I'm building up a touring bike and thinking of going as low as a 32 tooth on the rear cassette which might mean going for a mountain bike cassette and rear mech. Am I Ok to run this with every other component being roady i.e 105 including the chain?
Yes
I recently stuck an Ultegra 10sp chain on my 10sp XT and have yet to die. It shifts and works a treat.
No difference at all.
There is a difference, but they're cross compatible and there's no discernible performance difference IME.
Good to know cheers guys. I do seem to remember pro downhill bikes a few years back with road rear mechs now that I think about it.
Road chains are faster.
Oh but I did start taking EPO and muttering about cadence and watts shortly after I fitted it, might just be coincidence
The outer plates are profiled differently to optimise shifting - ultimate smoothness on the back on the road, quick pick up on the front on the MTBs. Like I say though, not actually noticed a difference in use.
Oh the Edgar is already in the fridge for as soon as I put the chain on!
Ok, I doubt that the chain outer plate profiling is standard across all chain manufactures though, sounds more like a marketing phrase to suggest a point of difference over Shimano's rivals?
Yep. But I'm answering the question: "Is there a difference between Shimano MTB and Road chains?"
The answer is yes.