[Closed] Can I use a short cage mech SLX on a triple?

Just found out no as the chain would be slack.

Wonder why the guy said it would?!

Edit: You can run the short but you wouldn't get all the gears available.

It could work and just change gear before you get the rattle.

I run GS (Which is medium in shimano land, rather than SGS standard/long) mechs on triples and 11-32t setups, works totally fine. Can't see the extra 2 links of chain necessary for the 11-34 causing trouble.

I'd say no. The mech takes up the slack in the chain when you shift from big-big to small-small; 44-34 to 22-11 would be too much for a short cage mech.

For future info:

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Dam I have to wait till next week so I can finish my bike. 😈

it'll work fine unless you are the sort of fanny who changes into big-big or small-small? 😛

Would a short cage mech work with a 1x9 set up, running a 32T chainring and 11-34 cassette?

are you selling the short cage SLX?

I haven't bought it yet! was about to.

I'm building an urban toy.

I'll have to order a long cage from Merlin. And I guess I have more ratio options.

Dam I wanted to finish it today but guess I'll clean my chain instead.

Thanks for the help.

NW Alps Jeyer aka Boz - if you mean an MTB short cage mech, yes.
a proper short cage mech (road SS) may or may not work above about a 30T sprocket depending on your frame

Cheers GW

Ever since my original Clockwork back in 1990 I've always run a short cage XT mech, and do now with 11-34 and 22/32/44. As long as the chain is long enough to do big/big incase you accidentally select it, it'll be a bit slack in the granny ring and the smallest few sprockets, but how often do you ride in that combination?
I find that by the time you're in granny and 5th or 6th sprocket the ratios start to overlap, so it's time to go back up to the middle ring.

Guess it's a personal thing, depending on how you shift.

Rob

I don't see the point, yes we all know you 'shouldn't' go big/big or small/small, but why make it impossible to do so for virtually no benefit!?

It's still perfectly possible to use all combinations, including small/small, and it rides fine. The chain runs a bit slack but the mech guides it onto the cassette ok.

I just prefer to have as little slack chain as possible flapping around on the fast n bumpy stuff, with the intention of reducing the risk of the chain coming off. Some may prefer to run a long mech to tame a longer and potentially 'flappier' chain.

Each to his/her own, if we were all the same it'd be a boring world!

Rob

njee20 - Smaller mech is less likely to hit rocks, isn't fugly like the current Shimano SGS mechs, and is a wee bit lighter.

njee20 = another STW armchair expert 🙄

I reckon I could get away with a short cage but to keep more options open and if break my mech on other bike etc going long cage.

But if folks have a double ring only or 1 chain-ring; then sure go for the short cage GS.

Hopefully thread will help others in future for refs.

Perhaps I should point out that I use a short cage mech...

He's probably joking njee. It's only a forum after all.

Using a 11-32? -works better than a 11-34 if you use a double.

Trust me I took nothing to heart, I'm happy to be considered an 'armchair expert', gives me more expertise than most on here 🙂

I take on board all the 'advantages' but IIRC it's about 7g saved, the chain slap/rock thing... yes ok, I can sort of see that, but it's not an advantage I'd say I've ever noticed, and it looks better... well yes, because the Shadow mechs have obscenely long cages.

The answer, and it's been reached thousands of times before, is that yes, it will work-ish, but a long cage with a triple will work better. Medium cage SRAM/Shimano GS with a double, short cage SRAM/Shimano SS with a single ring. Doesn't seem that hard to get ones head around.

[url= http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=205890 ]Read this[/url]

Sorry njee20, but I disagree - I believe a long cage is un-necessary for the combinations most people actually use on a triple and 9 speed cassette. Have a look at the combinations that are too slack in Zaskar's table above or read the article I linked to - who uses 22 to 11? IME of a long cage, to get enough tension in the chain (to stop it dropping on rocky descents) I had to cross the gears so much (from the big ring) that the gear was too low and not doing great things to the chain either. Switching to a medium cage has improved this. Plus the secondary benefits of increased clearance, reduced slap and possibly snappier shifting - non of which I can back up - are an added bonus, if they are true.
I use medium cage Sram X9, a triple and an 11-34 cassette.

You're missing my point though, yes we all know you shouldn't use those combinations, but why limit yourself so that you can't effectively use them?

Long cage mechs exist for a reason, if medium cage worked well enough, we'd all be using them! I've seen people rip mechs in half because they've accidentally gone big/big in a race, yes, you shouldn't do it, but it happens!

Even with a long cage mech I've never dropped the chain on a descent, admittedly I don't live somewhere rocky, perhaps that's the difference...

Sorry but you've got it all ar5e about face.

If big-big rips the mech off it's because the chain was too short, nothing to do with cage length - I can use all my gears beacause I made the chain the correct length. The long cage length is to take up more slack, not to add length to the chain (how could it?).

Did you read the linked thread? I think you may have missed the point slightly. The "issue" with the medium cage (as shown on the table above) is the chain is too slack in certain combo's not too tight. The "unusable" gears are in the small-small combo's. But I use can use them if I wanted to/by accident.

Correct, but it depends how you set the mech up. Some people put the mech big/big add 2 links etc, in which case it'll be slack when you go small/small, some people set it up so there's tension when you go small/small, then it may rip your mech in half if you go big/big. Seeing as big/big is a 'worse' combination than small/small it gives you more theoretically usable gears and in that respect arguably makes more sense.

I think you're more of an armchair 'expert' than me here!

True but strange point to make? If I understand you correctly you're saying if you set the mech up incorrectly you can break it. Don't think I can disagree with that!

But who uses small-small or big-big (and I can if i need to/by accident so what's the issue). I don't need "theoretical" gears when I'm riding just usable ones and a chain that doesn't drop/ mech that doesn't flap about. Hey each to their own. Personally I don't use the gear combo's that are slack anyway (who uses 22-11?) and would advise anyone not to. The same ratio (or close enough) appears elsewhere anyway without crossing the chain and where do you go from 22-11, up to the middle ring and than up the cassette because the jump in ratio would be too large: very inefficient - I'd get left behind faffing like that!
Hey it's time to get out in the sun!

Just to add my experiences...I use a 32t cassette with 22/32/44 and a medium XT mech on my Soul but not so many links in the chain. If I put it into 44/32 while on the workstand it all works so OK so if I did get into this combination for some reason I should still be OK.

Ignore my rant, sounds very patronising but it's more for benefit of others reading who may be new. All I'm saying is all my gears work plus I have a shorter mech so more clearance and better tension/less chain dropping or slapping. The combos that are theortically less than perfect (22-11 and similar) are only selected by mistake/poor users anyway, but they do work.

Agreeing with specializedneeds here, you're only going to be in big-big and small-small by accident or inexperience. Cross-chaining is a dreadful thing, and severely shortens the lifespan of the chain and other components if done often.

A medium cage doesn't stop you from doing this, although the slack chain should be a warning that you need to select a better gear.

**Bangs head on wall**

Just don't worry, I know what I mean, even if no one else does!

Just because YOU are an experienced rider who never uses big/big or small/small doesn't mean I would say to everyone 'medium cage mechs are fine, you get all gears and there's no negative ramifications whatsoever' that's just not true!

FFS who cares, it's a gorgeous sunny day, and I've just ripped it up for 3 hours around the Surrey Hills getting a tan and not dropping my chain or getting any chain slap, which is solely because of my medium cage mech!

Zaskar- SLX are a shadow mech, and shadow doesn't *actually* come in a proper short cage, more like long and extra long. So it'll work fine.

Anyone got any idea when shimano are going to make a proper short cage shadow mech?

Personally, I don't understand why long cage mechs exist at all- there's no need when a short cage one will allow you use all gears perfectly whilst being more out of the way. Shadow is pointless as it is- why have a low profile mech with a huge cage, when the cage is usually what gets caught and ruins your mech?

Glad you had a good day njee20, no offence meant.
You gotta forgive me for misunderstanding though:

I don't see the point, yes we all know you 'shouldn't' go big/big or small/small, but why make it impossible to do so for virtually no benefit!?

Perhaps I should point out that I use a short cage mech...

Long cage mechs exist for a reason, if medium cage worked well enough, we'd all be using them!

which is solely because of my medium cage mech!

FFS who cares, it's a gorgeous sunny day, and I've just ripped it up for 3 hours around the Surrey Hills getting a tan and not dropping my chain or getting any chain slap, which is solely because of my medium cage mech!

I ripped it for three hours on exactly the same hills, and killed my long cage mech in the process. 🙁

22/32/44 x 11/34 with a sram meduim cage for me. medium works better than long, quicker change and less chain slap. i don't know about shimano gs but i'd stay away from long cage mechs. i have no concerns about the chain being slack in a couple of ratios i never use.