Just thrown an old 10 speed setup on my old singlespeed temporarily, when I put a 10 speed 11-42 sunrace on my 29er with an XT mech, a longer B-Screw was all I needed to pull the top jockey wheel off of the cassette. With the old XTR mech from the parts bin I have actually run out of adjustment due to it riding over the little flat the screw acts on. It is just enough to stop the jockey wheel running on the 42 sprocket of the cassette, anything I can do to get an extra few mm?

Can you thread the bolt in from the back?

Can you put it in from the other side? Then the shoulder will ride in the head of the screw which is a little bigger. Or fit a rad cage

Buy a Deore mech.

Seriously, I also run a 10 speed Sunrace 11-42 cassette and when the bike shop put the build together the mechanic wasn’t optimistic about the gears working, he said he’s rarely come across extender rings or the new wide range 10-speed cassettes that shift properly.

When I collected the bike a few days later he was surprised and pleased that the gears were the easiest he’s ever set up and worked faultlessly….he said he’d be recommending Deore 10 speed mechs over SLX, XT, XTR etc if customers want a wide range 10-speed setup!

Put a pair of M3 nuts locked together on it. done that bodge few times

@deviant, its only going to be for a few months so I don’t want to buy anything, I’ll be going back to singlespeed on it for the winter. Was just interested to see any hacks/bodges that might have been options to eek out another mm. Shifting is pretty good to be honest, I don’t think I’ll be able to thread it in the other way, so will just call it good for now!

Cheers all.

Something like this may help you:

GoatLink

I’ve just bought a Sunrace 11-40t cassette and it came with a J-link one. Not set it up yet, but hoping it’ll do its job.

Yeah the Goat link will do it, but not if you don’t want to spend the money.

You should be able to get a longer b-screw as manufacturers supply them with wide range cassettes.

Oh aye, just noticed the last post mentioning the lack of want re spending!

Agree with kayak23. No harm in asking.

It is a longer b screw, again, one I found in my ‘old bolts box’. The issue is that as the derailleur rotates with the screw, it actually stops ‘pointing’ at the pad on the base of the derailleur its self. (As shown in the photo)

Could you convert it back to single speed?

As soon as the weather turns again, yes, it will be back to dependable simplicity.

Had exactly the same problem with my road bike.Tried a longer b screw and also a nut on the end of the bolt but it still wouldn’t work.Got one of those goatlink things off ebay from China for about £3 and it was delivered in a week.All sorted no probs.

Same st up here 10spd xtr mech sunrace 10/42 cassette. Same issue and I looked at all those options and then just reversed the b tension bolt. Threaded in from back, bit fiddly but once threads engaged all good! Shifts no problem and cost nothing!

You got a better picture as the link looks like its in the wrong place.
Missed the stop as is usually parallel to the ground

+1 that mech looks like it isn’t fitted properly in that picture.

do you have a link to the £3 goatlink nick1962 please?

Guessing they have a different name and my searching skills are lacking.. as all I can find is the Lindarets ones at over £20..

EDIT: and now I’ve posted this I’ve just found them.. 🙄 Looks like its the roadlink though rather than the goat..

Remove the the little black plastic washer/spacer thingy. You can then wind the b screw into the mech body.

Interested in this as am going to be running the same set up; is the goatlink the best option out of got link or longer b screw?

As said several times previously, its nothing to do with the B-Screw being too short, as it rotates the mech it runs out of pad to act on. I have for now turned the bolt around and its perfect. I have attached a larger pic for the people asking if its fitted correctly, I believe it is, the curved stop on the back of the mech is tight against the hanger.

No goat link required in this instance. Cheers again for all the replies!

I just go a similar problem with my slx mech.
I had 2 rides on this bike before,it was not a problem once I put the B screw in all the way.
I just built it with the mech off the old bike
But this ride,I heard a noise in 40tooth gear, and the jockey wheel was too close, so I changed up to 36, it was ok.
Ten minutes later, same problem in the 36, and soon in 3rd gear too

Any ideas?
The b screw is still in all the way and hits the stop

The other thing I noticed was that the mech didn’t spring back into a higher gear, the cable became loose

Could it be a clutch issue?
I have no idea how the clutch is adjusted

Dosent look like the mech is fitted correctly.
That small link is in the wrong place

Fit an 11 speed mech and job done, far better shifting to those big cogs

nicolaisam – Member
Dosent look like the mech is fitted correctly.
That small link is in the wrong place

Which orientation should it be in? It can’t go any further clockwise (to bring it flatter) as there is a cast tab on the back of the link that is touching the mech hanger. (No photo available, at work now).

The link should sit almost horizontally. The cast tab on the link should sit to the rear of the tab on the mech hanger.

Ahh OK, I did have a go when I fitted it, but it looked way further around than horizontal. I’ll see what it looks like again later!

OK, I pulled it around so the casting on the back sat on what would have been the old b-screw tab, the chain only wraps around about 25% of the sprocket (and that’s with the B-screw so far in it won’t even shift onto the top 3 gears).

I have put it back as it was for now, its working nicely with the b-screw reversed! It will do for a couple of months.

Upper picture is how it should be fitted