not worry about trashing your drivetrain / frame.  OTOH, your chain will probably drag across the top your rear derailluer’s cage when you’re in your granny chainring and smallest couple cogs – but you shouldn’t really be using those gear combos anyway.  In most cases, it will just make some noise, but could easily cause the chain to jump off your granny gear onto the bottom bracket shell.  At least it’s easy to remedy that, and you’ll actually ride your bike out of the woods! Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.cynetfl.com/habanero/

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->There is a short-cage >XTR, so this makes me wonder. Sooo….Has anybody tried this setup?  And >if so: >1. Is the short cage really a problem? (the Ultegra can handle 28T) >2. Does it work worth a damn? > I’m running an XTR short cage deraillure, but with XT shifters, so I’ll just > answer #1.  The SC  XTR, according to shimano, can handle up to a 32-tooth cog. >  I’m running a 30 with no problem…it shifts fast and crisp.  The only thing > you definitely have to be careful about is cross-chaining…running your > biggest cassette cogs with your big chain ring.  If you do this (according to > Shimano) you’ll tear up the deraillure and also probably your frame.  I haven’t > tried this, but I’ll take their word for it :) . > Jim Christian > Pasadena, CA

A buddy of mine nearly did just that to his SC XTR unit preparing for the downhill reward after a long granny climb.  He shifted up to the big chainring first while still in the big cog.  Fortunately he realized the mistake and didn’t pedal any more. We had to remove the rear wheel to cure this condition as the chain was stretched so tight.  One good pedal stroke and snap, crackle, pop!   Mike Mountain Bike Virginia

Response:

Why don’t you just have a heavier spring installed in your XT?  That’s what I did, and things work great. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I like my gripshift, but hate my XT rear del. Somewhere in the lost time > of Internet surfing I found a FAQ that said the best shifting MTB rear > del/gripshift combo was one using a short cage road del like an Ultegra or > DA. It also said the torsion spring in those models was just like the ones > in the old XT’s that worked well w/ twist shifters. There is a short-cage > XTR, so this makes me wonder. Sooo….Has anybody tried this setup?  And > if so: > 1. Is the short cage really a problem? (the Ultegra can handle 28T) > 2. Does it work worth a damn? > Comments please!

Response:

>There is a short-cage >XTR, so this makes me wonder. Sooo….Has anybody tried this setup?  And >if so: >1. Is the short cage really a problem? (the Ultegra can handle 28T) >2. Does it work worth a damn?

I’m running an XTR short cage deraillure, but with XT shifters, so I’ll just answer #1.  The SC  XTR, according to shimano, can handle up to a 32-tooth cog.  I’m running a 30 with no problem…it shifts fast and crisp.  The only thing you definitely have to be careful about is cross-chaining…running your biggest cassette cogs with your big chain ring.  If you do this (according to Shimano) you’ll tear up the deraillure and also probably your frame.  I haven’t tried this, but I’ll take their word for it :) . Jim Christian Pasadena, CA

Response:

I like my gripshift, but hate my XT rear del. Somewhere in the lost time of Internet surfing I found a FAQ that said the best shifting MTB rear del/gripshift combo was one using a short cage road del like an Ultegra or DA. It also said the torsion spring in those models was just like the ones in the old XT’s that worked well w/ twist shifters. There is a short-cage XTR, so this makes me wonder. Sooo….Has anybody tried this setup?  And if so: 1. Is the short cage really a problem? (the Ultegra can handle 28T) 2. Does it work worth a damn? Comments please!

Response: