I wanna get a new front mech, looking at an SLX one, seems to come in several flavours. I need a top or dual pull one, but can't decide on a hi-clamp or low-clamp one.

There's no bottle bosses or pivots or anything to get in the way so either will fit, I just wondered if there was any advantages (perhaps better stiffness and shifting due to the wider pivot spacing?) of the low-clamp over the more "traditional" design of the hi-clamp.

higher clamp conventional ones seem to last infinately longer IME, they dont develop play and dont clog with mud anywher near as quick.

I use an old 8 speed LX one becasue it won't die, I've killed 5 or 6 of the newer style ones before i dug this out of the spares box in desperation, its worked flawlessly ever since.

agree with thisisnotaspoon

hi clamps do not die ever….

paul

I am building up a 14" Trek frame and the cable holder on the seat tube is pointing the cable down & towards the non-drive side so I need a low clamp one to keep the cable running straight out of the outer.It would be a real sharp turn to get the cable on to a high clamp due in part to the close proximity of the components(short seat tube)

On my 16" Handsome dog I have a high clamp SRAM unit but looking at it it looks like it should have been a low clamp but the angle is not quite so acute due to the extra length of seat tube &/or the cable holder angle.

high clamp for all the same reasons as above + they work better and have less 'wasted' metal & plastic than the horrible dog turd attracting low clampers

+1 for high clamp if it fits – however they can fowl bottle cage mounts 🙂

yep, if the frame will take it, conventional swing last a lot longer

That's pretty conclusive! Conventional swing it is then.